23.7.2008
Rex Clementine
How often do you get to see world’s best bowler bowling
against world’s best batsman? How often have world’s
highest ranked bowler and batsmen have been involved in
a cricket contest? And how often does India and Sri Lanka
play Test cricket? And when they play, the cricket on display
is first class.
After
an absence of eight long years, India’s cricketers
will take on their neighbours across the Palk Straight in
a three match series that’s expected to go to the
wire with very little separating the two teams. Colombo’s
SSC will host the first Test Match that starts today and
then the series moves to Galle before returning to the capital
for the third and final Test at the historical P. Saravanamuttu
Stadium.
There’s
very little to choose between the sides and the outcome
of the series is important as it could determine the teams’
position in the ICC Points Table. The Indians are currently
placed at number three in the ICC Points Table behind Australia
and South Africa, while the Sri Lankans are two places behind
at number five with England ahead of them.
A
2-1 win will help Sri Lanka to leapfrog England and India
and to take the number three slot , but they have to hope
that South Africa will not lose their series against England.
Only a 3-0 whitewash and not more than a 2-1 win for South
Africa will help India to regain the number two position.
Indications
are that both sides will heavily rely on their traditional
strength - spin bowling. While India’s spin duo of
captain Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh will play the game
, the new ball will be shared by Zaheer Khan and Ishant
Sharma.
For
the Sri Lankans, alongside veteran Muttiah Muralitharan,
mystery spinner Ajantha Mendis will play the game making
his debut. The new ball will be shared by Chaminda Vaas
and Thilina Tushara Mirando.
Jayawardene
confirmed that the number six position will be occupied
by middle order batsman Tillekeratne Dilshan, who was contesting
for that spot with Chamara Silva, who scored two fifties
against the tourists in the warm up game representing Sri
Lanka Board XI.
"When
Prasanna Jayawardene got injured in the West Indies, Chamara
came and played at number seven and when Prasanna comes
back, Chamara unfortunately needs to step out," Jayawardene
said confirming Dilshan will play at number six
The issue of Team Manager
Jayawardene
also said the ongoing saga relating to the Manager of the
national cricket team where Hashan Tillekeratne was removed
barely a week after being appointed on the insistence of
Sports Minister Gamini Lokuge hasn’t affected the
team’s preparations.
"Our
priority is on keeping our focus on the Test Match and prepare
ourselves. I honestly don’t know what exactly has
been going on. Trevor (Bayliss) is the one who has had chats
with the cricket board and he’s looking after that
right now and we are just focusing on the Test Match. What
has happened is beyond our control."
TV referrals to be trialed
Cricket
will undergo a major change with the administrators endorsing
a Television Referral System like in tennis where captains
and players will be allowed to challenge umpiring decisions
if someone perceives a decision is incorrect.
There
are three referrals per innings and every decision that
is successfully challenged ensures that the quota of three
referrals remain intact. The review system is already in
place in tennis. The TV Technology Trial Umpire will have
Hawkeye replays available to make his decisions.
The
trial that was first supposed to be tried in England was
cancelled after the England players opposed to the move.
The third umpire’s role itself has undergone significant
change. For this series, a TV Technology Trial Umpire has
also been introduced apart from the customary third umpire.
While a neutral umpire, Rudi Koertzen will fit in in the
new role, umpire Asoka de Silva will be the third umpire
ruling on stumpings, run outs and other television decisions.
Both
captains welcomed the new trial. "I am all for it.
What we are trying to eradicate is the obvious mistakes
that tend to happen on the field. Some obvious decisions
like caught behind and lbws when the batsmen have nicked
it will be probably referred," Jayawardene explained.
"The
career threatening decisions and series threatening decisions
will be eradicated . We need to keep it very simple,"
Jayawardene said further elaborating.
Kumble
too agreed. "It’s for the obvious error that
happens on the field. It’s not something where you
question every decision of the umpire. Sometime on the spur
of the moment they might not have picked up an edge during
an lbw appeal and they give you out and those kind of moments
probably will be sorted out as that might change the course
of the game," he said.
Milestone for Sachin and Vaas
There
are also a few personal milestones awaiting two players
during the series. While former Indian captain Sachin Tendulkar
needs 172 more runs to overtake Brian Lara as the highest
run scorer in Tests, Sri Lanka’s all-rounder Chaminda
Vaas is chasing a twin milestone.
Vaas
requires seven more wickets to join the 350 club and needs
72 runs to complete 3000 Test runs. Only seven other Sri
Lankans have scored more than 3000 runs in Test cricket
for Sri Lanka. Only 15 bowlers in all have taken more than
350 Test wickets.
Sri Lanka (Probable XI)
Mahela
Jayawardene (captain), Michael Van Dort, Malintha Warnapura,
Kumar Sangakkara, Thilan Samaraweera, Tillekeratne Dilshan,
Prasanna Jayawardene, Chaminda Vaas, Muttiah Muralitharan,
Thilina Thushara Mirando and Ajantha Mendis.
India
(Probable XI)
Anil
Kumble (captain), Gautam Gambhir, Virender Sehwag, Rahul
Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, V.V.S. Laxman,
Dinesh Karthik, Harbhajan Singh, Ishant Sharma and Zaheer
Khan.
Umpires:
Mark Benson (Eng) and Billy Doctrove (WI)
TV
Technology Trial Umpire: Rudi Koertzen (RSA)
3rd
Umpire: Asoka de Silva
Courtesy - The Island
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