Sri Lankan cricket enjoyed a roller coaster ride in 2001

Charlie Austin02-Jan-2002Sri Lankan cricket enjoyed a roller coaster ride in 2001. It was joyful,depressing, tense, dramatic, bizarre, frequently controversial, butultimately successful. The team started the year disastrously, but endedtriumphantly, whilst cricket administrations, personalities and televisioncompanies came and went with alacrity.English supporters
rejoice after Nasser Hussain’s
side complete unlikely
victoryThe year started in South Africa, where the team was battered and bruisedinto submission, to leave everyone in no doubt as to the huge task ahead ifSri Lanka were to prosper in the 2003 world cup.But a short one-day sojourn on New Zealand’s lush green-tops boosted thesides flagging morale, as they romped to a series win in a five gamecontest.England had already arrived for the first ever Test series between the twosides. The threat of a television blackout dominated the build-up. Cricketboard President, Thilanga Sumathipala, claimed that WSG Nimbus, who had onlyjust signed a US 27 million dollar broadcasting and marketing rights dealwith the board, were delaying payments without due reason. With typicalbravado he marched them into the Sri Lankan courts. A settlement wasthrashed out, but the relationship between WSG Nimbus and the board had beenfatally soured.England crashed to defeat in the first Test on a Galle dustbowl, in a matchmarred by poor umpiring and an inconsistent match referee, that precipitatedgrowing animousity between the two sides. No one gave England a chance ofcoming back – even Nasser Hussain, who privately contemplated hisresignation – and a series whitewash loomed.But, in Kandy, England completed a remarkable tension strewn win, thanks toanother pitiful umpiring display – this time by B.C. Cooray, who had to beescorted from the field by a police force justifiably scared for hissafety – and some flimsy batting from Sri Lanka. The momentum had turnedtowards England and, cheered on by a noisy 5000 strong army of supporters,Nasser Hussain’s team completed a series win in Colombo after anotherpathetic second innings batting display from the hosts.Sri Lanka strolled to victory in the one-day games that followed, in aseries dominated by the inauguration of an international stadium in theculture-rich dry lands of Dambulla. The state of the art stadium was hastilyconstructed from scrub in only 165 days and was full to capacity for itsvirgin ODI. It appeared a triumph for president Thilanga Sumathipala, whohad championed the ambitious project from its inception, but subsequentdisputes with contractors and problems with the lease meant that the stadiumwas put under lock and key to become an embarrassing white elephant.Next, as England flew home, the cricket board was dramatically dissolved ona constitutional technicality by the sports minister Laksmann Kiriella,amidst allegations – still unproven – of financial mismanagement. An interimcommittee, headed by Vijaya Malalsekera, was appointed to run the affairs ofthe board, along with a probe committee to look into the activities of theoutgoing board. They soon released a damning preliminary report, but thenlost credibility when Sumathipala’s team secured an injunction against themfor a less than evenhanded approach. No more was heard.Rangiri Dambulla
International Stadium
is built in record time
only to become a
cricketing white
elephantThe team’s good one-day form continued with a second consecutive tri-serieswin in Sharjah, but poor Test match form – no series win since March 2000 -dominated the minds of the selectors, who lost faith with Aravinda de Silvaand recalled 34-year-old Hashan Tillakaratne after a prolific domesticseason with Nondescripts Cricket Club, whom he led to the Premier Leaguechampionship.Meanwhile, minister Kiriella ordered the development of fast practicepitches at Premadasa International Stadium, ironically the internationalvenue with the reputation for producing the slowest wickets in Sri Lanka.Seven months on the practice center remains unfinished.New Zealand and India, sans Sachin Tendulkar, visited Sri Lanka for anine-match tri-series in July that was interrupted by a devastatingterrorist attack on the international airport. Despite safety fears, thetournament proceeded, with Sri Lanka emerging well-deserved winners.A three-match Test series with an injury ravaged Indian side followed, inwhat proved to be a watershed moment for the side and Sanath Jayasuriya’scaptaincy. Once again, a thumping home win in Galle, on an unusually wellgrassed pitch, was proceeded by defeat in Kandy, increasingly considered abogey venue for Sri Lanka. But, in Colombo, Muralitharan put India in a spinwith a devastating eight-wicket haul on the first day before HashanTillakaratne and debutante Thilan Samaraweera went on a run spree. Sri Lankawon heavily to register their first home win for two years.The pressure lifted from the shoulders of skipper Sanath Jayasuriya andcoach Dav Whatmore, as the team started to grow more confidant by the day.Bangladesh were brushed aside with alarming ease, despite a sparkling recordbreaking century from teenage debutante Mohammad Ashraful.As the team started preparations for end of the year series against WestIndies and Zimbabwe, the interim committee enlisted the services of SouthAfrica legend Barry Richards as a specialist batting. The appointment didnot meet with universal approval, critics questioning both the high cost andthe wisdom of allowing a coach so close to a key opponent into the innersanctum of the team. But, with some exceptions, the players claimed to havebenefited from the weeklong training camp.Muralitharan undoubtedly
the hero of the year
with 80 Test match
wicketsThere were other less high profile coaching appointments, though they mayprove more significant. Roshan Mahanama, who had earlier released hisheadline grabbing autobiography ‘Retired Hurt,’ became A team coach, RuwanKalpage became the fielding coach and Pramodya Wickramasinghe an assistantbowling coach, as Champika Ramanayake took over primary responsibility for asuccessful fast bowling academy following the departure overseas of RumeshRatnayake.Meanwhile, further legal battles were brewing with the broadcasters. Theinterim committee reacted decisively to the delayed payment by WSG Nimbus ofthe minimum guarantee due before the West Indies tour. An injunction was wonin the Sri Lankan High Court and successfully defended, as WSG Nimbuspublicly and vehemently refuted allegations that the contract had beenbreached. A new rights process was hastily initiated and a memorandum ofunderstanding with newly formed Dubai-based Taj Televison was signed.Singer Sri Lanka’s six-year team sponsorship deal with the team came to anend amicably and a new lucrative deal – dubbed the marriage of Sri Lanka’sfinest exports: cricket and tea – was signed with Dilmah Tea for threeyears.Sri Lanka’s on-field fortunes dipped, as they were defeated in Sharjah by aresurgent Pakistan side, but they quickly bounced back in the Test seriesthat followed against the West Indies, whose touring plans had beenthreatened by the September 11 attacks in America and fresh elections in SriLanka – sparked, according to ruling party minister Mangala Samaraweera, byThilanga Sumathipala, who was publicly accused by the minister of helping tofund the crossover of politicians into the opposition party.West Indies were whitewashed three nil after match winning bowling effortsfrom Muttiah Muralitharan, who took 21 wickets in the first two Tests, andChaminda Vaas, who showed off a newly found confidence and ability to swervethe old ball dangerously, taking 14 wickets in the final Test in Colombo.The batsmen also prospered, with Kumar Sangakkara impressive and MahelaJayawardene serene. But the prolific performances of Tillakaratne andSamaraweera stole the limelight, as they firmed up the previously shakymiddle order. Brian Lara resisted spectacularly (688 runs in the series) buthis efforts were in vain.Sri Lanka’s confidence was snowballing. The proceeding tri-series was wonwith ease and Zimbabwe were brushed aside dismissively in the twilight ofthe year.A new government brought a new sports minister and further confusion in thecricket board. The interim committee were asked to resign, which they dulydid, and fresh elections were expected to be called. But ten days later, onthe final day of the year, the minister reappointed the committee, withslight modifications, for an unspecified period of time.Individually, it was a spectacularly successful year for the players.Muralitharan was the highest wicket in the world (80 wickets) for the secondsuccessive year, whilst Chaminda Vaas (58 wickets) also bagged a place inthe top five. Mahela Jayawardene scored 1000 runs in Test and one-daycricket, the only player in the world to do so, and Kumar Sangakkara was theseventh highest run scorer in Test cricket. Tillakaratne (136.40) andSamaraweera (140.66) topped the world Test averages.Hashan Tillakartne
comes back into the side
after two years in the
wildernessThe team won 22 of the 34 one-games contested and eight out of the 13 Testmatches, including an unbroken run of six consecutive wins – a record for aside in the sub-continent – a two series victories.True, the opposition was weak and the majority of matches were played athome. There is no doubt also that the real barometer of the team’s currentworld stature will be their performance in England early next summer and inSouth Africa later in the year.But Sri Lanka have moved on – the players are stronger in mind, body andspirit, whilst the side has been strengthened by exciting new fast bowlingtalent, the emergence of Jayawardene and Sangakkara as truly world-classplayers, the successful recall of Tillakaratne and introduction ofSamaraweera. With a captain more at ease with the rigours of leadership anda shrewd coach working quietly but diligently in the background, the futurelooks bright.