Sri Lanka It's Happening

June 5, 2006

Right now Sri Lankans should be asking "What will happen to the peace process?", "How much longer before the fuels pumps go dry?", "How much longer before the next recession?". Instead we are asking "Who will win this test match?".

By this time tommorow we will know for sure. It will either be England 2-0 or England 1 - Sri Lanka 1. One thing for sure, 2-0 result will not be because Chaminda Vaas stopped trying. If the series is tied, Vaas should be named player of the series but it probably will not happen.

Vaas has batted 6 times this series and he has been not out on 4 of those innings. Five of his knocks have been crucial. Though Jayawardene was named man of the match for the first test, it was Vaas who batted his socks off to save the match.

In the second test, it was Vaas' batting in the first innings that saved Sri Lanka from a more embarrasing position than they got themselves into. In the second innings he had his only failure with the bat, and as a result the team couldn't set up a defendable target for England to chase.

The reason that England couldn't get a first innings lead in the third and final test is because of the partnership between Vaas and Murali, and the reason that the target exceeds 300 mark is because of the partnerships Vaas built with the lower half of the batting.

Questions need to be asked. How come Vaas' has the highest series batting average? How come no other seamer (except malinga) have even looked like being able to take a wicket? How come the third strike bowler in the squad (the other malinga) didn't even get a match?

Posted by raditha at June 5, 2006 10:33 AM