Match analysis.
By Sujeet Rajan
Sri Lanka looked like a bunch of baffled geriatrics out of tune with the ways of the modern cricketing world, in their opening World Cup match against New Zealand, at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch, New Zealand, losing by a whopping 98 runs.
It was difficult to fathom which was worse as the depressing, inevitable match wore on: Lasith Malinga’s lack of pace in his slingers, or heaving midriff and visible paunch after a surgery which has kept him out of the team for a prolonged period of time; his attempted yorkers-turned wides and innocuous full tosses, or the loss of his trademark winsome smile (replaced by wincing, withered expressions) when clobbered for boundaries.
Was Tillakaratne Dilshan’s snide (or rather startled) remark to partner Lahiru Thirimanne – caught by the pitch mike – that Adam Milne’s balls of 140 plus Ks per hour were coming at a faster clip than his own teammates’ weary stuff earlier in the day, worse than the mediocre deliveries with no bite to it pitched with monotonous regularity by Nuwan Kulasekara like a predictable bowling machine?
The bitter truth is that bowling apart, even the run machine trio of Dilshan, Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene are not comfortable anymore against genuine pace on the fast, rising pitches in Australia and New Zealand. They are past their prime. Sri Lanka’s most experienced batsmen displayed wobbly defense; streaky strokes, flat footedness at the crease.
Being bowled out for 233 in the 47th over, to New Zealand’s imposing score of 331 – helped by some brutally efficient and classy batting by Brendon McCullum and Corey Anderson, was not the worst part of the performance for the island nation.
The aging, worse-for-wear-and-tear players, including spinners like Rangana Herath, who moved laboriously inside the 30 yard circle to help convert singles into twos, and Jeevan Mendis who grassed, or rather clutched at thin air, attempting a simple catch, is still forgivable.
The worst display by the meek Sri Lanka against robust New Zealand was loss of cricketing acumen at a critical juncture of the match, when the scales were balanced. The match could maybe have turned out different when New Zealand lost two wickets in two consecutive deliveries – Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor snapped by Mendis, in the 34th over. Taylor especially was snared by a beautifully looped delivery. The score was 193 for 4 then. Mendis after that eventful over had figures of 2-0-5-2.
What did captain Angelo Mathews do though? He took out Mendis from the attack, let off the pressure; brought back the lackluster Kulasekara and Co. against the two new batsmen at the crease, Grant Elliott and Corey Anderson, who in turn said thank you, and spanked the lot without mercy.
Mendis didn’t bowl again in the match. The other spinner, Herath, with the best Lankan averages after Mendis, didn’t go on to complete his 10 overs; he finished with figures of 9-0-37-1.
By the time Malinga ran through his quota of overs, he had the totally deserving figures of 10-0-84-0 – he did get one perfect yorker to crash into the stumps off a no-ball, though. Kulasekara finished with a gutted 8-0-78-1, getting Anderson’s wicket off the last ball of the Kiwis’ innings.
The Lankans usually have three captains taking stock on the field, with the official one, Mathews, often idling as Jayawardene and Sangakarra take field placement decisions. But it seemed all three were paralyzed by what transpired on the field today. The team, barring a brief inspired bowling spell by Lakmal and some classy shots by a spirited Thirimanne, looked like an inept club outfit against a superior professional team.
Sri Lanka looked in vain to try and resuscitate their lost glory by turning to Malinga, to do his usual psyching and bamboozling of the opposition. It never worked. Perhaps, it never will. His one-day career may well be over.
Or maybe, blame it on the gloomy, cold weather that persisted throughout the match.
But Sri Lanka, after their terrible performance against the Black Caps, now has the unpleasant task to try not become the whipping boys of the 2015 World Cup.