Sri Lankan cricketers reward supporters (25 May 1999)

25 May 1999

Sri Lankan cricketers reward supporters

Ivan Corea

"It was Colombo or bust," observed an English television presenter commenting on the task ahead of Arjuna Ranatunga and the World Champions to regain some dignity and get back into the World Cup. Well they went for a win against Zimbabwe and managed it - only just. The world champions were written off by the British media so it was heartening to see the team win in Worcester while Alec Stewart and the England team came down to earth with a massive thud at the Oval. It is make or break time Sri Lanka must win against India and Kenya if they are to entertain any hope of scraping in to the Super Six. It is also a mathematical dilemma. South Africa are certainly strong favourites after their emphatic win over England who crashed to a terrible defeat.

The Sri Lankan cricketers rewarded their supporters with this win at Worcester. The team have gone through pain after their defeats against England and South Africa. The supporters have remained loyal throughout. BBC Television News in their 6 o'clock prime time news bulletin recently paid tribute to Sri Lanka's fans stating that they were the 'envy' of the cricketing world. The fans were so vociferous in their support for the team in a BBC TV World Cup program 'Cricket Row Z' presented by former England bowler David 'Syd' Lawrence, just before the opening match of the World Cup. The Sri Lankan cricket fans received high praise from British television for their loyalty and their dedication to the cause of Sri Lankan cricket.

It was carnival time at Worcester, the baila, the lion flags, the dancing, the good humoured banter between Sri Lankan fans and Zimbabwen fans ... what a difference it was to the racist abuse at Lord's when England played Sri Lanka. There it was tense with English hooligans shouting racist slogans at Arjuna and Murali and verbally abusing Sri Lankans in general. The media failed to pick up on the racist abuse against the Sri Lankans and it makes you wonder why. At Worcester it was so pleasant and the rivalry was friendly. This World Cup match could have swung either way but there were no racist comments and the atmosphere was relaxed and easy going. People had come to enjoy the cricket and it showed.

In the end Arjuna Ranatunga and the team pulled it off, much to the relief of their fans who waved the lion flag with glee and the baila tunes came gushing out. The officials of the Board of Control for Cricket in Sri Lanka also seemed relieved and Arjuna Ranatunga paid tribute to his team at the end of the match. Marvan Attapatu sparkled with his half century, Pramodaya Wickremasinghe was spot on with his line and length to grab three wickets and a star was born - Mahela Jayewardena once again gave us a glimpse to the potential for a world class star batsman. This young man is going places, I am convinced he is a future captain of Sri Lanka and will one day be a batting star for Sri Lanka. His temperament, his wristy action, his confidence, his flair will take him through onto the world's stage - he certainly will be one to watch. He has a great future ahead of him, I hope Sri Lanka will nurture him. Sri Lanka badly needs new, young stars - we must look beyond this World Cup on to the next, we need new young batsmen and fast bowlers if we are to maintain this level of competition in the world of cricket. The search is on.

Source :: The Daily News