Jayasuriya shines through Windies gloom
Guyana - Getting out of the taxi this morning just as the downpour was starting and walking the 200 or so yards to the ground felt like being stuck under a hosepipe.
After a pretty soggy start of his own, Sri Lanka鈥檚 Sanath Jayasuriya put on yet another batting masterclass for his 25th century in his 384th one-day international.
But for the fans who almost filled the Guyana National Stadium for the West Indies鈥 first and only appearance of the World Cup at this venue the entertainment looked like being cold comfort as their side lurched towards elimination.
The press box at Providence looks out over the grass bank - packed with supporters and Guyanese flags even as the rain poured - and the cane fields beyond, where you can spot the rain sweeping in from a distance.
Nevertheless, the poor weather cleared in time to start play just 45 minutes late and, as the West Indies side warmed up in front of the bank, it was good to hear an old-fashioned home-crowd roar.
Jayasuriya, the man who defines pinch-hitting, was uncharacteristically low-key as the home bowlers took advantage of the early movement on offer to claim two early wickets. He dabbed and flicked to get his innings underway but had faced 33 balls for his 14 before really getting his dander up. Then, suddenly, the momentum of the match changed completely.
Biff! He hooked Ian Bradshaw for four and then slashed the left-armer over midwicket for another.
Kapow! Dwayne Smith went for 18 off the 18th over, with a risky cut four, a lofted straight drive for six, a sweep past third man and a flourishing cover drive which took him past the recently-retired Inzamam-ul-Haq as the second highest score in ODIs.
Zowie! The shot of the day, a casual flick off Jerome Taylor that sailed over midwicket for the 233rd six of his career.
The humid conditions took their toll on the 37-year-old, who began to struggle after reaching three figures and fell to a tired drive five runs short of his World Cup record, set against New Zealand in Bloemfontein four years ago.
But his earlier whirlwind looked to have set his side up for a total out of reach of the West Indies, who have yet to pass 250 in the tournament.
Their performance in the field appeared flat, their bowling undisciplined, a shame given that they finally had the sort of support they had been hankering for.
The front page of Guyana鈥檚 Sunday Chronicle proclaimed the match a sell-out, although there were still some empty seats on view, their owners perhaps waiting on the weather.
Nevertheless, this has to count as the ground鈥檚 coming of age as an international venue after two pretty un-atmospheric matches to start the Super 8.
Meanwhile, the debate over whether I should be forcibly silenced has thankfully moved from newspaper front pages to the comment sections.
Earlier this week I was described as Hitler. Now I鈥檓 being defended by , or with one of his best lines, by the cricket gossip columnist in Georgetown鈥檚 .
"I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it," said the French philosopher, quoted here by鈥淏ill Cotton鈥.
Bill goes on to say, with some prescience: 鈥淸Martin] may yet enjoy his 16-day sojourn in El Dorado despite his initial forebodings.鈥
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Was that a dog i saw on the pitch, how the hell did it get there!!!!!
For the Windies to win today I seriously believe that they need a miracle and as you know miracle do happen
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stop interviewing people in charge of the cwc while commentating - we all know the rights will be up for grabs soon so annoying the powers that be may see and end to TMS. its the case that on the digital platfrom more companies can bid for rights.
you have been warned!!!
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Quit sucking up Martin. We Guyanese don't care what you have to say after your blog entries constantly criticizing the people of West Indies. Do yourself and the people a favor by going back to England and sipping on some tea.
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I wasnt there to watch Jayasuriya century. What really caught my attention was that he waited, waited and waited.
Then at the right time launched the attack. Sanath is a calculating hitter...
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Charm, As far as I could see the dog was not wearing accreditation so I've no idea how it got past the security people with their scanners. Maybe smuggled inside a collapsible bag (within maximum size limits).
Andy, Everyone has been dying for the chance to get some answers from Chris Dehring, especially on the problems of half-full stadiums. Would you rather not have an explanation?
Kirandeep, There's always the option of not reading if you don't want to.
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hello Martin...ignore what Kirandeep is saying I think the idea of bring the people running the CWC into the commentary box whilst commentating is good as you can ask the questions that have to be answered...and COME ON LANKANS
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Dear Marty,
Let me apologise on behalf of all Guyanese for Kirandeep's comments. He is the type of Guyanese we say was born during "blackout" (during a power shortage).
I enjoy your blogs and all the others. Keep them coming. Looks like Windies would lose this one and if they do, you can expect the next few matches the Windies play to have a less than full house.
This match may be 'the coming of age' for this ground as you say, however Slingin Malinga's performance cannot be ignored. I don't know what to call it.. perhaps, "the Christening'. I know of no other instance when a ground had such a dramatic performance on it's opening day.
Again, keep the blog coming and maybe Kirandeep will sober up soon enough.
Enjoy the Cricket and if it rains, then just enjoy the place anyway and when this is all done you must come back for Stanford 20-20. That was a lot more exciting. The price was right for the fans and Guyana as you know won the US$1M prize.
Breado
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Martin,
I have to say that you have given us much entertainment since we arrived in Guyana, everyday I get the paper just to see who is giving you stick! (I dont get the cartoon in todays edition though). I have to say that I actually agree with your 1st Blog, when you fly in from a tourist driven county, to somewhere that obviously isn't, it just takes a bit of adjustment. That said, we have had one of the most interesting weeks, the people are amazing, the friendliness and hospitality could put us Brits to shame and I am personally really pleased to be here (The horse racing here is something else, one of the best days out i've had in a long time!) But alas I think your stuffed mate, no matter what you say from now on is going to get jumped on until your run out of town.....
Good for us though, gives us something to talk about in the morning!
Chin up!
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I know it's an old chestnut and all that but I've just read on this report that Sri Lanka have the best spinner in the world. Maybe the laws of the game have changed since I played for umpteen years, because their leading wicket-taker should not be descibed as such. Work it out for yourself.
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Sitting here listening to the TMS commentary I get the feeling the entire West Indies team was born during 'black out'
So disappointing.
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I wish the people who say Murali is a chucker would read the piece written by (I think) Mark Nicholas in which Murali bowled with a metal brace on his arm. Murali's arm is as straight as he can get it. Most alleged and actual chuckers have been caught out because the thrown delivery is faster and comes as a surprise. That is clearly not the case with Murali in that his quicker ball is not that quicker (incidentally my father is convinced Marlon Samuels bends his arm. Check out his action in slow motion, particularly when he sticks in his 75mph quicker ball). Murali is unique in action, physical attributes and ability. It bores me to hear the allegations thrown against him and Malinga. When that report that caused the rules to be changed regarding flex of bowling arm mentioned that most bowlers do not have a straight arm, including the like of McGrath, the chucking allegations are tedious to say the least.
Back to the match.. astounding tactics from the West Indies. Bat like tortoises until the opposition is lulled into thinking victory is nigh and then go mad. If that is the mentality then is it any wonder West Indies cricket is so poor right now?
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I have been watching the bowling action of Malinga and am wondering if his action is legal. Has anyone questioned his action and what was the outcome. His bowling arm action seemsi llegal to me. What do you think?
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I trust the West indies team will now FIRE the coach....I think we have all waited more than long enough for the winning team.....the net result is the same as when he came and that is the basis for his sacking....a player like Dwayne Smith is still doing the same things over and over again....what use is the coach?????
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Official attendance according to info from the Providence Stadium is 12,208, about 3,000 shy of maximum capacity. Damn! Chanders just went! Ah well...Hope for the best but expect the worse is always the best philosophy to adopt when it comes to the Windies these days.
Do try to enjoy Guyana MG. Wouldn't trade it for merrie olde.
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Andy, I've seen Chanderpaul do it successfully in the past , leaving it a ludicrously long time before kicking off.
When you know you've got to see out 10 overs from Murali, and Malinga's spell at the death, you would think surely they should have got after the lesser spinners.
The tactic of delaying the powerplay once Chanderpaul and Sarwan made it a little more difficult, though, as they couldn't go over the top. I think SL's plan was to try and frustrate them into giving their wickets away but instead they just went into their shells.
Looking forward to BCL's news conference later.
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Jayasuriya now has 11,809 ODI runs at a strike rate of 90 and 290 wickets. plus 25 centuries
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Well done, Sri Lanka. A polished and clinical performance. Sanath Jayasuriya (Sana ) what a blistering effort, both with the bat and the ball. Sri Lanka look like a compact team, when one does not perform, another picks up the challenge. It does not depend on one individual. Looks as if though the team has all the the sides covered. Back in form and rhythm.
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I listened to the game in the internet (technology, eh?). Gave up after we lost Chanders. A WI win would have lifted the spirits of everyone in the Caribbean but they caved in like schoolgirls.
I say they should have played the dog! He couldn't do any worse.
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I agree they've left it late in the past Martin but this was just ridiculous. Losing another wicket after Lara would have been a disaster but the level of respect shown to the slow bowlers was absurd. 200 runs in 20 overs (roughly) is a hard task for any team on even the best batting wicket. Chasing that sort of target puts immense pressure on the batsmen in the middle. Once one of the men who have played themselves in falls, the incoming batsman has no time to get set and you get what we saw with the Windies: a rapid collapse and a rapid slide to defeat.
It seems the West Indies have two mindsets when it comes to batting: a defensive one that doesn't allow wickets to fall but doesn't bring many runs or you go swinging from the off and generally fall at some point. Watching Jayasuriya in this match was comparable with watching Hayden's ton the other day against the West Indies as well as Paul Collingwood against Ireland. All of them took their time to play themselves in. They didn't lose their head as Chris Gayle has done today. They took their time, got used to the pace of the pitch and the bowling and then cut loose when they felt it was right. They showed the value of experience and the value of keeping your head. I love watching Chris Gayle bat when he's on song but there is no doubt that he is not a well-rounded player. He's not someone who can nudge and nurdle when the ball's not flying to the boundary and that causes the innings to slow down. Chanderpaul is an absolute enigma. One day he wields the bat like a scimitar and the next he bats as if he's been snorting horse tranquilizers before suddenly waking up.
When we look at good one-day sides, they tend to have attacking openers who can also stay there, a middle order that is a mixture of the dashers and the more sedate, someone who really gives the ball a clout, the Bevan-Collingwood player and the tailend batsmen who can give it a smack. I don't see many of the West Indian players taking on those roles. Some of the selection decision shave been baffling, such as Jerome Taylor being dropped last match and playing an extra batsman at 8, and odd elements like Dwayne Bravo opening are in there. It's a shame because a fully-firing West Indian line-up would have gotten the crowds jumping.
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How is it that almost every match recently is affected by the adverse weather conditions.
Is it poor planning on the organisers part?
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Martin,
It's unfortunate that the Windies performed poorly. On the other hand, credit goes to SL for performing well.
I am originally from Guyana, but I have lived in Canada for the past 32 years. Regarding your first impressions of Guyana, noted in a previous blog, it's understandable that arriving in Guyana might have been a bit of shock for you, particularly after experiencing the more popular vacation destinations of the Caribbean.
To my mind, you expressed your honest views about things, from your perspective. Hopefully, the media there, and posters here, will cut you some slack.
Enjoy your visit to Guyana!
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Poster Breado's has a WARM spot for and guess what? He's right on target: WE DO TOO. Mistah Martin, sahab!
And your excellent job filling cricket fans around the world ... on the descriptives as they occurred. Have no clue where #3 is coming from, or going for that matter! Good work on "young Malinga" Now, his growing fans are determined to closely watch him in the future. Nothing beats a dramatic right on performance of Slinga Man Malinga ... loved the fireworks!
Congratulations, are in order for the SRI LANKAN's. Good work ...!
Best regards,
PS: "BAN ALL ZOOS"
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good work my good plyer
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West Indies cricket is so disappointing and pitiable to watch I could do without any further mention of them as of today. That said I could also do without hearing any more of the Martin Gough/Guyana fallout if there really was one. Your blog ROCKS!!
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Well, it seems like unless God intervene, the fat lady will soon start singing for the West indies.
Now, only a few did not show up today, probably because of the rain. But, kudos to the engineers who built the new stadium, for good old Bourda would have been a lake this morning.
And yes Leila, I do like Marty (in a guy's way of course) and his blogs. Here's another old Guyanese saying that everone reading here could appreciate and whick explains all the rukus after Marty's first blog on entering Guyana.
"When goat shit wan roll, e does wait fuh breeze blow."
Explanation: goat shit is light and rolls at the slightest breeze. It was a slow news day and since the stadium did not collapse, they had to find something to complain about.
These are the kind of things that Marty and other visitors should be learning about our culture in Guyana.
Coolie = East Indian
Blackman = African
Dugla = East Indian and African combo
Putagee = Portugese
Chinee = Chinese
Buckman = Amerindian
Bakra = old name for White European
Born in Blackout - a person who is not so smart
Midnight - a person who is very very dark
And any Guyanese should be able to introduce to the unprintable words. Hope you guys and gals over there enjoying the food. We have the best roti and curry on the planet.
Breado
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Just thought I'd point out that your Voltaire quote is misattributed to him. It was actually written by a woman called Evelyn Hall in a book about Voltaire. He came out with many great lines, but this was not one of them I'm afraid.
The West Indies were atrocious today. Such a shame that the people of the Caribbean never got to host a World Cup back in the '70s when they were such a brilliant side.
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The Windies have just rolled over and died as far a their cricket is concerned. They constantly struggle to score anything in the region of 200 runs and their perfomance in the field is like a pancake (flat). Australia killed them, New Zealand dug their graves and now Sri Lanka has hammered the nails in their coffin. (Bring in the pallbearers. "Abide with me, fast fall the even tide") Lara needs to go. To echo the words of Colin Croft 'He is the worse captain the Windies has ever had'. He does nothing to motivate the team or lead from the front and in my opinion he is totally lost for ideas. Gayle needs to lead as an openning batsman and stop allowing the opposition's bowlers tie him down. He is a big man in statue but he has resorted to cowardice. He can be likened to a dog cowering in the corner with its tail between its legs. The lack of professionalism shown by the tean has been exposed from every angle and a serious overhaul is urgently required in the wake of this abysmal performance. The standard of play for the competition is at an extremely high level and where this is concern the Windies are still in the starting blocks.
"Come on Windies stop being cowards and stand up and fight like men. Where is your pride?"
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I can see that your finally got the idea and back to reporting on the cricket.
As Guyanese we are aware of our shortcomings but we do have a positive side too.
Please visit the interior regions and see the savannah, climb a mountain and look at the kanuku mountain ranges, or visit my personal haven the baganara island resort. go to a creek along the linden highway and drink black water, eat the great food and meet the ppl...
cricket is the heart and soul of many guyanese and we are very proud to be holding these games.
Visit the country side and drink the rum...try a banks beer and tell me that it isnt one of the best you've ever had...try and enjoy yourself while here. visit the oasis cafe, windies sports bar, etc. and check out the culture of the ppl here.
if after u've done this and still prefer the sandy beaches and blue waters then we as guyanese can accept that. but please check out this country while your here...
and trust me...u've never forget it...
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hi Martin, hope you are enjoying the Guaynese hospitality by this time if not maybe one of the former England Capts can give you some good advice ~~
I thought today's game was an April fools surprise by Windies but then i realised they all looked really down and remembered they were batting after lunch and that it doesnt count if its a prank after noon....ah well.. just wish it was a prank...
on a more serious matter, the better team won today and I am not very surprised and neither should many of the local fans who follow this Windies team game after game. BUT....I am very surprised by the manner in which the Windies are losing, and moreso how they look out there on the field. No spirit, no leadership, what on earth do they need to have in order to motivate a team playing in their homeland in a world cup...it just shows the make up of this group of players, note i did not say this team....appranetly from what I am seeing game after game , there is absolutely no team work or team spirit in this bunch of players representing the Windies. Where has it all gone in the last 3 weeks....what impact has all the expert coaching brought these fellas, what has been done in the last few days to pump up these fellas to make them think they can win against the big boys....?
c'mon coach , President of WICB , the many Politicians, and whoever else is there with them, tell each of them " wake up man ...its the world cup in our back yard, what more do we need to motivate you? "" and W.I Team , look into a mirror, and ask yourselves " what mirror image do I see of myself? you must realize now that You need to show us the West indians who paid many $ to watch you and continue to support your huge contracts that you are constantly complaining about.. that you are proud to represent the region and that you really wear the colours , and that you want to win...we just can't see that right now...get your heads together, be confident, do not play like the cowards we are seeing out there.
some info to BCLara...
All i can say, man you are the leader, forget the issue around Roberts and his comments to the press..., thats the past, a selector needs to know when to talk and when to shut up, no matter who he is or was at one time, NOW Brian...be the leader even if its a difficult task for you...lets see you leading and motivating these fellas on the field, get the troops behind you and at least make us proud , show us that y'all are capable of competing. If you can take this team to the semis you will be remembered for your great comeback please...the region is suffering at this time from the various issues around the world cup.....dont let us suffer anymore. The Windies team needs 3 victories, show us your supporters that you want that as much as we do...
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Happy April Fools day from the WI. Stupse
Lara said the crowds weren't coming. Well, they came today, and to see what? WI jokers playing on April Fools Day!! Before this match, they said they had to win their remaining matches. Now after this match, they said they have to win their remaining matches. I was waiting to hear what Mon Capitan would have to say, and he didn't disappoint, inferring playing so many games in such a short space of time was partly to blame. What excuse will you guys have if you lose the next match??
When Lara was asked what they would be doing during their long break, he should have said training their arses off. They don't deserve any rest.
Credit to Sri Lanka - they showed the WI what teamwork and dedication is. They came here to win the World Cup, the West Indies just came. Stupse.
Angry, disappointed Windies fan. (Is there anything else nowadays? :-(
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Amazing how people comment on Malinga's action. Have you seen any video clips of Jeff Thompson, the great Aussie?
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im shihab from srilanka.but now im in malaysia.i like cricket.srilanka is my loving teem.first i want to thank srilankan all players.they all play very well.MALINGA got attric.and sanath, mahala and silva play verry verry well.on 16 is my birthday in that day srilanka want to won the match.i hoop so.ok by the way on 17 muralis birthday.so wish u happy birthday.we won the world cup
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hey breado!! now way u do the best roti and curry over there!! (im assuming u talking abiut west indies).. u got to come to bradford man.. or the curry mile in manchester!..
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Sri Lanka were red hot yesterday and the Windies - woeful. Chanderpaul and Sarwan batted as though they were only concerned about their averages and dug them into a massive hole.
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I hate to burst your bubble Mohamed Shihab, but we still haven't won. Long way to go, and if we get to the semi-final, there will be tough matches with good teams, not out-of-form teams like West Indies man.
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Having eaten curry and roti in both Guyana and Manchester, I can testify to the superiority of my mom's dhall roti and channa curry made in good old Guyana. Nothing compares to it...except perhaps an (unlikely) WI appearance in the final.
Nadira
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Stairs, I hadn't seen the cartoon until you mentioned it - now in the TMS Flickr pics for those who are not regular Kaieteur News subscribers.
Glad I'm keeping you entertained!
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hi martin,
welcome to guyana, a bit too critical of guyana's short comming. but you are entilited to say your bit after all thats what you are here for . have a good stay in our country.
joe
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I am a die-hard Windies fan but their performance before a packed Providence Stadium and Lara's subsequent comments left me with a dismal feeling for the future of WI cricket. I listened to Sangakara'a post match comments and he was talking about working hard to improve, while Lara on the other hand was talking about how tired his team was.
This team has capitulated once again, Gayle's performance was abysmal ( a spinner bowling as many no-balls and wides as he did) with both the bat and ball. Ramdin not hugging the wicket with Jayasuria batting almost 12 inches out of his crease. Conversely, Sangakara had two stumpings employing that tactic. You snooze you lose Lara....
The problem with WI cricket is that the players are not challenged for their positions. Look at Australia, they fight hard to retain their place in the side.
I guess now I will switch my support over to England and hope for the best.
Rick from Canada.
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West Indies need to score more runs to be in with a chance. They could still be in the semis but its hard now but good to see Sri Lanka back on the winning path.
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Thank God the Thought Police have not yet managed to stifle free speech - as long it is within the bounds of common decency. Keep speaking your mind, Martin.
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Well, given the Windies record leading up to the world Cup in ODIs, I expected them to be challenging strongly for a semi final spot.
They have had a far from easy Super 8 schedule, especially compared to England.
However, watching the game yesterday I think Sri Lanka were superb. Isn't it refreshing to see a batsman walking? By my reckoning that is two games in a row where Sangakkara has done so.
Sanath Jayasuria played the kind of innings that nobody in England's top three could possibly play at the moment.
In Malinga, Vaas, Fernando, Murali plus the support bowlers (that man Sanath again - remember he "retired" last year) Sri Lanka have a very strong bowling attack. So many options for the skipper.
The amount of energy they put into their fielding is awesome, ably orchestrated from behind the stumps. A fine example yesterday, those two stumpings were fine pieced of glovework.
So where are Sri Lankas weaknesses? I'm not sure I know. If they get beaten, I think the team that does so has to have outplayed them all round, and deserved the victory.
Windies, on the other hand, looked ok for the first 15 overs or so. Then Jayasuria got more of the strike and began to apply/ impose himself on the game. I hope England's top three were watching?
Once Jayasuria got going Windies were never in the game. Their fielding performance was very poor and the batting effort was likewise apart from Chanderpaul. Lara's captaincy was lacklustre - at least England have Vaughan's brain if not his runs.
England have a very poor ODI record against Sri Lanka recently. In order to compete Vaughan will need to win the toss and call correctly. Otherwise it could well be a horribly one-sided encounter......and England will have to recreate the level of intensity they reached in the CBS to compete with Jayawardene's outfit.
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I hope this isnt going to be another spineless exit from a world cup after that pathetic effort by england in the 2006 football world cup.england need aggression, self belief and intent,the 2005 ashes victory where they outplayed one of the best australian teams ever in four out of five tests was outstanding, I know the format is different and the team vastly changed but attitude is still a major factor. Remove joyce and bring back andrew strauss who has proved himself at the highest level
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I'm truly amazed that a few people - in this blog and in another - had rather slyly questioned about the legitimacy about the action Malinga. Quite puzzling how some people perhaps brought up on text book coaching cannot accept that there are other means, in this case bowling actions, in achieving the same result quite legitimately.
Was John McEnroe a text book player; was Garrincha a coach's delight; was Michael Johnson with his upright torso when sprinting a role model in that respect and there are many other cases like that.
Simply put Lasith Malinga is a bron again Jeff Thompson with the only three differences being that
(i) his arm slings sideways whereas Thommo was always upright
(ii) his pace is a 3-4 mph slower
(iii) he's got a much better slower ball
I suggest these critics get over there hallucinations and begin enjoying the Malinga show - isn't he a joy to watch in this World Cup in the absence of Akhtar and Lee.
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HEAR! HEAR!
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I suggest that Martin, other cricket writers and broadcasters look up the word 'inning'
in a dictionary. Perhaps then, they'll stop writing and saying innings in refererring to an individual's or his team's turn at bat. Today, when everyone is a writer and commentator, the purity of our beloved language is really taking a beating- in public, at that!!!
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I'v heard people complain about Malinga's action......Whatz wrong with it?
It look unorthodox but it is completely legal!!!!
There iz no bending of the arm.....unlike many other bowlers the arm is completely straightned. The difference being it comes from behind the back and at an angle above the shoulder. There is nothing wrong with delivering with the arm at an angle as long as the delivery comes over the shoulder and there is no straightening of the arm!!!
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