Arm Ball

What happened when they had chance to win and they simply collapsed innings after innings ? Groupism, match fixing ? Neither. Lack of team spirits, I would suggest. Sri Lanka never won, Pakistan always lost. SL team didnt deserve to win either but then in the game of cricket you gotta win or lose, no half way measure.

Now in T20 Boom Boomer rocked whereas he was quiet in ODIs. Captaincy effect ? I would say pure selfishism.

For SL MJ flopped. His big words are fast disappearing. Soon he shall disappear too

End of an agonizing series for Pakistan. They better go home relaxed, take a break, throw away the manager who claimed bookies, throw away the PCB head in dust bin and then dump the trio of Razzaq, Yusuf and Misbah…….

At least that would help Pakistan get 1st victory of this tour……..Would you call this hatred stuff ? Would you say this biased ?

Every series they go in they have lotsa debutants. Lot of players get axed and lot many come back. But barring ageless Jayasuriya and to an extent Sanga himself, no batsmen has been able to do well for SL in this span.

So how could this team be considered a contender for the home world cup? Of course unless they turn around the tide and play well. Another worrying aspect for them is they have not won a single bilateral series against strong team at home. 2 series loss (2-3 and 1-4) to India and 2-3 loss to England in 2007 isnt a pretty picture for a team which had a formidable record at home. The management speaks of tough decisions. If the same is being followed, then the first one to get kicked out on that terms is Mahela Jayawardhena himself out of the ODi team. Hell he had 3 ducks in row against ZIM in the tri-series last year.

He doesnt play well against Pakistan. And besides in current season out of 16 games he has made 212 runs at an average of 14. Last 3 seasons he averages 14.13, 36.2 and 25.15. Pretty low for a man who speaks so loud on consistency and team building ethics. So when there are so many talented youngsters knocking the SL ODi team, why doesnt this man gets dumped unless he scores substantial in whatever domestic cricket SL has ?

What tough calls man ? Dropping Vaas ? When was he playing except the final Test which was a brokered deal to get rid of him for good ? Making Dilshan keep ? Was that a brave move ? Idiotic to say the least. You have lost your best batsman in LOI cricket to this inability of the captain to step up and keep when PJ was injured.

When did SL play breathtaking cricket to outplay Pakistan? SL won 2-0 cos Pakistan lost it in those mindless collapses. SL never played positive cricket to win the series. When they could play positive cricket they choked and gave up chance to win 1st test on their win without help from Pakistan batsmen or bowlers!!

Speaking for media for praising the team ignoring the realities is idiotic. And why is he even writing now ? He is no more a captain, he isnt in the greatest of form, so why is he blabbering? I dont know if Nuvan and Thilan deserved those 17 and 12 wkts without the help from Pakistan batsmen? I guess not.

Mendis is punctured for good and he wasnt even considered for the final Test.

When there was an opportunity for the new captain to set the pace for a win he choked just cos Dilshan was injured. So what if he was injured. If they would have gone for victory and lost then it was acceptable, but closing the shop 32 overs before the game is negative cricket. For negative cricket so much of applauds ? Not done dude.

History would be created when you guys win outside SL and sans BD and Zim. Thats when the history would be made for you guys. Until then keep making runs, they wont contribute an iota to your greatness ?

2 and half sessions on day 5 SL need another 1o9 runs to win with 6 wickets in hand. In the day so far SL has scored just over 200 runs for a single wicket loss. Proves that they didnt want to go for the target, set the world record and win the series 3-0.

Negative cricket all round. In first hour of last session Younis Khan kept bowling himself and fawad Alam when he should have bowled his 2 best spinners. Pitch looked flat, yet Younis should have on his 2 best bowlers of the Test match. The players had lost the shoulders, they were lethargic and usual bugsy Akamal wasnt even chirping.

16 overs on and 106 runs to win. The equation was 133 runs in 36 overs which is quite gettable this days on final day of the Test match. Run rate just little under 4. Achievable given captain is on the crease. When the captain himself is content in playing negative cricket, there is hardly anything the team can do or the fans can expect to see the test cricket being kept alive.

Such Tests are disgrace for the health of longest format. It takes us back to the days of India Pakistan cricket when either team didnt want to lose just for saving the heads being rolled and saving the careers. Lose pathetic cricket.

Pak bowlers are not even trying something different. No banter, no sledging (very unusual for a Pak team) and no lifting up the spirits.

Rather than Pak, it would be SL who would need to be blamed for this boring Test match — the dead rubber, who bothers about the victory right now. Series already in pocket, man of the series and man of the match awards would come this team’s way and the averages would have been bulged up too. Whats the use of this century of Sangakara when its not even attempting to scare Pakistan that they are going to lose 0-3.

I remember Nagpur Test match of 2006 series between India and England when in last innings India needed 300 odd to win and batsmen knew it wasnt possible to win, yet Tendulkar and Pathan (I) managed to score runs at T20 pace then scaring Flintoff….Although Test was a draw, yet India attempted to make a match out of it.

Negative Test cricket has been foray of Lanka ever since they began their inception. It was at its pinnacle in 90s when Jaya was in peak of his form, yet they couldnt convert those drawn Tests to victories. Remember 1997 series when India and SL played out 5 boring draws. Every time India would score fast on day 2 losing wkts and scoring 500 odd runs. And then SL would carry on batting for the rest 3 days. Remember 952 ? Even today’s retiree Vaas scored a 50 and debutant Mahela scored a 80 odd runs after 576 runathon by SJ and RM.

Unless SL dont give away this tendency to play negative Test cricket, they wont be counted in top test teams of the world, no matter how many batsmen they have over 50+ or bowlers over 700+ or how many clean sweeps they achieve over BD or Zim or SA or Eng at home.

And then Umar Gul strikes back on 1st ball….

Sangakara hits 1st ball four. Its all happening.

Collapses never happened in heap like this in my distant memory…..

Somebody needs to get that in their head. Quicker the sooner. Fawad Alam is in. Now whom would the so called stani experts blame ? They have collapsed two times in row now. A test match cannot be won in a blink of eye.

This is inexplicable, irresponsible. A side whose pride is at stake doesnt even have balls to show fight. Same mistakes all over? Alright, this is their nature to be unpredictable but then this is pathetic.

A clean sweep now looks possible.

Q would be happy. Me and SP would watch him overjoyed from sidelines. Fawad Alam is in for his debut. Malik would open.

Younis Khan was smiling and before Ranil Abenayke could listen thank you for “have a good time” he ran away. Perhaps he saw furious media back home.

Sangakara comes in with unchanged team. Lets see if he has the same luck now.

No Razzaq, no Kaneria and no Butt. Guess Butt this days is a butt of jokes. Ijaz jokes, Salman jokes. Even the picture of Butt is laughter evoking. Angry old man. But why is he always angry ?

Rameez is trying explaining ouster of Butt.

SL dont have good commentators ? If Fernando isnt there then there is this lad Ranil Abenayke. He stinks. I would bet to hear Fernando than this Ranil guy. At least Ranjith has some knowledge and he is funny.

Why doesnt Pattaattu come to the commentary fold ? Or any other player recently retired? Why do we need 80s players blabber along ?

Another test kicks off. 36th between this 2 teams. Max SL have played against any country. By year end they would have played 32 Tests against India, lost 14 and won 5. 3-0 again in India.