Muthiah Muralitharan who was sent to the gallows when Sri Lanka toured here in 1995, and who since then went on to be cleared by the International Cricket Council, will face two of his executioners of that time in Ross Emerson and Tony McQuillan when he comes before a 'Kangaroo court' when Sri Lanka play England here tomorrow.
The Sri Lankans will be hoping that Emerson and McQuillan will consider the verdict on Muralitharan by the ICC and not take the law into their hands and sentence the number one off-spinner again.
If the umpires 'call' Muralitharan, then it will be the end of the road for the spinner who will have to sit out the rest of the tournament. If Shane Warne and Mark Waugh have been cleared of a bigger offence where they accepted bribes from a bookie, then if Muralitharan were to be sentenced, it will not only be a crime on the cricketer but on this great game as well.
The Lankan cricketers who finally savoured victory over the Aussies in Hobart are determined to maintain their winning form and will be hoping that their main bowler - 'smiling missile' Muralitharan will be allowed to bowl the way he knows. It will be interesting to watch.
The game in Hobart was a thriller and the Lankans showed that although they were sans their all-rounder Aravinda de Silva, they could still be a force to be reckoned with.
The news about De Silva is that he will skip the 'double header' in Adelaide and will be hoping to show his capabilities in Perth. De Silva has recovered well by the looks of his performance at the nets in Hobart. But the Lankan management do not want to risk him. The Lankans want him to be at his best when World Cup defending time comes around.
Skipper Arjuna Ranatunga who was unable to run between wickets owing to a damaged heel, has recovered sufficiently and will play. He has been in good batting form, as he showed in Hobart and another captain's innings is due from him.
While the Lankan early batting in Romesh Kaluwitharne and Marvan Atapattu played copybook cricket, and also taught the Aussies how to bat in a situation, they must again make it their business to come good.
The way Jayasuriya was run out was unforgivable. Being the first over there was absolutely no necessity for a risky single. We hope Jayasuriya will be told to mend his ways, because a run out makes a batsman look silly. Being a batsman of world class he would not want to look that way.
It is a pity that the experienced Roshan Mahanama failed with the bat again. It is also of worry to his team. Runs from him are needed. However for what he fails to contribute with the bat, he makes up with some excellent catching and ground fielding. At the moment what Mahanama is lacking is confidence.
The Lankans will be hoping that they will be third time lucky against the Englishmen. The first clash in Brisbane was a close encounter, while the Lankans succumbed easily in the second bash in Melbourne.
The Lankans will look to their opening bowlers Chaminda Vaas and Pramodaya Wickremasinghe to carry their Hobart form to Adelaide. Early wickets are what they are expected to get. Every batsman must also endeavour to contribute and not leave it to others.
Darren Gough and Graeme Hick are the players the Lankans will do well to find a counter to. Gough is a great swinger of the ball and if the conditions are helpful, could barge through the early batting as he did in Melbourne and put the batting in ruins. Hick has the knack of scoring against Sri Lanka. To get him early will he relief to the Lankans.
The Lankans domiciled in Adelaide are all geared up to back the Lankans and provide Muralitharan with all the support. Shouts of 'Murali', 'Murali' that rent the air in Melbourne will also be heard in Adelaide the moment the off-spinner comes on.
The moment that all have been waiting for has arrived. Will Murali be called? Let's wait and see.