Twenty five hours from now, all those who were sane enough not to have travelled to the Caribbean will be glued to their TV sets watching Oz go for a hat-trick of World Cups. And attempting to stop them will be the brave men from strife-torn Sri Lanka, where almost everything will come to a standstill on Saturday.
Word has it that from the Lankan beach-bums to those in jungles who usually play with guns and grenades will have a common wish: To stop the Oz from winning. I don’t know if that eventually is going to happen. For a country with a population of close to 20 million where almost 70 per cent of the population follow Buddhism, it will require monk-like serenity and not aggro to match the Oz.
Murali, who I reckon is going to be the biggest factor if Lanka are thinking of a win, has already spoken of how he wants to do it for his strife-torn country. Murali was part of the 1996 team, when they won the World Cup in Lahore. Eleven years later, when Lanka have again made it to the final in an event where the format and the duration of the event has been painfully long, I reckon Murali realises how important this moment is.
Let us not forget, the Oz are not fond of the Lankans. There is no Ashes-type hatred or trans-Tasman rivalry but just one Murali has harassed and harangued them so often, I am dying to see the off-spinner come on and bowl.
One thing is certain, in a World Cup where Matthew Hayden has stood like the Rock of Gibraltar and bullied almost every single bowler he has faced, the Murali factor will come into play. He is going to get just 10 overs to bowl, but the man has so much guile, cunning and variety, he can change the whole contest.
The Oz will look for the rapid-fire start and then build such a huge total, the rival batsmen could get buried under it. But hey, what if the curator prepares a wicket where there will be some assistance for the bowlers, this could turn out to be one hell of a final.
I know, as I write this, I can see Hayden rehearsing his backlift and follow-through and Ponting smashing bowlers at the nets after an early breakfast. In India, it will be time for beer when the contest begins at 7pm, IST on Saturday.
Maybe by 3am Sunday, we can uncork the champagne. If I do stay awake till then, I hope to sip the bubbly for Mahela and his men.
Please bring the World Cup back to the sub-continent…
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
I am a Sri Lanka supporter too …and the reason is simple — I am just too tired of Australia doing it again and again and again, its so boring.
You know what, a big reason for Australia being the best team today has a lot to do with Ricky Ponting’s captainship (shhh! I was just hoping Pointing gets injured).
And yes, you are right Murali will count in tomorrow’s match…he will count big. That apart I am hoping Vaas and Malinga claim a bagful of wickets….
Let’s wait and watch…. it's certainly going to be a good one.
Post a Comment