Former cricketing personalities in Kiwiland were amazed that Sri Lanka should have agreed to tour at this time, as it was the tailend of the summer with winter setting in. . BEFORE ENGLAND
They reasoned that Sri Lanka should have toured before England and allowed England the colder part of the tour, because conditions prevailing would be similar to old blighty.
In addition the cricketers were given only a two-day game and a three dayer before fronting up to the Kiwis who were a determined and rehashed side after the bashing they took from England.
While there was play only in the first game, the second was consigned to a watery grave for three days, and some of the cricketers like Aravinda de Silva and the promising Nuwan Zoysa walked into the First Test without any cricket at all. .
ARAVINDA INJURED
Now this is not the ideal get up for a big occasion like a crucial test match. Aravinda had no cricket at all out in the middle after arriving from his stint with Auckland. He had suffered a niggling injury there and had been under treatment and was looking forward to the three day game to get his run scoring act together.
But the heavy rain in Gisborne did not allow him a look in and how he fared is history now. A batsman of the calibre of de Silva must have a knock and a long innings before going into the big one. In addition he was at the receiving end of one of the poorest lbw decisions witnessed in the game. .
UNJUST CRITICISM
The easiest thing today is to be wise after the event and criticise the performance of the team. The critics who are taking the team and The Management to task should have been at the scene, then they would certainly have tempered their criticism.
The Sri Lankans got done in the First Test because of the biting cold and windy conditions. It was near freezing and gripping the ball while bowling and getting the hands together for catching and fielding required a really great effort.
Everyone had nothing but sympathy for the performers. That the Test was lost inside five days was due to the cold and this was admitted by even some of the Kiwi cricketers themselves. .
BITING COLD
The biting cold on the first two days in Carisbrook went totally against the Lankan cricketers and they could not put their game plan into action. They won the vital toss but with the conditions for batting ideal the Kiwis revelled and the huge score they made proved this.
Even in the cold test debutant Nuwan Zoysa bowled like the champion he is destined to be. That he did not get many wickets was a travesty of justice. Times without number did he beat that bats with getting the touch. He has the ability to swing the ball both ways and has a vicious bouncer. It would have been disappointing for him to watch all batsmen being beaten and not being able to get them out. .
POOR UMPIRING
Even the umpiring in this game was not what it should have been. The manner in which Romesh Kaluwitharne was ruled out proved this. After he hit the ball lodged between his bat and think pad. Kiwi skipper Fleming who was fielding at silly mid off plucked the ball and appealed and to the consternation of the batsmen he was given out.
Firstly Fleming should not have done what he did. Being the skipper he should have known better and been an example. Everyone admitted that once the ball had lodged it was dead. But not the umpire and at the end it was the umpire's decision that mattered.
Match referee Peter Burge the former Aussie batsman was quick to react saying that in any such situation the ball should be treated as a dead ball. But the damage had been done and Kaluwitharne who was going well at that time had his innings cut short. But he took revenge with a blistering century in the second innings.
Nuwan Zoysa has a touch of Reid and Lloyd in him
By Elmo Rodrigopulle
In New Zealand while the batsmen and fielders failed, the bowlers delivered. But that was not enough to prevent the defeats.
Chaminda Vaas who has through the years been carrying a big work load as the strike bowler had his burden somewhat eased with the introduction of the gangling Nuwan Zoysa into the big league.
Vaas who started off with a hat trick in a game in Taupo could not maintain the same degree of success, but yet bowled well within himself. He was always a trier and never failed to oblige when called upon by his captain. He too keeps improving and although he did not meet with the success of the previous tour, was always a glutton for work.
The revelation of the tour was teenager Nuwan Zoysa's stunning emergence. Not during my cricketing career or after have I seen such promising potential emerging. Zoysa has the makings of being one of game's greatest allrounders. He is still raw and a little bit of polishing has to be done. Once that is done and if he concentrates on making cricket his career, then he has the cricketing world before him.
Zoysa who was spotted by cheer leader 'LIONEL THE LEGEND' as he was popularly called in New Zealand, and then trained and brought into the big time by skipper Arjuna Ranatunga is a bowler in the mould of the famed Aussie Bruce Reid and his batting has a touch of former West Indian Clive Lloyd. I may be faulted for boosting the youngster. But believe me he is a more than an ordinary allround cricketer. Have a look at him and you will be convinced.
On the slow Kiwi wickets it was amazing to see the lift that Zoysa was able to extract. He was beating the batsmen and going over the stumps most of the time that prompted a Kiwi journalist to say that the stumps must be made a little higher. He delivers from a near height of seven feet. He is about 6 feet 4 inches in height and is in possession of the yorker, the in and out swing, and a vicious bouncer. He must be now told how to adjust to situations and he will be great.
He has a little chink in his ground fielding. He takes a lot more time than most fielders to bend down. That is because he is so tall. He must be told that he must bend that much quicker than most to touch ball.
The authorities have a lot of responsibility where Zoysa is concerned. They must take him in hand and make it their business to see to his progress. In Bruce Yardley he has the ideal coach who thinks a lot of this youngster. He must be allowed to handle him along with Ranatunga and not every Dick, Tom and Harry must be allowed to mess around with him. Let arm paceman Sajeewa de Silva on his test debut made it a memorable one. Memorable in the sense that he joined a rare band who did not take a wicket or score on debut. At the moment he seems good one day material.
It was nice to see the controversial Muttiah Muralitheran going through without any hassle where his bowling action was concerned. There were pictures of his action in a couple of newspapers in NZ. But that did not scare anyone or the umpires and the 'spider' had his moment of glory when he became the first Sri Lankan bowler to pocket 100 wickets in Tests. It was a great achievement and he has set his sights on becoming the world's greatest bowler. That's the idea!