The Hindu : Sport : Will the weather gods relent please?

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Aug 20, 2006

Sport

Sport

Will the weather gods relent please?

S. Dinakar

It's been an agonising period for the sponsors and the TV channel beaming the event

HAVING FUN: Suresh Raina, M.S. Dhoni, R.P. Singh and Irfan Pathan share a lighter moment in the hotel as no play was possible even on the reserve day. — Photo: V. Ganesan

Colombo: With the winds from the Indian Ocean powering the clouds at great speeds, it continues to rain in Colombo. Cricket, at least so far, has been swept away by these thunderstorms.

The first ODI of the Unitech India-Sri Lanka series, not surprisingly, met a watery end. Not a ball was sent down on the reserve day of a game that stretched from Friday.

Under the circumstances, the extra day does not really matter. In six days, from Monday, we have witnessed just 22 deliveries being sent down.

Given the state of the outfield at the Singhalese Sports Club (SSC) ground and the seemingly never-ending spells of rain, it is unlikely that there will be any action on Sunday, in the second game of the series at the same venue.

Probably, if the weather improves dramatically, then we might have limited play late in the day, and the match could be carried forward to the reserve day.

Unrewarding period

It has been an unrewarding period for the players and the organisers. It has been agonising also for the sponsors, and the television channel beaming the event, which stands to lose much due to the inclement weather.

"Can't we just stop the rain," enquired umpire Billy Bowden.

Although the monsoon commences here from mid-September, there have been instances when rain has cut into cricket during August. The locals say this has possibly been the heaviest rain here in 17 years during this part of the year.

The Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) officials are still attempting to prolong the series to a five-match event.

This, if the weather gets brighter, would put a smile on the faces of the sponsors as well. The talks to this effect are still on with the Indian Board.

Dambulla, which is a lot drier than Colombo, would have been the ideal venue for the series, but this town in the Buddhist heartland is a lot closer to the area of conflict up north.

The SLC has been unlucky on two counts. Apart from the weather, the heightening of the civil unrest in the country has not helped matters either. The Board here is attempting to limit the damage caused by South Africa's withdrawal from the tri-series which could have a bearing on the future series in the island, particularly against the non sub-continental sides that are paranoid about security.

To be fair to the authorities here, Colombo, but for the odd incident, does appear a safe place.

Meanwhile, the teams spent a quiet day at the hotel. Some of the players ventured out to do some shopping. The players seem resigned to the fact that there would not be too much cricket in the days ahead.

The younger Indian bunch, headed by Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Irfan Pathan, was seen loitering in the hotel in casuals. Sri Lankan captain Mahela Jayawardene was also breezing around the hotel, always courteous and sporting a smile.

Praise for Jayawardene

Jayawardene's captaincy, both on the tour of England and in the home Test series against South Africa, has earned him rave reviews. He backs his instinct, is firm in his decisions, and comprehends the nuances of the game.

"He does not mind taking a chance and creates opportunities for the side. Strategically, he is good. His field placements have been brilliant," according to former Sri Lankan captain Anura Tennekoon,

Arjuna Ranatunga, the Lankan skipper of the World Cup winning squad in 1996, said: "He is positive in his approach and able to motivate his men." There was this notion about Jayawardene being too soft to handle captaincy. In the recent months, the SSC's famous cricketing son has revealed that he does have an aggressive streak in him.

"Probably, he does not show it, but he is a tough cricketer," said Tennekoon.

Indeed, there is a hard edge to Jayawardene's cricket. He has immense possibilities as captain.

The teams:

India (from): Rahul Dravid (captain), Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Mohammed Kaif, Yuvraj Singh, M.S. Dhoni, Irfan Pathan, Ajit Agarkar, Harbhajan Singh, S. Sreesanth, Munaf Patel, Ramesh Powar, Suresh Raina, Dinesh Mongia and R.P Singh. Coach: Greg Chappell.

Sri Lanka (from): M. Jayawardene (captain), U. Tharanga, S. Jayasuriya, K. Sangakkara, T. Dilshan, C.K. Kapugedara, M. Maharoof, C. Vaas, L. Malinga, M. Muralitharan, D. Fernando, R. Perera, M. Bandara, P. Jayawardene and M. Atapptu. Coach: Tom Moody.

Umpires: Billy Bowden & P.H. Wijewardene; Third Umpire: Asoka de Silva; Match Referee: Chris Broad.

Hours of play: 10 a.m. (IST) to 1.30 p.m. & 2.15 p.m. till end of the match.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Sport