Asking Jayasuriya to bat down the order is not worth a gamble

Very few sportsmen in the world today carry on playing at the age of 40, particularly in Cricket, wherein the schedule is so demanding. Sanath Jayasuriya is one of the few exceptions around, It requires a lot of courage, determination & most importantly the hunger & zeal towards the sport.

Yes the body has its own story to tell at the age of 40, yet the man from Matara continues to play the game with the same intensity. The slash over the point still travels to the advertising boards like a tracer bullet, the pickup shot still gets effortlessly deposited into the stands, and the match winning ability with the bat isn’t dwindling either.

Despite all the accomplishments and credentials questions have been raised on the presence of Jayasuriya in the Sri Lankan scheme of things. Many feel perhaps it’s time for Jayasuriya to pass on the torch to a young prodigy in the country. But are they drawing curtains on Sanath a bit too early, hang on the man is still delivering on a consistent note. Probably the question that everyone needs to ask is, whether there is anybody in Sri Lanka to fill the big boots of Sanath? Let’s face it it’s not easy to replace Sanath. So for how long can the man continue playing?

To make matters worse for Jayasuriya, the Sri Lankan management has asked him to step down the batting order to provide more stability to the team. Although the position is not new for Sanath, as he started off his career in the middle order. But it’s hard to comprehend such a move, simply because the man has been more prolific opening the batting for Sri Lanka, and his records speaks volumes of his ability at the top.

Now is the move to bat Jayasuriya down the order justified? Apparently the coach and the Captain want him to strengthen the middle order, but in the bargain are missing out on something substantial .Clearly the Lankans are missing a trick by depriving Sanath of opening the batting, which is already proving detrimental to their cause. Mind you he has won innumerable matches on his own batting at the top for the side, so I see no concrete reason for the demotion.

Now that the experiment is not paying off, it’s imperative to reconsider the decision.

As I write this piece, my mind takes me back to the 1996 world cup, the lethal pair of Romesh Kaluwitharana & Sanath Jayasuriya were going berserk, decimating the opposition bowlers all over the sub continent, above all they complimented each other pretty well. Now Sri Lanka is extremely lucky here, the reason I say that is purely because of Dilshan”s resurgence. The Sri Lankans can relive the Kaluwitharana & Jayasuriya partnership by asking Sanath & Dishan to open on a consistent basis. Imagine the destruction these two can cause to the opposition.

We can only speculate about Jayasuriya’s retirement, but till the time he actually does hang his boots let’s hope & wish that is back to the position where he is second best to none.

THE COMEBACK FAST MEN OF TEST CRICKET

A great bouncer whizzing past the batsman’s ears, a Yorker crushing the batsman’s toes, a prodigious in-cutter & out-swinger bamboozling the batsman were a common sight during the Tests matches played in Dunedin, Wellington & Kanpur over the fortnight.

Indeed, I must confess that it is a great spectacle to witness fast bowlers steaming in to the wicket, rearing to go at batsmen. And that’s what transpired over the few weeks with the likes of Shane Bond, Sreesanth& Mohammad Asif winning matches for their respective teams with some hostile bowling.

It was a fine display of bowling from Asif, who was immaculate with his line & length. Bond was hitting the deck hard, constantly disconcerting the batsmen. As a result, both went on to pick 8 wickets each, a match-clinching haul. On the other side of the world in Kanpur Sreesanth managed to pick up 6 wickets for his side with his skill and perseverance.

All three bowlers had one thing in common: they were making a comeback into Test match cricket. Incidentally, this happens to be the toughest format of the game to make a comeback.However, Much to the delight of their fans,they defied all odds and went on to deliver match winning performances with the ball.

Unfortunately, the last two years had the three caught in the quagmire of controversy, which deprived them of key opportunities. Several times they have been reprimanded for their antics and dare I say this may be the last time.

Yes, looking back it was very unfortunate that these gifted bowlers were hounded by controversies which kept them away from their national side for nearly two years. Having said that, it was very pleasing to see these fast bowlers operate with good rhythm this time around. And yes, test match cricket needs the likes of Bond, Sreesanth & Asif to be at their best at all possible times, given the old adage: that bowlers win you test matches.

Perhaps Asif, Bond & Sreesanth would do well to keep away from the unwanted and just do what they are best known for, much to the delight of ardent believers in their bowling worldwide.