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Can Kandy shed its `wretched' image?

By Ted Corbett

KANDY Dec. 9. On the island which claims to be blessed by the happy accident, the hill city of Kandy — where Sri Lanka takes on England in the second Test tomorrow — is home to the wretched cricketing misadventure.

In September 1999 Steve Waugh and Jason Gillespie collided on the Asgiriya ground as they went for a catch with typical Australian determination. Both had to be airlifted to hospital. Waugh broke his nose and Gillespie was out for almost a year with a broken leg. In December 2001 Brian Lara ran into Marvan Atapattu in a one-day international. He fractured his elbow, did not play for three months and waited almost a year to recover his best form. In May 2003, Atapattu fielding at mid-off and the New Zealand batsman Daniel Vettori crashed into one another leaving Atapattu with a spiked ankle and wearing a neck brace and Vettori with an ankle injury.

Although no-one was injured in the way that Waugh, Gillespie, Lara, Atapattu and Vettori were, the last Test between Sri Lanka and England on this ground was as unpleasant as you would wish to avoid.

England, badly mauled in the first Test at Galle, won by three wickets to level the series after Darren Gough produced match figures of eight for 123. England's pace attack — Gough, Andrew Caddick and Craig White — collected 17 of the 20 wickets. All three are now out of international cricket after injury, a perfect example of the curse that has struck the side in recent years.

The Test was spoiled by several displays of bad temper. Kumar Sangakkara, the Sri Lankan wicket-keeper and the England captain Michael Atherton were given severe reprimands by the match referee Hanumant Singh and the Sri Lankan captain Sanath Jayasuriya was fined 60 per cent of his match fee and banned for two Tests and two one-day internationals, although his punishment was suspended for six months.

Frankly, Jayasuriya had ample reason for the anger which caused him to throw his helmet against the pavilion wall as he walked back after being given out. The "catch" which was held by Graham Thorpe in the gully had bounced half way. It was a crucial point in the match and probably played a part in the result. The whole series was marred by astonishing umpiring decisions and as a couple of late calls by the umpires in the drawn first Test of the current series have been hotly debated ever since, do not be surprised if there is a repeat of the 2001 horror show in tomorrow's Test.

Sri Lanka is now a seasoned team of hard-nosed cricketers; England is reshaping its side and using every trick — from delaying the team announcement to keeping the bowler waiting before taking guard — in an attempt to be fit rival for Australia in the next clash for the Ashes and with an eye on the 2007 World Cup.

James Anderson, at 21 England's leading replacement for the Gough-Caddick-White trio, will be back after an ankle injury but once again England is keeping quiet about the rest of the attack. Whether England admits its mistake in Galle by giving Robert Croft a role as the country's finest off-spinner is still in doubt. He remains philosophical. "I never give up," he said.

Sri Lanka has the world's finest off-spinner, 470 wickets to the good and with 11 at Galle, but the host clearly needs another bowler of class to step forward when he is out of tune as he was at the start of England's second innings.

There is unlikely to be any quarter given or asked so that even the cool breezes that blow at 1,640 feet above sea level may not keep tempers in check. This is Rugby-playing country, and the name of the World Rugby Cup winner England — and Jonny Wilkinson in particular — is on every youngster's lips. If Michael Vaughan, the England captain, Thorpe or Anderson are ever to take Wilkinson's place this idyllic city would be a great place to start.

The teams (from):

Sri Lanka: Hashan Tillekeratne (captain), Marvan Atapattu, Sanath Jayasuriya, Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene, Romesh Kaluwitharana, Kumar Dharmasena, Chaminda Vaas, Dinusha Fernando, Muttiah Muralitharan, Upul Chandana, Thilan Samaraweera.

England: Michael Vaughan (captain), Marcus Trescothick, Mark Butcher, Nasser Hussain, Graham Thorpe, Andrew Flintoff, Rikki Clarke, Chris Read, Robert Croft, Gareth Batty, Ashley Giles, Richard Johnson.

Umpires: Aleem Dar (Pakistan) and Daryl Harper (Australia). TV umpire: Peter Manuel. Match referee: Clive Lloyd (West Indies).

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