Lanka starts Asia Cup campaign on confident note
Prem Panicker
Over time, Sri Lanka appears to have developed the nearest thing to a perfect one-day machine you could ever hope to get.
Their batting oscillates from the very good to the brilliant, their bowlers bowl to a plan, their fielding (barring a suspect wicket-keeper) is faultless and, not the least, they have as captain the coolest thing this side of penguin-land.
Lanka's 15-run win in the Asia Cup curtain raiser against Pakistan at the Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, thus, comes as no surprise. True, Pakistan fields a side depleted by the absence of Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis and Mushtaq Ahmed, so the 'what if they were here' factor remains unanswered. But then, there is no space in the record books for the what-ifs of cricket, so we won't discuss that here.
The wicket had a lush look, with lots of grass rolled in. Rain has been a constant in Colombo these last few days, however, and the pitch showed signs of being damp below the surface, while the lush outfield was definitely on the slow side.
Perhaps it is this suspicion of moisture below the surface that prompted Rameez Raja, on winning the toss, to insert the opposition. With a heavy cloud cover, a strong breeze blowing across the pitch and an outfield where aerial shots, more often than not, tended to stop dead on pitching, run-making was a touch difficult, and Raja must have been banking on the sun drying out the playing area before his side's turn came to bat.
The ploy looked like paying rewards as Aaquib Jaaved and Kabir Khan, getting the ball to swing and seam, kept the Lankan openers on a tightish leash through the first ten overs, permitting only 39 runs to be scored off them. A prolonged run of low scores had finally ensured the demotion of Kaluwitharana, with Marvan Atapattu being promoted to open in his stead.
Jayasuriya (33 off 41 with two fours and a six) showed signs of rust in his footwork, often playing with feet anchored in his crease. The more classical Atapattu timed the ball well from the beginning, but unlike Jayasuriya, he is not the flamboyant type of strokeplayer, preferring to keep his end going with pushes into the gaps for singles and fast-taken braces.
Jayasuriya's end came when he attempted to step up the pace a bit, aiming a slog down the ground at Kabir Khan only for captain Ramiz Raja to run back from mid off to take a well-judged catch. Aravinda D'Silva, replacing Jayasuriya, was in better touch, middling the ball right from the start, but on the slow outfield, found the boundaries rather difficult to come by.
Between the 15th and the 25th overs, Raja had a double off spin attack operating, in Saqlain Mushtaq (replaced after four overs by Aamir Sohail) and Arshad Khan. Initially, the Lankan batsmen did well, playing from the crease, waiting for the turn and playing the gaps on the on side, working singles at will. After a point, though, it looked like they'd got into a rut, as they increasingly looked to play everything on the on, making it easier for Raja to set a field.
One never can tell what precisely goes through a batsman's mind at some point. For instance, in the 21st over, D'Silva played five consequtive balls from Sohail in identical fashion - laying back to slam through point. Each time, it was fielded, and D'Silva remained runless. Came over number 23, and D'Silva seemed determined to pick up where he left off. Was he trying to prove a point, that he could hit that line of bowling through point? Can't be sure, but Sohail bowled one wider of off stump, D'Silva (34 off 44) again rocked back and tried to hammer through point, the extra width meant that the batsman got the bottom of the bat on it and Saqlain, diving forward, held a great catch to reduce Lanka to 111/2.
115/2 in 25 overs is not the kind of score one normally associates with Lanka, but Ranatunga and Atapattu did not lose their cool in a search for quick runs, concentrating instead on working the singles and the twos and keeping the score ticking over. 137/2 in 30 seemed fair enough, given the batting strength to follow, but as the score inched along and overs dwindled, the normally unflappable Ranatunga (28 off 40) for once attempted the aerial route to Arshad Khan, only to spoon it to Raja at cover (160/3).
Shahid Afridi, introduced in the 15th over, had taken stick to the tune of 14 runs off his first over, and was promptly taken out of the firing line. Coming back at this stage, he got his very first ball to straighten on an off and middle line and Mahanama, looking to work away to leg, ended up plumb in front (168/4). And immediately thereafter (169/4), Kaluwitharana (1 off 3) continued his dismal run when he attempted a pull at Kabir Khan, the ball keeping low and rapping the batsman on the pad, with the result that at the 40 over mark, Lanka were on a none too healthy 188/5.
However, by then it had become apparent that a score anywhere in excess of 230 could be defended on this wicket, and the Lankan batting strength in the lower middle order ensured that the team got to 239 before the last wicket fell off the last ball of the 50th over, Kalpage (15 off 17) and Dharmasena (a brisk 25 off as many balls) being the main contributers.
For Pakistan, the bowling was a bit of a curate's egg - Kabir Khan proving quite nippy, but erring in length often enough to earn his two wickets at an exorbitant 49 off eight overs. Saqlain Mushtaq was his usual controlled self, taking one for 38 in his ten overs, but to my mind the one who made the difference was Aamir Sohail. Introduced into the attack after D'Silva and Atapattu had blazed Afridi's first over for 14, Sohail not only throttled the Lankan batsman back, but bowled his 10 overs through with control and some guile, to pick up one for 38 and ensure that the batting side didn't do a bolt in the middle overs.
The task of getting 240 in 50 overs was not out of Pakistan's capabilities - provided the openers gave them a fair start while the ball was new and hard and the ball would travel when hit. The key to the chase was always going to be the first 25 overs for in the latter half of the innings, as the ball got softer and heavier from contact with a wettish outfield, strokeplay would become increasingly difficult.
While Sohail, making a comeback to the side, was totally out of sorts, Saeed Anwar looked in his usual touch, blazing a quick 27 off 33 with three fluent fours and a flicked six. Vaas, however, produced one outside off that nipped back in just enough to take the bottom edge of an attempted Anwar square cut, the ball richocheting back onto the stumps to reduce Pakistan to 32/1 and when, just four runs later, Sohail attempted to hit his way out of the doldrums only to put the ball down Ranatunga's throat at point, Pakistan had lost both openers in the first ten overs with just 36 runs on the board.
Promoting Shahid Afridi to number three to take advantage of the field restrictions made eminent sense, and Afridi appeared to be getting into the grove as he clubbed a brisk 16 off 12 deliveries with a four and a six. However, the trouble with neck or nothing batting is that one error can end it all, and Sajeewa D'Silva induced the mistake when he slanted one across the right hander, Afridi launched into an almightly extra cover drive, the ball glancing off the open bat face for Muralitharan to dive sideways at point to claim a good catch. Three down, 51 on the board, and when the 15 overs were bowled, Pakistan had got to just 69, with three players back in the hut.
From that stage, the pressure was always going to be on the batting side. Ramiz Raja and Inzamam ul Haq did take the battle to the bowling side with deft placement and running that kept the scoreboard ticking over steadily, but Pakistan was always behind the Lankan run rate going into the halfway mark, necessitating increasing risks by the batsmen.
Ramiz (29 off 39), very fluid against the spinners, took one such risk when he danced out in predetermined fashion to Jayasuriya. The experienced left arm spinner promptly speared the ball down the leg side for Kaluwitharana to collect and stump, Pakistan losing its fourth wicket at 102.
That brought the hugely experienced Salim Malik to partner Inzy, and the two middle order stars kept their heads, keeping the score moving with deft placements. It was during this phase that for the first time, the Pak scorecard was level with, and at times ahead of, the Lankan score.
Had the two batsmen continued as they were going, keeping the target in sight, the story of this game could have been different. Inzy, however, appeared increasingly impatient, time and again drawing back to deliveries that kept dangerously low and on the stumps. He also survived what looked like a clear stumping, when he aimed a sweep and missed, Kalu took the bails off and the replay showed the batsman's back foot on, rather than behind, the line. The third umpire gave him the benefit of the doubt on that occasion, but there was no doubt to benefit from when, an over later, he responded to a call for a quick single and Upul Chandana, substituting, hit the wicket with a direct throw to catch Inzy out of his ground.
Going into the home stretch, Pakistan needed 72 off 60 with Moin Khan and Salim Malik at the wicket. Malik is too classical to pull off unorthodox strokes, but the gameplan called for him to rotate strike and Moin to go for it. The Pak keeper did give it a shot, but his first attempt to clear the field on the off side landed in the safe hands of Kalpage.
Malik, left with just the tail for company, was forced to take increasing risks. However, his repertoire does not include such non-classical strokes as the one where you draw away from the stumps and club over extra cover. Under pressure from a mounting run rate, Malik essayed one such, Dharmasena spotted the move and bowled a full length on middle stump, and Malik's useful innings (57 off 69) came to a predictable end.
And with Malik went whatever chances Pakistan had. Saqlain did give it a try, but his heave landed in Kalpage's hands at deep mid off and one ball later, Aaqib Jaaved slogged Jayasuriya straight back for Kalpage to take his third catch, and give Jayasuriya his fourth wicket of the innings. Eventually, Pakistan made 224 off their 50 overs with one wicket standing.
Barring patchy keeping by Kaluwitharana - we counted two clear stumpings going down, both times of Muralitharan - the Lankan ground fielding and catching was superb. Dharmasena's (33 off 10, one wicket) fastish off breaks proved near impossible to get away, and with Jayasuriya striking regular blows at the end, the pressure proved too much for the Pakistan batting lineup.
The pattern of this tournament would appear to have been established here. Given the way the wicket is playing, I wouldn't look for two many scores in excess of 250 - unless one or more of the teams go after the Bangladesh attack. Bat first, get as close to 250 as you can and then defend on a wearing track, could well be the formula for the next few league games...
But then again, if things were predictable, it wouldn't be cricket, would it?
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