Warne’s Spirit and Approach inspires Clarke and the Aussies at Barbados

Brent Read, in the Australian, 13 April 2012, where adifferent title was deployed: “Clarke evokes warne to find a way to win“

FIND a way to win, Michael Clarke instructed his players, and find a way they did yesterday in the gathering gloom at Kensington Oval to achieve one of the great victories in Australian Test cricket history.

This was a triumph Norman Vincent Peale would have delighted in. A Test match win, like success generally, has many fathers usually but this one over the West Indies in the first of three Tests for the Frank Worrell Trophy series had only one – the power of positive thinking.

Before this victory – as special, Clarke said, as any in his career – could so dramatically be enacted on the field, it first of all had to be conceived and it is little short of astounding that any Australian would even have thought of it midway through the fourth day, with the West Indies needing only two more Australian wickets to take a massive lead of more than 150 runs into the second innings.

Bradman’s Tactical Use of a Nightwatchman — Just Once

Mahinda Wijesinghe, in the Island, 7 April 2012

At the end of the third day in the ongoing second Test against England, Sri Lanka used the services of a night-watchman (Dhammika Prasad) to open the innings to face just one over. What was even more strange was the fact that the night-watchman shielded the more skilled batsman (Lahiru Thirimanne), by refusing singles! This begs the question, why should a lesser skilled batsman be expected to face the music, while his more skilled team-mate is cooling his heels in the pavilion?

However, there was a very interesting instance when the legendary Don Bradman used the same ploy – but look at the circumstances and the reasoning behind the tactic. It was the third Ashes Test in the 1936-37 series played at Melbourne. Australia, captained by Bradman for the first time, had lost the first two Tests in the 5-Test series. Indeed, an inquiry had been instituted by the Australian Cricket Board that certain members of the Australian team were not supporting Bradman! Incidentally, Bradman’s scores in the first two Tests were as follows: 38, 0, 0 and 82. Australia had lost the first Test by 322 runs and the second by an innings and 22 runs.

Ramadhin and Valentine to greet Aussies

A TRIP DOWN MEMORY LANE …. SEE http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=06P0RdZyjT4

Miller on Aussies Whistle-Stop at Colombo and its Oval in late March1953

Keith Miller in 1954 in the book,  K. Miller & R.S. Whitington: Gods or Flannelled Fools? London: Macdonald & Co., 1954, pp.146-147. with Comment from Asanga Welikala

Keith Miller in Colombo, 1953

“Equator crossed, the Australian cricketers prepared for their arrival at Colombo and the match against Ceylon that some of the team’s executives, suffering momentary small and selfish-mindedness, had at first striven to have cancelled, forgetting, in their wish for peace and comfort, the difference the playing of such a match would have upon the finances and fortunes of cricket in Colombo.

It was unfortunate, of course, for those twelve players chosen for the match that they had to forgo the pleasure of and novelty of strolling down the tree-bordered lanes of Colombo, ablaze with blue and red flowers; of watching the city’s conjurers causing mango-tree seedlings to grow in a matter of seconds, under coconut-shell cups and dark-blue cloths, into appreciable-sized striplings; of seeing cobras engaged in mortal combat with those white-furred, rat-eyed, swift-striking mongooses – mortal, bloody combat that made one almost sorry for the snake.

Windies down Aussies and Narine stands out as Man-of-Match

 Pic by AFP

“Special feeling” as Narine bowls Windies to win

Sunil Narine came to the party in a big way on Sunday with a superb spell of spin bowling as West Indies beat Australia by five wickets in the second Digicel One-Day International. The 23-year-old off-spinner took a career best four wickets for 27 runs off eight overs as the Windies limited the visitors to 154-9 off 40 overs in a rain-reduced match at Arnos Vale Cricket Ground. The target was then set at 158 (Duckworth/Lewis Method) and the home side romped home at 163-5 with 10 balls to spare.

The victory was celebrated by a capacity crowd of over 12,000. It was the Windies’ first win  Pic by Zee News  over the Aussies in an ODI since 2006, and brought them level 1-1 with three matches left in the five-match rubber. Big-hitter Kieron Pollard smashed four sixes in a topscore of 47 not out off 61 balls. Carlton Baugh ended the match with a big six over deep square-leg into the celebrating crowd. Earlier, vice captain Dwayne Bravo made a responsible 30 off 49 balls in a crucial fifth-wicket stand of 64 with Pollard.

Aussies arrive in the Caribbean as Narine shines in warm up practice match

Media Release: Australia captain Shane Watson said his side will be looking to build on the momentum they gained from success on home soil, when they face West Indies in the forthcoming Digicel 2012 Series.

Members of the Australian One-day and Twenty20 squads arrived on Saturday here, ahead of theDigicel 2012 Series, which includes five ODIs, two T20Is, and three Tests. “Hopefully, we can produce some very good cricket for the fans over here,” said Watson. “We have just come off a very big series in Australia, and hopefully, we can continue the form that weshowed and bring it in the games against West Indies.”

The Aussies arrived minus Michael Clarke. The regular Australia captain was sidelined with a hamstring injury and will miss the limited-overs matches on the tour. Watson expected his side to overcome the setback and play with typical aplomb.“We are always confident,” he said. “We know that if we are at the top of our game, we are goingto be very hard to beat. Right now, the most important thing is to make sure we have recovered from our long flight andmake the best of the next couple of days to make sure we are ready to go for the first match.”

Watson encouraged fans of the game to attend the matches, expecting spectators to get value for money from the battles on the field. “We have some really talented players and we expect that this series will be a spectacle, so people should come out to see it,” he said. “There is always an amazing following of the game in the West Indies and very passionate crowds always come out to the matches, so hopefully we can help to provide some entertainment that willallow the spectators to enjoy their days at the matches.”

Lankan fans bajau as the side goes down at Adelaide

 Lankan fans begin to assemble beside Bradman Stand – midday

massed fans — in bajau

 Aussie Fans in the Bradman stand and cheer as the last wicket falls …

while the Sri Lankans stand quietly…

but then continue to trumpet sing and adhere to kaala beela joli karanava outside the  Adelaide Oval …

 … and two young Aussies join in the revelry

Windies Squad for ODI

West Indies Cricket Board’s (WICB) Selection Panel today announced the West Indies squad for the first three Digicel One-Day Internationals against Australia to be played on March 16, 18 and 20 at the Arnos Vale Cricket Ground in St. Vincent: Darren Sammy (captain), Denesh Ramdin (vice-captain), Tino Best, Devendra Bishoo, Darren Bravo, Dwayne Bravo, Johnson Charles, Sunil Narine, Kieron Pollard,Kieran Powell, Kemar Roach. Andre Russell, Marlon Samuels.

Sri Lankan Cricket as Entertaining, Vibrant Fun

Harry Solomons, with his title being “The Entertainers”

If there are two things I can say about the Sri Lankan cricket teams of recent years it is that there is never a dull moment about their cricket and that this current team has, win or lose, made all Sri Lankans very proud. Last Saturday I bumped into Mitchell Starc (Australia’s young fast bowler) at a cricket dinner. Mitchell had just lost his place in the finals of this Tri Series due to a fair “touch up” he had playing Sri Lanka. He told me that the Australians actually enjoy playing the Sri Lankans because while they play their cricket hard, they were friendly, relaxed, smiled and even spoke to the Australian players.

In Sri Lankan cricket lingo, there are two very jovial sayings which have been in use for more than 50 years.  .  .  and that is as far as I can remember. My Sinhalese (official Sri Lankan) is not the best and I stand corrected, but here goes

Näva gilunath.  .  .  Band Choon – meaning, even if the ship goes down, the band will still play (or is still in tune)

Win or Lose  . .  .    We Booze! – pretty self explanatory, but very true.

This typifies the way Sri Lanka play the game and the way the Sri Lankan supporters enjoy the game. Whether their team is winning or losing, you will see the Sri Lankan spectator still smiling and still “bopping” away. No doubt, many of us cricket followers have seen this all over the world.

Adelaide Oval: Cricket Scenes, 4 March 2012