Giant of Lankan cricket

Published : Sep 06, 2008 00:00 IST

Chaminda Vaas, who became only the fourth bowler to capture 400 ODI wickets, certainly has the respect of his peers, not least for persevering and taking so many wickets in both forms of the game at nothing more than medium pace, writes S. Ram Mahesh.

Sunday, August 24: The diary remembers its rant about how celebrations have become vaudevillian (written during the World Cup, so do dig in to those back issues for illumination; please). Back when men were men, a handshake sufficed. If greater emotion needed to be conveyed, say Sir Donald was dismissed, a pat on the back followed. But Yuvraj Singh, on finding Nuwan Kulasekara leg-before in today’s third ODI, engages in a routine with Harbhajan Singh that’s so elaborate and sweetly timed, it must be choreographed. Neither looks edifying — more drama queen than Kings XI Punjab (although to be fair to Harbhajan, he is a Mumbai Indian, whatever that means).

Monday, August 25: Continuing the IPL theme (how can’t one when it’s so irresistible?), several Chennai Super Kings members, cutting across national lines, are spotted at a high-class South Indian restaurant. What they eat, the diary regrets to say, one doesn’t know, although visiting the place, striking up an acquaintance with the head waiter, and extracting the information, is the work of a moment. Unfortunately, the diary’s reputation precedes it; it’s no longer allowed in places that require a certain degree of etiquette.

Tuesday, August 26: Today’s the worst kind of day for cricket fans everywhere. A steady drizzle holds up play leaving everybody with nothing to do. Well not everybody, for the groundstaff make occasional forays to see how their precious thing is holding up under all those layers of covers. The practice of covering an entire ground, not just the wicket square and the run-ups, appears unique to this part of the world (readers, feel free to correct the diary; it has seen this at only one other place, but all of you will have interesting stories to share, so flood those admirable men at the Sportstar desk with letters). Anyway, there’s nothing to do but wait, and the Indian team smartly relocates to its hotel, ready to return, but better off in the comforts of their upholstered rooms. The crowd is entertained by a TV producer with a juvenile sense of humour — the sort that abounds in school halls, and he (or she, the diary doesn’t know who it is) uses the big screen for his/her ends. A pretty face in the crowd is sought, and displayed; a cricketer in the dressing room is pictured next; a giant graphic heart connects the two in the next frame — you get the picture. Anyway this goes on for some time before both parties, cottoning on, disappear when they see themselves on the screen. And what’s a one-day game without a ticket controversy? A) A Spanish omelette without salt; B) A Bloody Mary without Tabasco (drinking, dear readers, isn’t being endorsed here; tchah, tchah, there’s nothing more vile, as some tipplers will have their wives believe, but the diary digresses again); C) A waffle without maple syrup. The answer is of course secret option ‘D’, which is: “A diary entry without wicked humour”. Unashamed self shilling apart, the diary is intrigued about what happened on Sunday, and the subsequent fallout. The stewards are asked to open the gates at 10 a.m. today after the chaos on Sunday, as reported by the Daily Mirror, when ticket holders weren’t allowed entry till one police officer threw the gates open, prompting a rush to the stands. In a related matter, well not entirely related, the interim committee of Sri Lankan Cricket has cut down on issuing complimentary tickets for players’ wives and family members, after the said relations complained and refused to sit in makeshift enclosures on Sunday. The diary investigates these enclosures and finds them perfectly acceptable, but the complaint lodged, apparently, was that they were fit only for common spectators, and the diary pleads guilty to being called common.

Wednesday, August 27: Chaminda Vaas becomes only the fourth bowler to capture 400 ODI wickets, and in a neat twist, one of the bowlers who preceded him to that mark, Waqar Younis, happens to be on air, conveying the scene. The left-armer, the diary learns, is a locker-room leader, so to speak, a man who stands up for what he thinks is right. He certainly has the respect of his peers, not least for persevering and taking so many wickets in both forms of the game at nothing more than medium pace. A day’s entry isn’t sufficient to describe his many variations and subtleties, however, and it’s these qualities, allied with his control, that have made him such a giant of Sri Lankan cricket. M. S. Dhoni anchors the Indian innings and then leads the team in the field, keeping wickets — another day in the office, you might think, but all this with a fever. Suresh Raina, who is named the Man of the Match for his sparkling half-century, calls his captain “a class reader of the game”. When you’re winning, you can’t seem to do a thing wrong. Or is it the other way around?

Thursday, August 28: Just a day to go for the tour to end, a time when cricket journalists are on their knees, convinced there’s a God (no hurting of religious sentiments is intended; this is merely a grand philosophical statement). These are tender moments — privacy is needed — and here the diary must leave you.

Friday, August 29: Thank you for being on the ride. It’s been a fascinating tour, from three dramatic Test matches to an engrossing one-day series. Here’s a non-sequitur to end matters: Mahela Jayawardene, asked after losing the one-day series to assess how the two generations of India (the Test and one-day sides) measured against each other, said, “I can’t really make a comment on that. All I can say is this Indian side played better than us in the circumstances and the conditions that were there.”

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