Are Sri Lankans the new chokers in cricket?
The World Cup 2007 final, the ICC Twenty20 championship final, and now the Compaq Cup 2009 final, have all gone to the opposition. Has Sri Lanka become the new chokers in international cricket?
Here is a team that played out of their skins, winning fans over in the Caribbean and England, with their exhilarating brand of cricket. But they look as weak as Bangladesh when it comes to the crunch matches. It is almost always the bowlers who don't deliver on the big day. Malinga being a chief culprit. He just fails to rock the opposition in any of the crunch matches. It's like the nerves get the better of him.
When you concede over 300 bowling first in a final, your bowlers have let you down. That's precisely what happened to the Lankans today. Their bowlers let them down badly.
Mendis gave away 70 runs in his ten overs. Malinga gave away a shocking 81 runs in his ten. And Thushara another 71 in his ten. Three bowlers that the Sri Lankans relied upon heavily to perform could not deliver. At no point in the Indian innings did it appear that these bowlers were targeted. They just bowled inconsistently.
India was no better, their bowling and fielding looked to crumble under a Sri Lankan counter attack. But as long as Mahela allows the opposition to create inroads into our top order, with his loose, irresponsible batting, Our batting line up is stretched with the fall of the very first wicket.
It is almost inevitable that taking an early wicket will lead to two, because Sri Lanka's number three is almost always guaranteed to fail. Here is Mahela's last 20 knocks for Sri Lanka (he has batted at number 3 and 4):
1 v India Colombo (RPS) 14 Sep 2009 ODI # 2889
17 v India Colombo (RPS) 12 Sep 2009 ODI # 2887
0 v New Zealand Colombo (RPS) 8 Sep 2009 ODI # 2884
31 v Pakistan Colombo (RPS) 9 Aug 2009 ODI # 2870
19 v Pakistan Colombo (RPS) 7 Aug 2009 ODI # 2868
123 v Pakistan Dambulla 3 Aug 2009 ODI # 2867
12 v Pakistan Dambulla 1 Aug 2009 ODI # 2866
33 v Pakistan Dambulla 30 Jul 2009 ODI # 2864
1 v India Colombo (RPS) 8 Feb 2009 ODI # 2818
28 v India Colombo (RPS) 5 Feb 2009 ODI # 2815
30 v India Colombo (RPS) 3 Feb 2009 ODI # 2813
52 v India Colombo (RPS) 31 Jan 2009 ODI # 2810
11 v India Dambulla 28 Jan 2009 ODI # 2806
18 v Pakistan Lahore 24 Jan 2009 ODI # 2803
24 v Pakistan Karachi 21 Jan 2009 ODI # 2800
1 v Pakistan Karachi 20 Jan 2009 ODI # 2798
0 v Bangladesh Dhaka (SBNS) 16 Jan 2009 ODI # 2794
28 v Bangladesh Dhaka (SBNS) 14 Jan 2009 ODI # 2793
0 v Zimbabwe Dhaka (SBNS) 12 Jan 2009 ODI # 2791
0 v Zimbabwe Harare 30 Nov 2008 ODI # 2785
It's pretty obvious that Mahela's occupation of the number 3 or 4 spot in the line up is not on merit. He has flown under the radar because the attention is always on Jayasuriya's failures. Sri Lanka will be best suited to play Samaraweera at number 3, and send Mahela back to domestic cricket to prove his worth as a limited overs player. There are plenty of batsman who deserve to be given an extended run in the ODI side. Mahela has had a free ride for over 2 years.
Comments
5 January 2009
10 weeks 4 days
Good point Merlin, -i agree with you to some extent. I think Tendulkar played a very sensible innings and that was the match winning play. It was damn stupid for Mahela to play senseless, irresponsible cricket at that time of the game. He opened the gate.
SEND MAHELA TO "A" TEAM
I wonder why Mathews was only given three overs where he was only scored with 15 runs averaging 5 runs an over. He took six wickets in the previous match and was the man of the Match. How do you feel about it?
gotta look at it from a different perspective, we r atleast getting to those finals. but the team has failed in consistency.. not to be ashamed or heartbroken bout the loss yesterday coz its anywayz impossible winning chasing at premadasa.neverthless got to take heart from the fact that we made a good attempt and hav more positives out of the game than indians do.. the form of sanath.. sensational mathews,...and kandamby.lets rock d champions trophy.
Honestly, if I had to give marks yesterday, SL would have got 7 and India 6...
Mahela was hard-done by the pitch, the ball stopped on him but, true, he isn't in good form...
The batsmen performed really well, Sanga was so unlucky (just like in that test match in Hobart) and who would've thought that Raina would bowl so many overs for so less runs!
Sachin was playing sensibly, in such a situation, you really can't do much. Pitch was seriously flat in the first half of the match ( I went to Khettarama to watch it)
20 November 2008
4 days 1 hour
Actually Mahela and even Kandamby were sucked in. Mahela tried to hit the gap at mid-wicket for single and top edged the Doosra playing across the line. Precisely as Bhaji wanted it, playing across the line. Kandamby was tempted by the lack of boundary fielders on the off/sweeper cover, and tried to make room and square cut. He was bowled with the quickish top spinner.
20 December 2008
6 weeks 5 days
With Srilankan team, I always expect the unexpected.
Except at dead rubber games which they always somehow excel
They choke at some crucial matches, but they also have the extraordinary ability to come back to life when it's lease expected of them. Shall we say that's "our own brand of Cricket"?lol. Isn't that what make them different from rest of the teams?
13 December 2008
34 weeks 1 day
Good post Merlin.
4 July 2009
49 weeks 4 days
Yeah both Mahela and Sanath have delivered consistently in ODI's. So what about demoting Mahela to no.5 or 6 and Sanath to no.7 where they can steady the ship if we loose early wickets. I think Kapugedara should open if he plays. Since i remember he scored a fifty while opening once. Also, Sanath can add the much needed firepower in the late overs. This would probably be my batting order (top 7)
1.Dilshan
2.Kapugedara
3.Kandamby/Mathews
4.Sanga
5.Mahela
6.Samaraweera
7.Sanath
3 October 2009
45 weeks 6 days
Wow, EE.I wish had your bank account and your time. The Carribbean? T20 World Cup? What is better than that. Oh right you'll be socialising with Stunning Angelo. :P
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