More Cricket News Off the Field than on It
The ODI series games that are to be played at the Singhalese Sports Center (SSC) in Colombo, Sri Lanka, have been continually thwarted by delays. Universal forces seem to be converging on the Sri Lankan capital. If that sounds extreme, recall that the series was originally supposed to commence on August 14th, the same day that a terror strike hit the city. The bombing’s most grievous effect was the death of seven people, hitting a few surrounding Pakistan’s outgoing high commissioner Bashir Wali Mohammed, but narrowly missing the diplomat himself, who escaped unhurt. Amongst the ripple of concern following the event was India’s condemnation of the attack, and South Africa’s withdrawal from the Colombo tri-series, fearing for the safety of its cricketers. While Sri Lanka reprimanded the South Africans’ decision, it thanked India for remaining; Sri Lanka Cricket Media Coordinator Samantha Algama was quoted as saying, “India is like our big brother. Their decision to continue to play has helped us in a difficult situation.”
Nevertheless, what was supposed to be a triangular series between India, Sri Lanka and South Africa was reduced to a three-match event. Not only did this mean fewer games, but it required a change in strategy as the venue shifted from the Premadassa Stadium to the SSC. The latter field has considerable bounce but does less to assist spin.
But even prior to the South Africans’ departure, a further problem was already looming: rain. Torrential downpours were already making it look as though the tournament might be delayed as early as Monday, and further storms and the resulting soggy field have continually postponed the matches, day by day, hour by hour.
A match finally got underway on Friday, 18 August, seeing some promising action before it, too, was called off as thunderstorms rolled in. The wet outfield delayed the start time of the match by nearly four and a half hours, and the game was into the fourth over when the severly darkening sky suspended play, bursting forth with rain moments later.
At that point, the Indian team was 11 for no loss with skipper Rahul Dravid on nine and Sachin Tendulkar on two. Tendulkar, returning after nearly five months of recuperation from his shoulder surgery in March, was off the mark the first ball he faced.
When the match resumes, weather permitting, tomorrow, it will be a competition to be watched. Though India beat Sri Lanka by a large margin of 6-1 the last time the two teams met, India only has a 20-21 win-loss record on Sri Lankan soil, where the home team is famously indefatigable. The Sri Lankans, meanwhile, sport a high morale after humiliating England with a win of 5-0. But Yujrav Singh reflects a positive outlook for the Indian team. “We felt sad about the blasts. But you have to take such things in your stride,” he said. “We are here to play cricket and we are concentrating on that. The training camps have been good and the boys are in good shape.”