Sri Lanka's ugly ducklings turn into swans but let's not call them great yet | Dileep Premachandran

[DomainK]

Well said,but dont forget the referral system.Mendis n Murali r likely to hit the pads more often than Bhajji n Mishra,so that gives the advantage to Lankans i think it will be a very tight series specially if Zak is there.Veeru will be crucial too n btw,i dont think Dhoni opting out of test series was justified,but lets not start that again:--D

The referral system will not give anyone any advantage. On the contrary, it will keep things fair. Hope Dhoni uses it more effectively than Kumble did.

[Lord]

The referral system will not give anyone any advantage. On the contrary' date=' it will keep things fair. Hope Dhoni uses it more effectively than Kumble did.[/quote'] no it will always give advantage to bowlers who hit the pad more often.a Kumble or Mendis will hit the pads more often than others but the umpire would give the benefit of doubt to the batsman now he cant do that

[DomainK]

no it will always give advantage to bowlers who hit the pad more often.a Kumble or Mendis will hit the pads more often than others but the umpire would give the benefit of doubt to the batsman now he cant do that

And there are only three appeals if the bowler is wrong. They can not go about with referrals each time a bowler hits the pad.

[King Tendulkar]

What test series Nov/Dec????? Is this definite??? Any dates??? Bring it on Lanka + Can't wait to see india in tests again

[The Outsider]

We are talking about performances in SL here' date=' but I agree SL & Pak have done better away than home against each other which is very strange.[/quote'] You are talking about performances in Sri Lanka, which BTW is completely irrelevant to the topic because the upcoming series is going to be played in India.

[Lord]

And there are only three appeals if the bowler is wrong. They can not go about with referrals each time a bowler hits the pad.

yeah but a wicket to wicket bowler would have a chance of getting LBW more often.everybody knows wen its close.earlier the benefit of doubt would go the batsman.now its upto the 3rd umpire

[vvvslaxman]

Last time SL had upperhand due to referrals. It always helps them more. Bhajji always bowls down the leg side or pitches way outside the off stump. Also referral interpretations are still evolving.

[DomainK]

Last time SL had upperhand due to referrals. It always helps them more. Bhajji always bowls down the leg side or pitches way outside the off stump. Also referral interpretations are still evolving.

Last time Kumble behaved like an idiot.

[Guest Hiten.]

Last time Kumble behaved like an idiot.

...maybe it was because he did not have a sane gloveman behind the stumps to assist him going for the referral. Keeper has the best possible view (of course, after Umpires) for a LBW prediction.

[kabira]

Lanka will have to pick between Herath and Mendis?? Who would they pick?? I think we should prepare bouncy tracks

[cowboysfan]

Lanka will have to pick between Herath and Mendis?? Who would they pick?? I think we should prepare bouncy tracks

bouncy wickets?where are we playing exactly that can be expected to prepare bouncy wickets?

[rishi008]

Lanka will have to pick between Herath and Mendis?? Who would they pick?? I think we should prepare bouncy tracks

i think bounce or spin or swing...india should win atleast 2-0...

[DomainK]

Lanka will have to pick between Herath and Mendis?? Who would they pick?? I think we should prepare bouncy tracks

They would go with Mendis. India has a history with Mendis, so he will have the psychological edge. Laxman and Dravid will not be entirely at ease when they face Mendis again. And then Herath did well against Pakistan because Pakistan has a history against left arm spinners. Against India, even though Ganguly has retired, Herath wont find much success.

[kabira]

bouncy wickets?where are we playing exactly that can be expected to prepare bouncy wickets?

playing in wankhede for sure. That pitch always had bounce.

[Lord]

Last time Kumble behaved like an idiot.

no he did not.the 3rd umpire gave 2 blatant wrong decisions against us,one of Samaraweera in 3rd test proving to match changing one.n in the marginal decisions umpire took its own liberty n almost all of them went in SL's favour n as someone said ,Dhoni wasnt there too.

[Feed]

Sri Lanka's ugly ducklings turn into swans but let's not call them great yet | Dileep Premachandran Sri Lanka's 2-0 series win has given them a little more breathing space in the ICC's Test Championship table, and only two points now separate them from the No1-ranked South Africa. More... Sri Lanka's ugly ducklings turn into swans but let's not call them great yet Sri Lanka have earned their Test ranking position but must end their Indian jinx to maintain it If you were asked to stick pins on a map of the world to denote the most hallowed venues in cricket, it's safe to say that Barnfields in Staffordshire probably wouldn't get one. Moddershall, who play there, do have a claim to fame, though. It was from the relative anonymity of North Staffs & South Cheshire Premier Division cricket that Rangana Herath was summoned to Sri Lanka to play a Test series against Pakistan. The quintessential journeyman had been asked to replace the irreplaceable Muttiah Muralitharan, and he surprised everyone by doing just that, taking 15 wickets in three Tests. The reward? To be left out for the opening game of the series against New Zealand, with the out-of-sorts Ajantha Mendis returning to the fray. The 31-year-old Herath is not your average crumbling cookie, though, and when given his chance at the SSC in Colombo, he took an eight-wicket haul, thwarting a rousing lower-order charge orchestrated by the magnificent Daniel Vettori. Sri Lanka's 2-0 series win has given them a little more breathing space in the ICC's Test Championship table, and only two points now separate them from the No1-ranked South Africa. India trail them by a point, while Australia are a further three back, but all that could change this winter, with the top sides facing contrasting challenges. Australia should prove too strong for Pakistan and West Indies, while South Africa have to confront an England side buoyed by Ashes success, before travelling to India to try to at least match the excellent 1-1 result they achieved there in 2008. The Lankans, whose next home assignment is at the back end of 2010 against West Indies, will slide rapidly down the charts unless they can bring about a drastic change in their fortunes in India. In 14 Tests on tour there dating back to September 1982, they have seldom had a sniff of success. Six of the eight defeats have been by an innings and, with Murali having announced his decision to retire next year, you sense that they will never have a better opportunity to end that jinx. Any judgment of this Sri Lankan side, however, must be qualified by the fact that they have never been given their due by the Future Tours Programme. If they had played as often as Australia, England, India and South Africa, they would certainly be a permanent fixture near the top of the rankings. Their home record is formidable, and with Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene maturing into batsmen of the highest quality, they are no longer soft touches abroad. In the context of South Africa's run chase to defeat Australia in Perth last December, it's interesting to speculate just what might have happened in Hobart a year earlier but for Sangakkara's once-in-a-lifetime innings of 192 being curtailed by a frankly awful decision from Rudi Koertzen. Against New Zealand, though, both the star batsmen were eclipsed by another who was being taken home on a stretcher not so long ago. Thilan Samaraweera was fortunate that the terrorists who fired at the team bus in Lahore had guns as misguided as their minds, and a bullet in his thigh did no more than put him out of action for a few months. It was a cruel hiatus for a man in the form of his life. His two completed innings before the attack had been 231 and 214, with one of the best cover-drives in the game frequently unveiled against an insipid attack. The home series against Pakistan was nothing like as prolific, but he made amends against New Zealand, scoring 159 and 143. A once-stodgy batsman had transformed himself into one who could move through the gears seamlessly, and his batting after reaching his century in Galle was a real treat for the eyes. After nudging his career average up to 51.87, Samaraweera finds himself at the centre of a heated debate. On his blog, Sambit Bal, Cricinfo's editor, asked: How good is Samaraweera?. The broader issue addressed was the inflation of batting averages in recent years, and how they no longer offer a true perspective of a batsman's worth. Predictably though, there was a furious response, with accusations ranging from racism to an Indian big-brother mentality. If you ask me, it was a valid question. How much can we read into figures alone? As Bal wrote: "He averages 31.22 against Australia, 24.66 against South Africa, 28.87 against England. In Australia he averages 22.66, in England 4.25, and in India 10.50. He has played 30 of his 54 Tests at home, and averages nearly 60 in them ... If he were to retire today, he would forever remain in an elite band statistically. But the numbers will lie because if we drew up a list of top 50 batsmen of all time, Samaraweera will not feature in it. Not even in a list of the top 100." How can you quibble with that? To buttress Bal's argument, I'll offer one of my own. Player A averaged 42.58 from 118 Tests, with 20 centuries. Player B has nine hundreds from only 48 Tests, and averages 42.79. If you go by numbers alone, they are of similar quality. But would you actually suggest that Alastair Cook is as good as Graham Gooch? Gooch was nearly 38 when he played one of the greatest innings in the game's history (Headingley, 1991) against one of the most fearsome attacks that cricket has ever seen. It was Viv Richards' final series and, but for the defiance of Gooch and the equally courageous Robin Smith (averaged only 43.67), another blackwash would have been more than likely. True greatness stems from such deeds. Mark Waugh averaged even less (41.81), but how many of those batsmen currently averaging over 50 could even dream of playing as he did at Port Elizabeth (against a rampant Allan Donald) and Sabina Park (Curtly Ambrose at his nastiest and angriest)? Those were innings that defined Australia's rise to cricketing pre-eminence, and worth so much more than the scores that stare up at you from the Almanack. Waugh Junior may not go down as a "great" because of the manner in which he sometimes frittered away his considerable gifts, but his example should remind us not to use the word lightly. The best test, as it has always been, is to check how the player did against the finest team of his era. Sunil Gavaskar had 13 centuries against West Indies, Sachin Tendulkar has 10 against Australia. Brian Lara had nine. Inzamam-ul-Haq finished with one from 14 Tests. If he's not always mentioned in the same breath, you know why. Numbers in isolation, without analysis, mean nothing. Not every 36-24-36 bimbette can be a Paz Vega.

[zubinpepsi]

ugly ducklingsssss :hysterical::hysterical::hysterical:

[Desi Cartman]

Sunil Gavaskar had 13 centuries against West Indies, Sachin Tendulkar has 10 against Australia. Brian Lara had nine. Inzamam-ul-Haq finished with one from 14 Tests. If he's not always mentioned in the same breath, you know why. Numbers in isolation, without analysis, mean nothing. Not every 36-24-36 bimbette can be a Paz Vega.

:giggle:

[punjabi_khota]

Not every 36-24-36 bimbette can be a Paz Vega.

B->B-> ::giggity::giggity::alienbooty:

[saneindian]

If I am not wrong , Mr Premachandran writes for 'The Times' London. I expect him to get a number of hate mails from the padosis for 'belittling' Injamam. Even the islander are going to explode in fury on reading what he has written.