Was that a nail biting finish, or what?
It was Sanga and Murali who saved the day for us. Even after getting the Bangladeshis bowled out for a measly 152 we were struggling as if we were facing Australia and South Africa combined!
But we won, and I guess at the end of the day that's all that matters. I think Sanga summed it up best when he apparently said during a post-match interview that it was our experience in playing finals that took the game away from the Bangladeshis who, to their credit, played exceedingly well.
But that's no reason to brush aside and ignore our less than perfect performance with the bat today. At one point the scoreboard actually showed more wickets than runs (6 for 5). Yikes!
Oh well... we won, and even though we SUCKED today (for the most part), we wouldn't have made it to the finals if we weren't the BEST FRICKIN' TEAM in the whole of South Asia (if not the world)... which, by the way, we ARE! (Yes, that's a fact :p ).
Sri Lankan Cricket ROCKS, man!
4 weeks ago
8 comments:
Man, no it is not OK...
If we want to be the best (Yes, we are NOT the best in even Asia, let alone the world) we have to do some serious changes.
Just think, WTF is Tharanga doing there? And Sana? Yes, he has been a great great player for us for a long time, but that doesn't justify him being there, in his 40s. He's holding back our next generation openers, whoever that might be. We need to give a chance to people like Udawatta, Paranawithana and Kandambi in particular.
And Mahela at least need to be dropped for a while.
There are some serious problems with our batsmen these days. It's eitehr Sanga or nothing. Seriously need some good batsmen. Our bowlers have been carrying the team on tehir shoulders for a quite a while now...
Of course Sri Lanka cricket rocks! Who else could come at no. 10 or 11 and play like that? I mean Glen McGrath couldn't bat for toffees, but then, he hardly got a chance to bat.
And, yes we do need to do some serious changes. You don't really have to be a sports-person to notice that. I think what they need is energy and some very good competition from within the team. Ah, but that's just my opinion.
@Sachintha - Yeah, it really does seem that it's the bowlers who's been running the show lately, doesn't it?
I mean it's not like our batsmen can't bat. That's definitely not the case. But somehow they seem to get hit by this state of paranoia when faced with a good fast bowling attack. Why is that? Or is it just me?
It's at times like these I miss people like Aravinda and Mahanama. They were never afraid to go after any bowler when they sensed weakness, and where there was no weakness, they would CREATE it by putting pressure on them.
As for Sanath still being in the team... I dunno... personally, his mere presence is enough to rattle some nerves. He may not be scoring century after century like he used to, but I think he's still a valuable asset to the team, and is still very capable of getting more than a few sixes.
I agree with everything else you said, though. There's definitely room for improvement and we really need some new blood. But whether we're going to do it at the expense of experienced people like Sanath is the question.
And what about Murali? He's, without a doubt, the best bolwer we've ever had, and has always been THE wicket taker for us. Who's going to replace him?
@goddessofvileness - I think what we need is an attitude change.
What do you mean 'good competition from within the team'? Do you mean like individual batsmen trying to outscore each other at every possible turn? :D
I totally get what you mean by mentioning players like Ara and Mahanama. And I can tell you what has happened. We have lost the venom we had in our team. How did we win the WC back in 96? Because we were the best team in the world at that time? No. Definitely not. Teams like Aussies, SA and even India were better than us, but we won because we were reckless. We were daring. We had that bite, that venom in us and no other team could handle that. They didn't have a plan, simply, to respond with.
But now, we have lost it. Now we're too cautious. Too circumspect. And that's where we went wrong. Even Sana is not as reckless as he used to be. We need that bite back in the team if we are to succeed. Just compare the players then and now. Only player in that team that was better than any player now we have was Aravinda. Nobody else was better. Vaasy and Murali were not as good as they are not. And Pramodya and Darmasena were just average. But we won cos we played as a team and we did it in style. We played like we had nothing to lose. But there are many things at stake I guess.
And about Sana, I admire him for what he did as much as anybody else. But every good thing must come to an end, and Sana is no exception. For how long are we going to depend on him and Murali? What we need to understand is that the players like Sana and Murali are one-of-a-kind and CAN NOT be replaced. So looking to 'replace' them is useless. What we need to think is getting some people who can get the job done and be consistant. Who can play their own game and be successful.
So, playing Sana means we are holding back a youngster who is looking to take that place and settle. For how long are we going to depend on Sana and Murali? Instead we need to give the opportunity to people like Kandami who has done exceptionally well in A team. And build a team...
Sorry for the long rant. LOL..
And if you are interested in cricket, you should visit these two blogs which I highly recommend. They are quite good.
http://www.theflyslip.net/
http://www.cricketwithballs.net/
Cheers!
No. What I meant was something like - for eg - Tharanga needs to be aware that if he doesn't perform well, there are others who might be given his place. Get what I'm trying to say? I dunno about our team A or B or the second team or whatever, but if you take some other countries... they are under pressure to perform - I don't mean they should play 50 at every match, but be consistant. And they know that if they don't do that, they will be out. You need to give the guys some time to settle in - as in, they've got to get used to the whole thingy, esp the new ones, but if they continue to not do well, then there's some serious problem.
Oh well, I'm not qualified to comment too much on cricket. I only watch the matches and cheer our guys on, good times and bad. But, if we play well, that's something nice, u know.
@Sachitnha - Agreed. Thilina Kandamabi is someone who really needs to be out there swinging his bat for us, but unfortunately, he's yet to be given the place he deserves in the team.
As for looking for "replacements" for Sana and Murali, you've hit the nail right on the head, dude. We will probably NEVER be able to find such great (individual) talent ever again, but that doesn't mean we will never be able to put together a kick-ass team as good as the one we had back in 1996, if not better. With a bit of luck and some great coaching we just might get there.
So I say, let's not waste time looking for replacements and instead hone the skills of the younger players we've already got while at the same time keeping an eye out for emerging school cricketing talents not just from the Western Province but from every other province as well.
And, thanks for the links, dude. Will check them out. :)
@goddessofvileness - Yeah, I see what you mean. I guess promoting a sense of competition among individual team members is not such a bad idea after all, seeing as how it could only contribute towards a better performance as a team, and, yes, it could also make sure players take their game very seriously and don't let their guard down.
But then, if it gets out of hand, things could get ugly. We don't want a team full of players who are motivated solely by personal glory now, do we? In my opinion, even winning the World Cup wouldn't be good enough in such a scenario.
But we REALLY need to work on our batting. Seriously.
no nonononon.. im not very clear, am I? i jst said ppl like tharanga shld keep in mind that if he doesn't perform, there r others who will take his place... so he has got to perform. :P :P :P :P.... it's not competition as such, it's just .. i dunno... ahhahha.. i dont kno cricket.. i only WATCH cricket :P
No, you were clear enough. I totally got what you said earlier about how team members should know that if they don't do well, they could get easily the sack. That in itself is good, but the problems start when they go overboard with it if you know what I mean. :)
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