Lankan lions set to rule Asian arena

COLOMBO, July 13: The collective cricketing talent of Asia especially in the abridged version of the game remains unmatched when compared t...

COLOMBO, July 13: The collective cricketing talent of Asia especially in the abridged version of the game remains unmatched when compared to the other continents. The most eloquent testimony to the fact is India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka have won three of the last four World Cups.

The Asia Cup is a symbol of continental supremacy, in which the historical and geographical divide has added to the needle of the contests. Culturally and socially, there is as much in common between the inhabitants of Lahore and Punjab in the North, Bengal and Dhaka in the East and Chennai and Jaffna in the South. But with the political ravages of passing time, that cultural and emotional bond has suffered.

Consequently, the pride and prejudice of the people in the region has ensured that the championship transcended beyond sporting interests.

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The continental flavour of the four-nation Asia Cup, to be played here from July 14-26, gains an added spice with the elevation of Bangladesh to One-Day International status at the recent International Cricket Council meeting in London.

The script that India has authored in the annals of the Asia Cup dwells on the realms of fantasy. India has participated in four of the five championships and has emerged supreme on every occasion. They have won 10 of their 13 encounters for a success percentage of 76.92.

Two editions have been marred by absenteeism, leading to a truncated challenge for top honours.

India stayed away in the second year of the championship in 1986 in Sri Lanka and Pakistan giving the 1990-91 tournament, hosted by India, a miss.Lanka, who take on Pakistan in the opening match of the sixth edition at the Premadasa Stadium tomorrow, are riding on a wave of success and are clear favourites to stamp their authority in their own backyard.

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Lanka’s recent track record in overs-limit internationals is truly staggering. They have won 24 of their 35 matches, with one abandoned and another tied.

The World Cup was a watershed in their cricket history. For a country which could win just five off 25 matches in five World Cups, Lanka won all six in the sixth World Cup to emerge champs. They truly stand in a peak of their own with none of the nine countries they have played against since the World Cup enjoying a better win-record against them.

Lanka’s upswing in fortunes started in the 1995-96 season. And if that is taken as a cut-off date to test their superiority over a longer period, then the record speaks volumes: ODIs played 53, won 33, lost 18, tied 1, abandoned 1. A winning percentage of 64.15.

Their famed batting line-up has also consistently been able to chalk up huge totals. To give an idea of their prowess: since 1996, Lanka have crossed the 300-run mark four times, including posting the three highest totals by any team in this period. The 396-5 against Kenya last year was the closest any team has come to breaking the 400-run barrier.

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Though Pakistan are without their entire main bowling attack Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Mohammed Zahid and Mushtaq and the experienced middle-order bat Ijaz Ahmed, Rameez Raja is not perturbed. “In fact, we have a stronger team than the one we fielded for the Independence Cup with the return of Aamir Sohail, Shahid Nazi and Kabir Khan.”

Raja’s only worry was the venue itself which he said had several damp patches. The inclement weather has relented for the past two days, but the Met department has given no cause for cheer as the south-west monsoon is expected right through the month, with an average rainfall of three millimeters per day. It’s in anticipation of the rain that the organisers have kept a reserve day for each match and also eschewed from playing the matches at night.

THE TEAMS

SRI LANKA (from)

Arjuna Ranatunga (captain), Sanat Jayasuriya, Marvan Atapattu, Aravinda de Silva, Roshan Mahanama, Romesh Kaluwitharana, Kumara Dharmasena, Chaminda Vaas, Ruwan Kalpage, Upul Chandana, Muthiah Muralitharan, Sajeeva de Silva, Lanka de Silva, Duleep LiyanagePAKISTAN (from): Rameez Raja (captain), Aamir Sohail, Saeed Anwar, Shahid Afridi, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Salim Malik, Moin Khan, Saqlain Mushtaq, Aaqib Javed, Shahid Nazir, Kabir Khan, Hasan Raza, Arshad Khan, Mohd HussainUmpires: S Venkataraghavan and SK Bansal (both India); Third umpire: N Asgar (Bangladesh)

Match referee

: John R Reid (New Zealand).