Beyond the boundary - The Plot Thickens (23 May 1999)

23 May 1999

Beyond the boundary - The Plot Thickens

Shakil Kasem

If England expected every man to do his duty she was sadly done by. The mediocrities of the England side were exposed embarrassingly as the batsmen failed to come to terms with the searching questions posed by the South Africans.

England did well to restrict the South African batting to a manageable 225. This was particularly significant because Gary Kirsten and Herschelle Gibbs had put on a rousing opening stand, by far the best of the tournament. Cronje's men then managed to lose their way giving England just that faint whiff of a chance to pull off the first upset of the English calendar. It was not meant to be.

England got off to the worst start imaginable. Kallis drew blood very early in the innings and the bloodletting continued unabated. Allan Donald, who does not think much of English batsmen at the best of times, exposed English inadequacies in the otherwise suspect batting line-up. Predictable South Africa made a mockery of defending their moderate total, in much the same way as has been the norm so far. The conclusion was foregone and England, while licking their wounds would be the first to admit, nothing out of the ordinary had really taken place.

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka continued to prove to the world that they have become prisoners of their own shadows. Having won the previous World Cup in a manner never before dared by any side, the Lankans were always hard pressed since, to match their exploits every time they played a tournament. In England they are caught in the no-man's land. For some reason they feel that their approach to batting should be changed from what they were used to so far. It is a classic case of the spirit being willing and the flesh not quite acquiescing. They have tampered with the opening pair and Jayasuriya is making it obvious every time he walks out to bat that he is not cut out to weigh anchor when needed. He is not the man he used to be.

Ranatunga and De Silva have been struggling for runs and have been found wanting, more often than not. The side is ageing and falling apart at the seams. Except for Mahela Jayawardena, not one player worth his salt has emerged in the last four years to hold a permanent place in the side. Every other team in the world has worked overtime to design and plot the downfall of the Sri Lankan side over the years. With their present form and general air of uncertainty all around them, the Lankans never quite look like posing threats anymore. Sad, but true.

The point of interest in this group now centre around Tendulkar's return and prospects of an Indian turnaround. The Indian saga promises to get complicated. For want of a more suitable analogy, it is beginning to look more and more like the script for a particularly bad Hindi movie. Azharuddin kya captaincy rakh payega? Kya apne pita ke dehant ke baad Tendulkar teen century maar kar India ko super six tak le ja sakega? Dekhte jaiye. This is what the group is now reduced to.

Source :: The Daily Star