COLOMBO, August 20: The Taj Samudra, in the country ravaged by ethnic rebellion, had acquired a new life on the eve of a triangular one-day cricket tournament. The irrepressible Shane Warne, always at the helm of a verbal duel with the former Sri Lankan captain Arjuna Ranatunga in the past, shook Sanath Jayasuriya's hands with great warmth and congratulated him for having taken the reins of the Lankan team.The lobby of the hotel was swarming with people and in the evening, the three captains - Sachin Tendulkar, Steve Waugh and Jaysuriya - were presented before the media for a question-answer session in one of the main halls of the hotel. As usual, the press conference was as dull as such stage-managed show may appear to hard-boiled cynical veterans, but to the uninitiated, there were palpable signs of excitement.The presenter of the event could have done his homework better and introduced the three men on the stage as the great trinity of world cricket. The trio have done their utmost to keep the interest of the fan alive in the game, despite the threat of a burn-out due to excessive playing by almost all the countries, especially of the three which these captains represent.It must have surprised many in the audience when Waugh referred to this tournament as a beginning of a new season and assured the Sri Lankan fan that ``this is not a warm-up for his team for our domestic cricket back home.'' Didn't a tournament finish in England on June 20? And wasn't the same Waugh, flushed with the fruits of success, sharing the joy of having won the World Cup with his teammates on that day? That great day for the Australian cricket is exactly two months old. May be a long time in the age of sponsorship, television and a captive audience.What was India's own Tendulkar doing? Obviously answering questions about his back and fitness. The expected question took a bit of time to arrive but Tendulkar was ready for it. ``People need not worry about my back. I had a stiffness in my back and after a bit of rest, I am fine and everything is in right place.'' This was Tendulkar's first encounter with an assortment of world press after having regained India's captaincy and despite the drama back home over his fitness, he was very relaxed and answered all the questions without appearing to struggle for words. The face glowed in the artificial lights and, from a distance at least, it did appear he had lost a few kilos of unwanted weight.Another expected question was to follow soon. A Sri Lankan journalist asked: ``Will he miss Azharuddin?'' The answer, though straightforward and simple was pregnant with a lot of meaning, depending on how one wants to look at it. ``One has to do with whatever team is available and make best use of them. If one goes into these things than I would say we will miss Kapil Dev also.'' Round one to captain Tendulkar the speaker.Buttressed between the two was Jayasuriya, the simple man from Matara, whose batting has gone to pieces after giving a great time to the fan who loves to watch a daring innovative stroke-filled innings. The Sri Lankans must be hoping that captaincy and the absence of a batting talent like that of De Silva's, and the team's recent sub-standard performance, will inspire Jayasuriya to the heights he had achieved when Sri Lankans were the kings of instant cricket.True to the man's image, Jaysuriya emphasised the need for friendly relations with the rival teams, especially in the context of the Australians and may have spoken for all the cricketing fraternity when he said:``We all are friends once the match is over.'' Even Waugh spoke at length on the need of being friends once the match is over but found nothing wrong with sledging on the field, terming it as `gamesmanship'. The brief history of Australian-Sri Lankan encounters has been full of beautiful and the ugly. Waugh sure is conscious of this and, if his words are to be taken seriously, wants to close the old chapter and begin a new one.
