Why Do They Always Make Me Feel Like a Fool?

Being a fan of the Sri Lankan cricket team is like having a schizophrenic girlfriend.

One day the give you an awesome high, and make you feel like a champion. And the next day the drag you down into the depths of negativity, and make you ask yourself whether this is the same person from yesterday. Actually, it doesn’t even have to be a schizophrenic girlfriend. Most would suffice. But I digress.

I was ecstatic after the in in the second test and the fightback in the first test, against Pakistan in the three match series in the UAE. But the general trend of the third test has reverted back to square one, of a side that has no confidence in itself, and backs itself only not to lose matches, rather than win matches.

I have always maintained that losing is the opportunity cost of winning. Take Australia of the late 90s and 2000s. When they racked up all those consecutive wins and went unbeaten in a series, it’s because they scored their runs so quickly in the first innings. Perhaps at almost four an over, with Matty Hayden and Ricky Pointing taking the lead they demolished opposition attacks with their intent. With attacking fields and so much ODI cricket being played, runs are there for the asking. It just requires a positive mindframe, which is sorely lacking in the Sri Lankan camp.

This has become a recent feature, and began with the likes of Hashan Tillekeratne and Sanath Jayasuriya who were very defensive captains. Mahela Jayawardena and Marvan Atapattu were the most tactically astute, attacking captains we had since Arjuna. Kumar Sangakkara was also a Don’t Lose sort of captain and Angelo Mathews is the most conservative of them all. His reaction to the 91 and 157 he scored in the first test was priceless. “I hope this cements my place” he said. WTF Angelo?!

Even in the first test, if we gave the Pakis 280 to score in two and a half sessions they may have gone for it. You can get a side out who are going for it. You can’t get a side out who are stonewalling, which is what SL did in the first and second innings of the third Test. It’s pretty obvious players are playing for runs and their places, rather than playing to win a test match. It’s abysmal sporting culture and a reflection of the state of the players’ heads at this moment. They are insecure and have lost all confidence.

Opening the bowling with Herath in the third test was indicative of just that sort of backward thinking. Eranga has been good with the new ball and ended up with four wickets in the innings. If he bowled earlier it might have been 5. Mahela was playing for stumps and got out at 46 off nearly 150 balls. That is not the way you want a man with 11,000 runs to bat. Play for stumps, by all means but don’t lose all identity as a batsman.

My optimism died today. When SL batted till they were all out and set Pakistan a target of 302 runs in less than two sessions. Fittingly, none of the Sri Lankans got a half century, despite their painstaking efforts to reach personal milestones. Cricketing karma is a funny thing. If you’re selfish about it, it doesn’t do you any favours.

Why on earth, would a team that played so well and bowled so well, go into their shell over the period of a few days. It’s fear. Nothing else. Fear of losing, is also fear of winning. Would I, personally have drawn this series 1-1 and seen a great game of cricket. Of course I would. I understand that there are people who think we should sacrifice this battle to win the war, which is a series. But seriously, who remembers the statistics? We remember the victories, or the great losses. My most cherished memory is the SSC loss of ’92. We lost. But what a game of cricket. I don’t remember the 1-0’s against Zimbabwe or other bullshit Test wins against Bangladesh. It upsets me that we place so much emphasis on results rather than performance. It’s the same in education. Buggers with 8 D’s (it’s A’s now I think) and 4A’s in A Levels are no reflection of true intelligence.

Don’t encourage them. Be angry that they were so negative. Let them know you’d rather see them play well and lose, than play badly and eke out a draw.