Thursday, January 10, 2008

Sri Lanka Outlook 2008

Kumar Sangakkara writes an excellent piece in CricInfo on the outlook for Sri Lanka in 2008. He hits the nail on the head with this comment:

The key is not to find someone to replace Murali or be the next Murali, but rather to figure out who the next best spinner is, and see if he can back up Murali or play on his own. We shouldn't judge him alongside Murali because no one will ever be as good as Murali. But we should play the next best spinner and trust him to turn up and take wickets for Sri Lanka. If we have such an approach and have confidence in our spinners, I think we'll go a long way.

Murali may be gone, but they have Malinga da Slinga and Maharoof , who I think will lead the charge for them this year. They looked surprising in the World Cup, and I think they will continue their form in 2008.

Sangakkara is also responsible for what has to be one of the greatest sledges of all time. No obscenity, no family mentions, no racial or ethnic comments, just a pure sledge (if for whatever reason the vid does not work, you can check it out here:

2 comments:

Soulberry said...

Daniel, Sanga is a classy guy. He's educated ( a lawyer ) and suave. It's just another little matter that he's a great batsman and wicketkeeper! Harby is more earthy in comparison.

I couldn't agree more with him on the spinners issue. The mistake we, spectators and sometimes selectors make, is look for the next Marshall, the next lara, the next Imran, the next Botham, the next Warne or Murali, the next Tendulkar...here McGill is an example of one who can do as well playing his own game whenever he gets the chance.

Daniel @ Campinas said...

Great points Soulberry. There can only be one of each of those players mentioned, for they are few and far between. Murali is gone, but like I said, Malinga is young, and looks to have a promising future. And you never know, maybe there is a diamond in the rough, waiting to be found. As far as Sanga as wicketkeeper, it has been a while since he donned the gloves steadily, but he still makes an appearance there from time to time. He is solid as a batsmen. As always, thanks for the visit!!