Sri Lankans will be polite and proficient opponents

Press, 9 February 1983, Page 26

Sri Lankans will be polite and proficient opponents

By

PETER PHILPOTT.

a former Australian test cricketer

and coach

When Marco Polo visited Sri Lanka way back m the thirteenth century, he called it "the most beautiful island

of its size in the world". Of course. Mr Polo saw this place long before cities like Colombo were built and the crowded urban places here seldom appeal to an Australian. Nevertheless. I can understand what he meant, for once you get into the countryside it is indeed a "resplendent land" - which is what Sri Lanka means.

The magnificent beaches, coconut palm-fringed: the paddy fields, rubber and banana plantations, the tropical jungles, contras! with the huge central mountain system rising to 2500 m where tea plantations stretch in every direction. There is indeed a great variety of awesome scenerv.

All this occurs on a little tropical island about the same size as Tasmania. Less than 150 km north of the equator, it is a monsoonal land with a hot wet season from May to September, and a warm, dry season from October to ’ March. Over December-January, the climate is much like Svdnev is at

thai time ot the year. In April-May. when Australian cricket teams tend to visit, it is unbearably hot and humid. On this little island live 15 million people. It seems that most of them are cricket fanatics, although unfortunately only a small minority can hope to reach the cricketing heights. For. at this stage, cricket in Sri Lanka is restricted to pupils of the better schools, and thus the more affluent. To the urban poor and the villagers. cricket can onlv be a primitive game with ’tennis balls and sticks.

Eventually. however, cricket will' spread throughout this land to everyone, as it did in the West' Indies. When that happens, when all the population can hope to reach first-class cricket. Sri Lanka will be a power to reckon with in the cricketing world.

For there is great talent there, great talent which is very well matured in the schools. Technique in all

phases of the game is well developed, and the natural approach to the game is positive and whole-hearted. They enjoy playing and they enjoy hitting Hie ball. The present Sri Lanka team which reached Australia on January 30 for its games with Victoria. New South Wales. A.C.T.. and Tasmania, moves onto New Zealand for a hard concentrated tour which includes two test matches and three limited-over internationals. It is the first visit of a Sri Lankan team to Australasia, and only the captain. Duleep Mendis. has ever played here before — in Adelaide district cricket. But the Sri Lankans are by no means newcomers to international cricket tours, and. despite their competitive youth, many of this party of 16 have toured England. India. Pakistan and Zimbabwe, as well as meeting international teams at home.

Perhaps a little experience has been lost because of the departure of the cricket rebels who chose to tour South Africa and were banished from first-class cricket for 25 years by their Government. But only two or three of these players might have been chosen for the Australasian tour, and their loss has

not affected local morale. For this tour, the preparation has been astonishing. I arrived on New Years Day to help in this preparation to find that they had already been working full-time for three weeks. A squad of 22 had been granted leave, meeting each morning for a two hour physical workout and each afternoon for practice from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. Since then. I have spent a month with them. Every day. they have had perfect centre wickets as well as nets at their disposal. They have worked hard in all phases of the game, discussed players and conditions of Australia and New Zealand and watched video tapes. No international touring team, to my knowledge, has ever worked harder to prepare itself than this one. And what can Australians and New Zealanders expect to see'.’

First, they will see a charming group of young men. all with sound cricket technique and a desire to play aggressive, positive cricket. They are. to a man. fluent in English, well educated. eager to learn, and pleasant friendly people. The management of this young team is in the hands of two old cricket campaigners.

Abu Guard was Cricket Manager of Sri Lanka in India in 1975 and in England in 1979. then manager of the

team to Bangladesh in 1980 He played for Ceylon for 14 years and has been a national selector for seven years. He is a shrewd cricket judge with a strong mind of his own - not to be fooleo with

His assistant. W. A. N. de Silva, is an old friend with a lifetime of Sri Lankan cricket behind him. So the youngsters are in capable hands

There is plenty of talent in the side. My greatest worries are its fieiding and a little lack of experience in the tough world of full-time international cricket.

How successful they are will depend greatly on how they begin the tour. For confidence means so much to any team, and so much more to newcomers on the international circuit.

Of one thing 1 am certain, however. Their aggressive, technically correct cricket will please cricket lovers and their unspoilt friendly manner will charm all those who come in contact with them After a month with these lads. I wish them the success they deserve and hope that Australian and New Zealand cricket followers turn out to give Sri Lanka a right royal welcome.