Sri Lanka’s captaincy dilemma – Is http://www.senore.com/Cricket/AD-Mathews-c913 the answer - Opinion – Part 1
During Kumar Sangakkara’s hour-long speech at the MCC Spirit of Cricket Cowdrey lecture in 2011 at Lord’s, the former Sri Lankan skipper gave a comprehensive and sincere insight in to Lankan cricket, where he noticeably picked out the leadership of Arjuna
Ranatunga as the turning point in their sport.
He mentioned that despite gaining Test status in 1981, the team still suffered from an identity crisis as cricketers that emerged during that time lacked that flamboyance to stand out, and match the other powerhouses.
They largely copied the style of other big Test playing nations, as they struggled to find that messiah for the best part of a decade. They had the necessary passion for the game, but the system lacked guidance, a path.
All changed following the arrival of one http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Arjuna-Ranatunga-c45447. The left-hander had been present ever since the team attained the Test status, but he flourished when he got the team’s captaincy. Although scampering for a quick single wasn’t one of his greatest
strengths, Ranatunga was a fluent batsman, whose timing and placement of the ball was impeccable.
What further stood out was his innovative captaincy. He knew the balancing act of respecting the elite nations, but at the same time, instilling a sense of individuality in his own players, which ultimately did wonders for their cricket. http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Sri-Lanka-c758 lifted
the World Cup in March 1996, but the event, more importantly, ensured they left their mark on the game by injecting a new philosophy – making full use of the first 15 overs.
It seemed a turning point in their cricket, and one which they could easily reflect upon with pride. Sangakkara termed the triumph as ‘critical to our emergence as a global force’. Indeed they now had someone among themselves to look towards for inspiration,
rather than embracing the foreign culture.
With the foundation being laid, the Lankans have certainly made an impact on the sport, and at large, remain a forced to be reckoned with. Though they found it tough to keep that momentum going, and as a result suffered some testing times, they have never
been short of producing quality players.
The emergence of http://www.senore.com/Cricket/ST-Jayasuriya-c2567 – though not in his prime – meant that they had an impressive pool of talent to count on. Furthermore, they managed to carry the
weight of the nation on their shoulders with a certain élan, allowing them to counter the tragic civil war, and some natural disasters on their way.
Cricket became a professional sport where players earned some serious bucks, and were looked upon as leading figures in the country. While there is no doubt over their roles since Arjuna left, it has become clear that the team is still struggling to find
a player in a leadership capacity.
Jayasuriya carried the burden for some time, before Jayawardene and Sangakkara began their respective tenures. The former’s first stint as captain was indeed special, which included a berth in the final of the 2007 World Cup. However, their failure to get
over the line has played on their minds ever since, and surprisingly, has become a barrier which they have failed to conquer in more than three attempts.
Jayawardene relinquished his role in 2009, and his replacement again found things not to his liking. The Lankans lost to http://www.senore.com/Cricket/India-c750.
Continued in Part 2....
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