The recent ODI series has shown that England and Sri Lanka can engage in a really competitive series of cricket over here. It hasn't always been so in Tests. The first four encounters were all one-offs tagged on to the end of a more lucrative series, followed by a trio of triple-headers. In 13 games, Sri Lanka have won only twice, whilst losing six and drawing the remaining five. Things could have been a lot worse but for the incomparable Muttiah Muralitharan, who took more wickets (48) than just about anyone else put together in the six Tests in which he participated. It goes without saying that he played a huge role in his country's pair of triumphs. To succeed in 2014, new players will need to show the right stuff. Too often, the legendary batsmen Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara have disappointed on England tours so could they sign off with match-winning innings, or will it be left to younger men like Senanayake (if allowed to play!) or Angelo Mathews?
It all began on the August Bank Holiday weekend of 1984. England had been slaughtered by the West Indies so this would be the chance for David Gower's shellshocked side to regain confidence by thrashing the new kids on the block. However, it wasn't the easy ride everyone predicted. Gower won the toss and inserted the visitors, who proceeded to bat solidly and tediously for more than two days! Sidath Wettimuny persevered for almost eight hours for his 190, although skipper Duleep Mendis was much quicker to compile 111. Jon Agnew, Ian Botham and Paul Allott have become highly regarded cricket commentators in recent years but they were made to slog through nearly 100 overs of seam and swing before Mendis declared on 491-7. Despite a hundred from Allan Lamb, England were bowled out 120 short at the end of Day 4. WIth no chance of a result, Amal Silva and Mendis again made batting look easy on a benign closing day.
In 1988 and 1991, England enjoyed routine victories but there followed a seven-year hiatus before Sri Lanka returned for a Test match. By this time, they were no longer easily dismissed as cannon fodder; indeed, they were reigning one-day world champions. Arjana Ranatunga was by now the captain and a draw looked most likely as England scratched around for five sessions and 445 runs, most produced by Graeme Hick (107) and Jon Crawley (156 not out). In place of the snail Wettimuny, Sri Lanka boasted an opener in a very different form: Sanath Jayasuriya. His 213, along with Aravinda De Silva's 152 took the game away from Alec Stewart's hosts. Mr Muralitharan did the rest, finishing the game with 16 wickets for 220 runs from 113 overs! Sri Lanka had broken the duck.
By 2002, the Sri Lankans had finally been granted the respect of a three-match series. Despite the arrival of Mahela and Sanga, Jayasuriya's men were well beaten despite making England follow on in the Lord's opener. Four years forward, and England were in a topsy-turvy Ashes period. Trescothick and Pietersen held their nerve and their wickets while Murali wrought havoc at the other ends to take a 1-0 lead. However, at Trent Bridge, it was a low-scoring affair and came down to a tense fourth day climax. The scene was set for that man Murali yet again. The wily wizard claimed 8-70 and even Monty Panesar was the third top-scorer that afternoon with 26. He even struck the sole six of the innings, but all in vain. The series ended all-square.
Three years ago, Cardiff witnessed an amazing finale. Sri Lanka made a decent 400 but Jonathan Trott's double-century and three figures each for Cook and Bell left Sri Lanka with the fifth day in which to bat out for a draw. Instead, Broad, Tremlett and Swann required a mere 24.4 overs to dismiss Dilshan, Sanga and co for 82 and snatch a memorable innings success. Not even Murali would have been able to rescue that one. Batsmen were on top in the remaining matches and the series ended 1-0 to England.
So what about the best performers spanning the thirty years and thirteen Test matches? For England, it's a difficult task to narrow it down to eleven. For Sri Lanka, it's almost impossible to pick eleven worthy of a place in any fantasy team! Murali would have to bowl non-stop from one end and hope his team-mates didn't concede too many. A winning strategy on occasions but not in a 'Dream XI' like this! My all-time England v Sri Lanka competitors reads as follows:-
England: Alastair Cook (*), Marcus Trescothick, Jonathan Trott, Kevin Pietersen, Ian Bell, Alec Stewart (+), Andrew Flintoff, Graeme Swann, Matthew Hoggard, Chris Tremlett, Monty Panesar.
Sri Lanka: Sidath Wettimuny, Sanath Jayasuriya, Marvan Atapattu, Mahela Jayawardene, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Aravinda de Silva (+), Duleep Mendis, Chaminda Vaas, Chanaga Welegedera, Muttiah Muralitharan, Rangana Herath
It wouldn't be tough for Kulasekera, Mendis or Senanayake to topple Vaas and Welegedera from that team, but England's class of 2014 may struggle to displace Swann and Hoggard. I still predict a 1-0 win for England.
Showing posts with label Sanath Jayasuriya. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sanath Jayasuriya. Show all posts
Tuesday, 10 June 2014
Sunday, 18 May 2014
England v Sri Lanka ODIs - too close to call?
With new management on both sides, and potentially extra edge provoked by Paul Farbrace's desertion from Colombo to Lord's, there is some welcome uncertainty about the result of the forthcoming ODI series between England and Sri Lanka. In 21 home matches across 21 years to date, history records a 11-10 lead for England, although most of their victories occurred when he opponents were a relatively inexperienced international cricketing nation.
They met twice in the 1983 World Cup when ODIs were 60 overs a side, and England won fairly easily. The first was clinched by a David Gower century and a Vic Marks 'five-for' while bowler Bob Willis was the Man of the Match in the next, although it was India who went onto win a memorable final against red-hot favourites West Indies.
Sri Lanka's first triumph on English soil came five years later. In the final of a triangular 50-over tournament at Lord's, a century opening partnership between Nick Knight and Michael Atherton was ultimately in vain as the new head coach Marvan Atapattu struck an uncharacteristically brisk 132 not out to ensure a five-wicket success. England again won 2-1 in 2002. The margins were relatively small but in retrospect, Andrew Flintoff's 28-ball half-century and 3-44 at Trent Bridge probably decided the series.
Four years later, Sri Lanka delivered a 5-0 drubbing. The most spectacular batting performance came in the final fixture at Headingley, by which time the series had long since been decided. Thanks to Marcus Trescothick's 121, England posted a decent total of 321-7. Enter Upal Tharanga and the wily Sanath Jayasuriya, just turned 37. The openers put on 286 for the first wicket, still the third highest ever seen in ODIs. Most of the runs flowed from the bat of the senior partner, as the man from Matara plundered 20 fours and four sixes in an innings of 152 in 99 balls. Jayardene and Sangakkara had the simple task of seeing SL to a series whitewash with more than twelve overs to spare!
In 2011, it was a much closer affair. Anderson and Swann got England off to a superb start at The Oval, but Mahela Jaywardene evened things up with his 144 in Leeds. Two days later at Lord's, Mahela scored another 75 runs but an unbeaten 105 by Dinesh Chandimal took his side to a 2-1 lead. England took the series to a decider after Cook and Kieswetter helped them to a ten-wicket slaughter. At Old Trafford, Cook opted to bat first. Jonathan Trott and Eoin Morgan scored half-centuries, then the SL openers were Bresnan-ed with the score on 12-2. Mahela didn't last long, but stands of 94 (Sangakkara and Chandimal) and 102 (Mathews and Jeevan Mendis) brought them back into the mix. However, with 37 needed in under four overs, Mathews was unable to marshal the tail, and England won the match by 16 runs and the series 3-2.
The most recent ODI encounter occurred last summer in the ICC Champions Trophy. A day-nighter at The Oval again saw England make a decent score thanks largely to Joe Root's 55-ball 68 and a late cameo from Ravi Bopara. However, this time, Sri Lanka made no mistrakes in their run chase. Sangakkara smacked an unbeaten 134 and Kulasekera discovered his inner Jayasuriya by clouting58 in 38 deliveries, and a seven-wicket victory was theirs. Both made the semis but neither won the competition.
Next up, I'll look back at the best players in the England-Sri Lanka ODI history. I promise the usual candidates and a few surprises!
They met twice in the 1983 World Cup when ODIs were 60 overs a side, and England won fairly easily. The first was clinched by a David Gower century and a Vic Marks 'five-for' while bowler Bob Willis was the Man of the Match in the next, although it was India who went onto win a memorable final against red-hot favourites West Indies.
Sri Lanka's first triumph on English soil came five years later. In the final of a triangular 50-over tournament at Lord's, a century opening partnership between Nick Knight and Michael Atherton was ultimately in vain as the new head coach Marvan Atapattu struck an uncharacteristically brisk 132 not out to ensure a five-wicket success. England again won 2-1 in 2002. The margins were relatively small but in retrospect, Andrew Flintoff's 28-ball half-century and 3-44 at Trent Bridge probably decided the series.
Four years later, Sri Lanka delivered a 5-0 drubbing. The most spectacular batting performance came in the final fixture at Headingley, by which time the series had long since been decided. Thanks to Marcus Trescothick's 121, England posted a decent total of 321-7. Enter Upal Tharanga and the wily Sanath Jayasuriya, just turned 37. The openers put on 286 for the first wicket, still the third highest ever seen in ODIs. Most of the runs flowed from the bat of the senior partner, as the man from Matara plundered 20 fours and four sixes in an innings of 152 in 99 balls. Jayardene and Sangakkara had the simple task of seeing SL to a series whitewash with more than twelve overs to spare!
In 2011, it was a much closer affair. Anderson and Swann got England off to a superb start at The Oval, but Mahela Jaywardene evened things up with his 144 in Leeds. Two days later at Lord's, Mahela scored another 75 runs but an unbeaten 105 by Dinesh Chandimal took his side to a 2-1 lead. England took the series to a decider after Cook and Kieswetter helped them to a ten-wicket slaughter. At Old Trafford, Cook opted to bat first. Jonathan Trott and Eoin Morgan scored half-centuries, then the SL openers were Bresnan-ed with the score on 12-2. Mahela didn't last long, but stands of 94 (Sangakkara and Chandimal) and 102 (Mathews and Jeevan Mendis) brought them back into the mix. However, with 37 needed in under four overs, Mathews was unable to marshal the tail, and England won the match by 16 runs and the series 3-2.
The most recent ODI encounter occurred last summer in the ICC Champions Trophy. A day-nighter at The Oval again saw England make a decent score thanks largely to Joe Root's 55-ball 68 and a late cameo from Ravi Bopara. However, this time, Sri Lanka made no mistrakes in their run chase. Sangakkara smacked an unbeaten 134 and Kulasekera discovered his inner Jayasuriya by clouting58 in 38 deliveries, and a seven-wicket victory was theirs. Both made the semis but neither won the competition.
Next up, I'll look back at the best players in the England-Sri Lanka ODI history. I promise the usual candidates and a few surprises!
Thursday, 9 June 2011
Jayasuriya - The First Pinch Hitter?
So no sooner had Sri Lanka announced the return to international duty of Sanath Jayasuriya that the veteran all-rounder declared the next ODI and T20 International versus England would be his very last. Let's face it, he will be 42 and his selection was only the result of Tharanga's positive drug test and Dilshan's injured thumb, so why not take control of his own destiny and retire yourself rather than be quietly dropped and put out to grass?
The last of his 110 Tests also came against England in 2007, so this will mean the same final opposition for the other formats, too. In that match at Kandy, he signed off with a second innings 78 on the way to setting Michael Vaughan's tourists a target they couldn't reach. Sri Lanka must hope for similar successes later this month.
After Murali's retirement and Chaminda Vaas off the international scene, Jayasuriya is the last survivor of the World Cup winning team which so memorably shook up the cricketing world order in 1996. His first four years in ODIs failed to register even a half-century and he was probably used more as a slow left arm bowler than batsman, but when promoted to open in 1994, he made his mark with 140 in a rain-affected match against New Zealand. His often brutal treatment of opening bowlers with the fielding restrictions in place caused the term 'pinch-hitter' to transfer convincingly from baseball to cricket. He may not really have been the first player to fulfill this role but none had done so with more panache and consistency over a number of years.
After the World Cup triumph, he struck three ODI centuries and nine fifties in 1997, with India bearing the brunt. His highest score of 189 came against the same opposition three years later, made all the more superb by the fact that, in reply, Ganguly's team were bowled out for a mere 54! The last of his 28 one-day centuries again came against India in January 2009 but this time in a losing cause. Apart from a 98 in September, the year was not a very productive one for Sanath and his career seemed to have ended after 444 ODIs in a Delhi damp squib just after Christmas - until now.
Perhaps it was his age but he never quite reached the heights in Twenty20 cricket although a strike rate of almost 130 is testament to his strength and skill at finding gaps or just hoiking the ball above fielder's heads. Nevertheless, his old skills as a bowler also make him a useful all-rounder for this type of game so England should not write him off. In fact, in one-dayers, his average and strike rate are better against England than any of the other major cricketing nations.
In Jayasuriya's case, statistics don't necessarily tell the whole story. His sheer length of career and number of appearances guaranteed him a huge volume of runs, and quite a few wickets, too, but his batting averages are nothing special. What did mark him out was the way he went about scoring those runs. He has been keeping his hand in back in Sri Lanka in inter-state competitions and, whist he is not the feared pinch-hitter he once was, it will be good to see him in action on the world stage a few more times and allow him to enjoy the send-off his contribution to Sri Lankan and international cricket deserves.
The last of his 110 Tests also came against England in 2007, so this will mean the same final opposition for the other formats, too. In that match at Kandy, he signed off with a second innings 78 on the way to setting Michael Vaughan's tourists a target they couldn't reach. Sri Lanka must hope for similar successes later this month.
After Murali's retirement and Chaminda Vaas off the international scene, Jayasuriya is the last survivor of the World Cup winning team which so memorably shook up the cricketing world order in 1996. His first four years in ODIs failed to register even a half-century and he was probably used more as a slow left arm bowler than batsman, but when promoted to open in 1994, he made his mark with 140 in a rain-affected match against New Zealand. His often brutal treatment of opening bowlers with the fielding restrictions in place caused the term 'pinch-hitter' to transfer convincingly from baseball to cricket. He may not really have been the first player to fulfill this role but none had done so with more panache and consistency over a number of years.
After the World Cup triumph, he struck three ODI centuries and nine fifties in 1997, with India bearing the brunt. His highest score of 189 came against the same opposition three years later, made all the more superb by the fact that, in reply, Ganguly's team were bowled out for a mere 54! The last of his 28 one-day centuries again came against India in January 2009 but this time in a losing cause. Apart from a 98 in September, the year was not a very productive one for Sanath and his career seemed to have ended after 444 ODIs in a Delhi damp squib just after Christmas - until now.
Perhaps it was his age but he never quite reached the heights in Twenty20 cricket although a strike rate of almost 130 is testament to his strength and skill at finding gaps or just hoiking the ball above fielder's heads. Nevertheless, his old skills as a bowler also make him a useful all-rounder for this type of game so England should not write him off. In fact, in one-dayers, his average and strike rate are better against England than any of the other major cricketing nations.
In Jayasuriya's case, statistics don't necessarily tell the whole story. His sheer length of career and number of appearances guaranteed him a huge volume of runs, and quite a few wickets, too, but his batting averages are nothing special. What did mark him out was the way he went about scoring those runs. He has been keeping his hand in back in Sri Lanka in inter-state competitions and, whist he is not the feared pinch-hitter he once was, it will be good to see him in action on the world stage a few more times and allow him to enjoy the send-off his contribution to Sri Lankan and international cricket deserves.
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