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Masters of the game humble defending champs

Srian Obeyesekere reporting from England
The old masters of the game drew first blood at Lord’s the mecca of cricket. Their victory thrust fittingly carried by skipper Alec Stewart himself with a gem of an innings. For the defending champions, Sri Lanka, it was a bad start to retaining the title in this curtain rasiser. True, the odds have been heavily stacked against Arjuna Ranatunga’s men even in the pre-championship hype. Little chance being given to the Lankans: The odds at 110-1. That school of thought based on the belief that the tiny isle in the Indian Ocean catapulted to cup winning heights because they were well used to the placid sub continuent wickets. But alas, no such thing on the seaming English soil where the overcast, moist wickets are not their fodder.

For the English, yearning for a ‘first’ taste of the World Cup which has kept eluding them, their 8-wicket facile win over Sri Lanka was the perfect script in their bid to make a long felt dream come true. Friday everything seemed to work for England, from the weather to the toss. After the frontline bowlers spearheaded by Allan Mullaly (4 for 37), Ian Austin (2 for 25), Mark Ealham (2 for 31) and Darren Gough had combined effectively to sink Sri Lanka for 204, the rest was a mere formality.

Skipper Stewart and Nassar Hussain gave a flying 50-run start of the first wicket before Graeme Hick joined his skipper and speeding up the proceedings. Stewart’s knock was a high quality one as he played a waiting game before unleashing a repertoire of drives and pulls in his 166-ball 88 studded with 6 boundaries. He was unlucky not to get his first century in a world cup when paceman Chaminda Vaas returned for a second spell to have the England captain well taken behind by wicket-keeper Romesh Kaluwitharana. But by then England had almost secured victory.

The rest of the day belonged to the hard hitting Graeme Hick who signalled he had put behind his failures on the international scene; that he had come to stay with a typically robust unbeaten 73 in even time. He finished it off with a straight driven six off Sanath Jayasuriya.

The home fans could not have asked for more as their cricketers raised English hope of laying hands on the cup which has eluded the old masters on three occasions.

The Sri Lankan camp might be rueing the decision of leaving out young batsman Mahela Jayawardena and allrounder Upul Chandana in preference for Tillekeratne and Mahanama.

Bar Romesh Kaluwitharana (57) and skipper Arjuna Ranatunga (32), the rest of the Lankan batting failed to come to grips with England’s six-man medium pace battery. The gamble to open with Mahanama failed to provide the desired result. Sri Lanka’s new strategy by revamping the batting order failed. Hashan Tillekeratne failed to deliver the goods coming in at number 4, Ironically, it was left to pinch hitter Romesh Kaluwitharana to resurrect the Lanka innings.

Kaluwitharana blazed an adventurous trail in a 75-run knock off 66 balls spiced with 7 fours as he figured in a 84-run alliance with Ranatunga for the sixth wicket to lift Sri Lanka from a precarious 65 for 5 wickets to 204.

England’s final 207 for 2 wickets must surely raise the odds in their favour.

Sri Lanka play championship favorites South Africa on May 19 (Wednesday.)

Warne hit with suspended ban for remarks

WORCESTER, England, May 15 (Reuters) - Australian leg-spinner Shane Warne was given a suspended two-game ban and fined on Saturday for a scathing attack on Sri Lanka’s World Cup captain Arjuna Ranatunga.

The fine was equivalent to half of Warne’s payment for Australia’s first World Cup match against Scotland on Sunday, estimated at about 1,000 Australian dollars ($667).

"Shane wishes this situation hadn’t occurred," said Australian team manager Steve Bernard. "The player accepted the committee’s decision and now wants to put the matter behind him and concentrate on playing cricket."

Warne was reprimanded by the Australian Cricket Board earlier on Saturday after he told the Times on Friday that the game of cricket would be better off without Ranatunga because of his on-field behaviour.

Warne was then charged with misconduct by the game’s ruling body, the ICC. The punishment was handed out by World Cup referee, West Indian Cammie Smith, after a 30-minute ICC disciplinary hearing in Worcester.

The furore surrounding the game’s most charismatic bowler and the captain of the defending champions was an unwelcome distraction for the Australians and the organisers of a tournament entering only its second day.

Warne was not immediately available for comment but Bernard said the leg-spinner had given him an undertaking to keep his column less controversial for the rest of the tournament. The ban will be suspended until mid-November.

Warne, no stranger to controversy, had said the decline of Sri Lanka since they won the last World Cup in 1996 could be blamed on Ranatunga.

"As far as I am concerned, the problems stem from the captain. Arjuna Ranatunga might be a shrewd, experienced leader but his batting is not what it was and he is terrible in the field.

"Frankly, Sri Lanka - and the game overall - would be better off without him."

Ranatunga, speaking after his side’s eight-wicket defeat by England in their opening match, hit back at Warne and his country. "I come from a 2-1/2 thousand year old culture. I think they know where they come from. You all know where they come from."

With relations between the Australian and Sri Lankan cricket boards already strained because of on-field incidents during Sri Lanka’s tour of Australia earlier this year, the ACB acted quickly to gag Warne before the situation escalated.

A spokesman for the ACB said Warne had been contacted about the column. He said the inflammatory nature of the article had been discussed but Warne would be allowed to continue writing for the paper.

ICC regulations state players, umpires and officials should not say anything publicly that is detrimental to the game. Many players involved in the World Cup are writing columns for English newspapers.

In 1993 Warne was fined by the ACB and the ICC for sledging South African Andrew Hudson. He has recently had to face investigations after admitting supplying an Indian bookmaker with match information in return for money.

Sri Lanka stumble at the first hurdle

by Mahinda Wijesinghe
So, Sri Lanka missed their lines rather badly, and it was a bad miss. The margin of 8 wickets is considerable. With it, a nation’s hopes were dashed. Yet, all is not lost. But, it sure looks tough going from now on. Very tough indeed. Because, meeting South Africa and beating them will be our next assignment. If we are to stay in front, Sri Lanka must beat the favourites. To do that however, we have got to iron out some very rough edges.

Our cricketing think-tank headed by Manager and Chairman of Selectors, Duleep Mendis, promised us a few surprises for the 1999 World Cup. They certainly did. Firstly, Mahanama was drafted into the squad and into the eleven, AND given the all-important job of opening the innings with Jayasuriya. At the same time, it is well-known that such types of ad-hoc decisions are par for the course with Sri Lankan selectors. Also, one observed that Jayasuriya was playing a subdued type of innings. Was it due to the accurate bowling or a part of the ‘surprise’? Sending left-hander Hashan Tillekeratne ahead of Aravinda de Silva to join another left-hander in Jayasuriya, was it still another ‘surprise’?

Of course, despite a reasonably good start of 42 runs by Mahanama and Jayasuriya, our batting failed. Mahanama batting in his, now unaccustomed role of opener, fared reasonably well until he played an ‘agricultural stroke’ Sometimes when one watches the antics our selectors play with Mahanama, it is actually a wonder that Mahanama has retained his sanity! Atapattu played a dreadful stroke. Jayasuriya having survived not too happily and having enjoyed a slice of luck, perished predictably - caught in the slips. So did Aravinda. Obviously, the England think-tank had done their homework meticulously. For instance, Ian Austin, looks anything but a modern-day cricketer, yet how he fulfilled his role as an opening bowler. True, Hashan had a bad decision against him, but that was not the slot he should have been sent. Maybe, the initial movement of the ball had lessened when skipper Ranatunga and Kaluwitharana associated themselves in the 84-run partnership for the sixth wicket when Sri Lanka was reeling at 65/5, but that was the only redeeming feature in the Sri Lankan innings. Romesh was at his belligerent best, and skipper Ranatunga gave him ideal support until the latter playing one of his trade-mark shots was caught in the covers by Hussain. Why oh why did Hussain - and quite a few modern international cricketers - gesticulate angrily after taking a catch? What an example to watching youngsters.

The bottom line was that the Sri Lankans did not make enough runs. Compounding that lapse, our bowlers were also not spot-on. Poor Upashantha had a horror match, bowling on one occasion 5 wides 7. Vaas bowled accurately and with some of his old fire but lacked the crucial edge to get the much-needed early breakthrough essential when defending a small total. Wickremasinghe bowled well within himself, but certainly not up to the standards expected from the senior paceman. Only the ever-reliable Muralitharan looked dangerous. Having got the initial breakthrough in his spell of 3 overs, conceding just 10 runs, why Ranatunga changed the off-spinner is a mystery. However, it must be a difficult job for a skipper to direct an attack with just two penetrative bowlers in his pack and it is easy for us to pick holes from the safety of the pavilion. Jayasuriya allowed far too many singles, especially towards the long-off and long-on regions. The England batsmen simply milked him.

The much-publicised ploy of having a fielding coach, I am afraid, did not seem to have paid off despite many press statements by our officials. Sure the players must have worked hard, but, miracles as predicted by some were not there, and those who expected them should be put in the category of those who believe what today’s politicians bleat from platforms! or, looking at our fielding display at Lord’s - which could have been described as nothing more. So, Sri Lanka lost a battle but not the War. It is going to be a very hard struggle to claw ourselves back into reckoning. But the boys must have faith in themselves and show the world that it was not a flash in the pan last time. The country’s hopes and aspirations are that the team will bring the bacon home. We, as a nation, must wish them all the best.

It was a pleasant sight to see Ian Austin, the roly-poly English slow-medium bowler putting his arm around Sri Lankan tail-ender Muralitharan’s shoulders as play was interrupted by rain just before the Sri Lankan innings ended. Obviously, Murali is popular with the England team. Even the highly-competitive Darren Gough, having been subjected to a couple of swipes by Murali, yet tousled Murali’s head playfully when the Sri Lankan innings ended. What a change from the histrionics of Hussain.

Sri Lanka, the reigning world Champions in one-day cricket not only has scored the highest in one-day cricket (398/5 against Kenya during the World Cup in 1996) but also the highest in Test cricket as well (952/6 against India in 1997). Two records no other nation held simultaneously.

Now, Sri Lanka has achieved another record which must surely must be included in the Guinness Book of Records. It was a few weeks ago that the Colombo District Judge issued an Enjoining Order on the Board of Control for Cricket in Sri Lanka. Of course, now it has been removed pending inquiry. A few days back the same Colombo District Judge has now issued an Enjoining Order restraining the newly elected pffoce bearers of the Sri Lankan Soft Ball Cricket Association from holding office! The complainant, a President of an outstation club, states that certain members of the federation who were entitled to attend and vote were not served notice of the Annual General Meeting and persons who were not members were permitted to attend and vote.

There seems to be a familiar ring in that story. That is why it is said that infection is a catching disease - especially where cricket is concerned! Yet, how sad that such problems has now filtered down even to softball cricket. And, to think that there is a Ministry of Sports monitoring sporting activities.

How sad.

Lanka Lions C’ships concludes today

By Shirajiv Sirimane
The inaugural Lanka Lions Sports Club junior athletic championships conducted by the Lanka Lions SC will be concluded today at the Sugathadasa Stadium. The event is sponsored by Nestle Lanka Ltd, makers of Milo.

A press conference in this regard was held in Colombo last week and Brig. Parry Liyanage, Vice President and Project Director, Little Athletics, said that the prime aim of this event is to spot young hidden talent. "We are aiming for a long term plan to develop athletics from a very tender age. Our secretary G. L. S. Perera was in to officiating athletics in Malaysia for a long perilod. We are taking a cue from him and "little athletics’ is his brain child", he added.

He said that though it is the local Athletic governing body which should come out with a project of this nature, since they were silent ‘Lions’ came forward to promote the idea. He thanked Nestle Lanka for coming forward to sponsor our project, despite the club being formed in July 1998.

When asked as to why the Lanka Lions have not got affiliation he said he too is surprised about it. "Our affiliation application handed to former Secretary, Rohan Amarasinghe is nearly an year, and we are still awaiting a reply from them", he added.

Don Victor, Vice President, Lanka Lions who completed 50 years of athletics said that he too was surprised as to why their application for affiliation has been swept under the carpet. "Though my experience I know that some clubs have got affiliation in three months" he said.

Palitha Fernando Vice President said that a special fund would be raised to promote ‘little athletics.’ "Our aim is to produce a new Asian medalist", he added.

Sriyani Kulawansa, Asian Games Hurdle Bronze Medallist will be the Chief Guest while Sunil Wickramasinghe, National Sales Director, Nestle will be the Guest of Honour and will give the awards.

No cause for Alarm

By Asoka N Pathirane
Once again the weather lords came between a would have been a winning performance by the Sri Lankans at Lord’s in the curtain raiser of the seventh Cricket World Cup on Friday. Despite a few batting flops and careless wide deliveries one must not under estimate the World Champions, who have now risen from the grave. No balls, wides, dropped catches (our fielding was excellent), mediocre bowling are part and parcel of the game of cricket. There is absolutely nothing to worry. Our boys know their game when it comes World Cup Cricket.

Weather plays a crucial role in the game of cricket and when you compare the condition when Sri Lankans batted and the innings of the English cricketers it was a World apart. Alec Stewart’s batsmen had the best of everything when talking about the weather. Arjuna Ranatunga would have been still there batting if we had the fortune of good weather. The gloomy weather naturally brings down anybody’s mood. You could see from their faces. Remember how the Pakistanis won the World Cup after a disasterous start in the 1992 World Cup! Yet they bounced back to glory with a resounding performance in the matches played later.

We must all remember being the first game and the Englishmen having the advantage of the home conditions this could only be a flash in the pan effect. With the Pakistanis and the Indians yet to perform, Let the Sri Lankans realise the early risers sleep early too. Our cricketers, with a fine leader in the calibre of Arjuna Ranatunga, will make ammends. Victory can be a long wait but well worth it. Let us wish them the good fortune. Our entire nation is backing our cricketers. Everybody is talking about them. So they will get the message.

Snooker finals today

By Hafiz Marikar our Kandy Sports Corr
The finals of the Kandy District Lanka Plate Snooker Tournament will take place today at the Kandy YMMA tables, where Jude Fernando from Kandy will play M. Deen of Mawanella Recreation Club.

In the last couple of days it was snooker at the highest order at the Kandy YMMA, where a Lanka Plate tournament is held after many years. At one time YMMA was Kandy’s headquarters for the cue sport.

Faise Samad the Coordinator of the Sri Lanka Billiards and Snooker Association of Sri Lanka and A. S. M. Gazsly were incharge of all match arrangements.

Today’s final will be played under the patronage of Deputy Mayor of Kandy Z. A. M. Rasik, a top sportsman to come out of Zahira College Colombo.

In the semi finals veteran cuiest Jude Fernando bit the dust to beat Faise Samad in the last ball of the game. Both Jude and Fasie are good players of the game (53-38, 74-38, 85-27, 72-9, 51-52). In the second semifinal M. Deen thrashed M. Fawzer by 3 frames to nil.

PRI’s Six A Side Cricket

Plastics and Rubber Institute of Sri Lanka will conduct their annual Six a Side Cricket Tournament at the Shalika Grounds on Sunday, 16th May.

The tournament is scheduled to start at 8.30 a.m. and leading Rubber Firms like Richard Pieris, Bata, AMW, Trelleborg, Rubber Research Institute and MSJ will be taking part this year.

This year’s tournament is expected to create a lot of enthusiasm as Richard Pieris, AMW and Bata are also taking part in the Mercantile Tournament.

The Chief Guest will be Stig Wanni, Managing Director of Trelleborg Lanka Pvt Ltd.

World Cup Live in Kandy

By Hafiz Marikar our Kandy Sports Corr
It was excitement and thrills on 14th at the Old Trinitians Sports Club where the first World Cup cricket match between Sri Lanka and England was screen live, on a giant screen, courtsey of "Sharp".

On the first day there was a large crowed to see the game on the giant screen, it was a rare first to Kandy.

The man behind the scene is no other than the OTSC’s hard working president Palitha Udurawana, who is giving off his best for sports.

Manilal in Nuwara Eliya

By Hafiz Marikar our Kandy Sports Corr
The president of the Football Federation of Sri Lanka Manilal Fernando, visits the planting sector today, to give a upliftment to the poor man’s game of Football.

Today he is expected to meet the Committee of the Nuwara Eliya Football League and will discuss the promotion of the poor man’s game.

Later in the evening he will be the chief guest at the SOS Football Tournament finals organised by the Nuwara Eliya Football League.

Vice President J. S. N. Anandarajah, G. A. K. Abeyasekara and Secretary G. Crysthan Perera and ex-Co members are too will be there.

SLTA ( Playing Section) to conduct Tourney

The SLTA (Playing Section) the country’s largest tennis club will hold the Colombo Championships from 5th to the 20th of June. This is an ‘ A’ grade tournament, we expect a large number of entries as participation is compulsory for ranking purposes said Arjan Perera, Chairman Tournament Committee. We have invited players from the outstations areas such as Kandy, Bandarawela and Batticaloa, as well, he added.

A new feature will be, from the quarter finals onwards, in the mens singles and mens double categories, matches will be played " best of five sets".

SLTA to promote Tennis in provinces

The newly formed Coaching and Promotion Committee had their inaugural meeting on May 7 and it was unanimously decided that the SLTA must actively promote Tennis in Sri Lanka. The need to promote tennis in the outstation areas was also discussed and a proposal was made to run the schools promotional program with the assistance of the Clubs of the area. It was also decided to send a qualified coach to the clubs to assist in their coaching program or to assist in setting up a coaching program.

The Coaching and Promotion Committee for 1999/2000 comprise of the following members.

Arjan Perera (Chairman) T/P 445598, 077-312166 Romesh Fernando (Secretary) (T/P 580971, 822596 0786-83664 Suresh Subramaniam, Rohan Abeyawardene, Dayandra De Silva, Lakdini Ratnatilleke, Shanthilal Perera.

Meanwhile the new Coaching and Promotion Committee has decided to change the structure of the Junior Program, after consulting with coaches and a sample of parents.

It has been decided to divide each squad into two groups. This will result in one group arriving at 3.15 pm and finishing at 4.45 pm, while the other group will start at 5.00 pm and finish at 6.30 pm. This restructuring will take place from 1st June 1999.

"It is an accepted fact that a young child can maintain concentration for short periods of time. This restructuring is designed to give the children more concentrated and better supervised tennis. This will ensure that a young child will not have to spend 3 long hours at the SLTA," said Arjan Perera chairman coaching and promotions, SLTA.

Under the proposed restructuring a child will have to spend 11/2 hours and this will make it easier for them to maintain their level of concentration and enthusiasm", he added. (S.O.S)

Sound as a bell and spectacular as a catherine wheel

BY MAHINDA WIJESINGHE
Two of the leading lights during the glory days of English cricket passed away recently. They were Lancashire and England opening batsman Cyril Washbrook and Godfrey Evans, the former Kent and England wicket-keeper.

Thomas Godfrey Evans (1920-1999) was an outstanding wicket-keeper. Always referred to as Godfrey and not Tom, Evans played the first of his 91 Tests in 1946, and his last, at Lord’s, in 1959. Both were, coincidentally, against India. A stalwart for Kent, he represented them from 1939 to 1967 and played his last first-class game in 1969, aged almost 50 years.

Evans hailed from a distinguished line of wicket-keepers from Kent. Fred Huish lit the torch and then came Leslie Ames, better known as the first wicket-keeper to have scored 100 first-class centuries. Evans carried the baton after which Alan Knott took over.

Godfrey Evans represented the life of the team. An irrepressible extrovert, Evans first shocked and then won the hearts of the usually conservative English cricket establishment with his flamboyant work behind the stumps. The usual standard for a wicket-keeper was efficiency and not showmanship. Some still prefer it. Evans changed that concept, as far as he was concerned. Because, there were no imitators. None could match his ebullience and his efficiency. As a contemporary report described him, Evans was both sound as a bell and spectacular as a Catherine Wheel. From reports of our own venerable cricketers of yore, Ceylon’s former wicket-keeper Ben Navaratne must have run a close second to Evans! Though Evans could not have matched Ben as a glorious tenor when he used to regale his team-mates after a game in the dressing room, the England wicket-keeper’s impersonations as Carmen Miranda during fancy dress balls whilst on overseas tours, for instance, was legendary.

Stockily built, and of average height there are hardly any efficient wicket-keepers who are tall! He used to stand up to anything less than the fastest of bowlers. Even to the medium-fast bowling of Alec Bedser, he used to stand up to the stumps. His takes down the leg-sides were phenomenal, and his darting, spectacular movements behind the stumps would have done justice to an acrobat. Over and above that, it was his natural exuberance that endeared and encouraged his team. Even at the end of a long and a fruitless day under a boiling Australian sun, Evans would be still darting around with the same enthusiasm as he began the day, urging his mates with c’mon boys, we can still have them on the run.

Not that Evans always had them on the run. He did have his bad days when for no accountable reason his co-ordination would leave him and the seemingly well-oiled machine used to sputter. There was no worse occasion than at Leeds in 1948 during the fourth Test match against Bradman’s Australians. After enjoying a slender 38-run lead in the first innings, England declared their second innings at 365/8 towards which Evans contributed a cheery unbeaten 47 runs. Set to make 403 runs in the last innings in 345 minutes, a target no team had achieved (India surpassed it in 1975-’76 by scoring 406 runs to beat the West Indies) until then, the Australians reached it for the loss of 7 wickets with Arthur Morris (182 with 33 fours) and Don Bradman (173* including 29 fours) putting on a match-winning 301 runs for the second wicket. Yet, the Australians were aided by sloppy fielding. As the Wisden Almanack reported:

Even then England should have won. Evans, behind the wicket, fell a long way below his best form, and three catches were dropped on the field ... he should have stumped Bradman when 108.

When the best fielder in the side drops Bradman, there is no telling the effect it would have had on England. No wonder, England lost a match they "should have won."

His batting was generally overshadowed due to his brilliant work behind the stumps. Yet, he was no slouch with the bat and had 7 first-class centuries to his credit, including two in Tests. Coincidentally, both Test centuries (against the West Indies and India, in 1950 and 1952 respectively) concluded at the identical score of 104. In fact, during his century against India, Evans missed reaching three figures before lunch on the third day by a mere two runs. It was also during this game, Evans became the first England wicket-keeper to make a 100 dismissals and score 1000 runs in Tests. Though, generally known as a batsman who likes to throw his bat around, at a crisis, he could, as easily, close shop. At Adelaide, in the 1946/47 Ashes series, with England in deep trouble, he established a record for slow-scoring in Test cricket by not opening his account for 97 minutes!

hiEvans was the automatic choice as England’s wicket-keeper soon after the war until 1959, made four tours to Australia, and two each to the West Indies and South Africa. He was an entertainer both on and off the field and was awarded the CBE for his services to the game. In his retirement, sporting prominent side-whiskers, he lent his boundless enthusiasm to many a charity game and was employed by Ladbrokes the prominent London bookmakers.

Statistics: Tests (91): 2,439 runs (20.49) including 2 centuries and 1,060 dismissals (173 catches and 46 stumpings)

View point
Alec Stewart and his ‘Captain’s Diary’

On the eve of the 1999 World Cup in England, the English captain Alec Stewart, has come out with the bright idea of publishing his book "A Captain’s Diary", which appears to be well timed.

It looks as if he had taken a leaf from Darrel Hair, the controversial Australian umpire, whose book "Decision Maker", appeared in the news stands, prior to Sir Lanka’s four of Australia, in which he highlights Lanka’s wizard of spin ‘Muralie’ bowling action as diabolical. Stewart’s intentions are obvious, much as that of Hair. The dark side of his book, is where he refers to the Sri Lankan Cricketers, as an uncompromising bunch, and they are skilled at playing to the very edge of the laws of the game.

The prestigious Mail on Sundays, which sell over two million and quarter copies on a weekend published extracts from his book under the headlines, referring to Sri Lanka, as the worst team in the world to play against. When one recalls the finals of the Emirates tournament at Lords. H. Tillekeratne, was involved in an incident, which provoked Stewart to shout out to the fielders around the bat "Lets get this arsehole out" this is certainly unbecoming of an Englishman, whom one considers to be a gentleman.

The irony of it is, that he was the captain of the side, which gave the world this great game of cricket. The hatred that exists among the Australian, and English cricketers towards the Sri Lankan captain, is due to the fact, that he is one who will not stomach, the type of sledging, the players of these countries specialise in. He is quick to call a spade a spade.

I remember reading an interesting article titled "Trent Bouts", in an Australian cricket magazine "Programme Carlton and United Series 1998-99. "This would be of great interest to the lovers of the game over here. It gives an insight to Arjuna’s boldness. The article reveals incidents, where the Lankan skipper was involved. It states way back in 1989, on his first tour as captain, he was responsible for a controversial headline. Accusing Simon O’ Donnell’s Victorians of sledging, during a game in up country. He has openly accused the Aussies of verbal gamesmanship. He admits that he was the first Sri Lankan, to give the Australians some stick back.

Glen McGrath in his recent book "Pacemaker" states that Ranatunga is the world’s champion ‘sledger". Arjuna does not mince his words, he cared less, when he remarked Shane Warne as a media myth. Ian Healy in his book "Playing for keeps" recalls an heated incident, that occurred in the middle between Ranatunga and the fast bowler Craig McDermott, who was furious when Arjuna remarked to him "You’ll take your life in your hands when you visit my country" this was said in the light of the terrorist bombings in Colombo hanging over Australia’s impending visit for the World Cup.

Ranatunga told in a subsequent inquiry, that in fact he had said. "You take your wife in your hands when you visit my country."

Another incident was when a cramping Ranatunga then 30, called for a runner during the second one day final in Sydney, for which Healey remarked, "You can’t have a runner when you are unfit" to which he shot back "stay out of this, shut your mouth." Healey responded with." O.K. sorry Porky".

What took place at the presentation ceremony, at the last World Cup, was the tip of the Iceberg. Ranatunga shook hands with Mark Taylor, while most of the other Sri Lankan cricketers refused to do so. The snub was Ice Cold in its execution and calculation. The Australians were convinced that Arjuna was behind it. When the Australian Team, and administration, through their chief excetive Graham Halbish sought a public assurance from the Sri Lankan skipper that they would be welcomed in his country. Ranatunga refused. That is Arjuna, he will not bow to anyone however powerful they may be. Stewart’s book published with a sinister motive, will not have any impact on the morale of the Sri Lankan team, they are made of sterner stuff.

All Sri Lankans back you Arjuna and your men to the hilt, and we are convinced, that you will retain the title as world champions, just as much like the West Indies who were the only country to do so in the history of the world cup tournament.

As for Alec Stewart’s book "A captain’s Diary", to any sane person it appears more like the Diary of an angry man.

–Rex Wijewardene

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