Sports
The Battle of the Hinduites; A big match in more than one way
The year was 2001. A twelve-year-old was smashing the opposing bowlers all around the park in a Colombo suburb. The coach knew this was something special. The kid reached a hundred in an under 13 game, anyone who has played cricket at any level would know the significance of that achievement. The next morning it was the school assembly. The fifteen odd members who had witnessed the prowess of a potential star in the making were eager to hear the announcement of the special feat the day before. What an anticlimax it turned out to be; it did not even get a mention during the assembly. The kid and his feat went unnoticed and with time the expectations of our society took precedence and probably a star in making went into oblivion. He probably may not have been the only one.
This is where cricket stood, two decades ago in one of the leading Tamil educational institutions in Colombo down Lorenz Road. At about the same time at Ananda College, students would flock to the ground to see a new kid from Ambalangoda decimate bowling attacks; Dinesh Chandimal. Students at Royal would not stop talking of a certain name Bhanuka Rajapakse. They would continue to be the flag bearers for him even years after because they knew the potential in store. In Sri Lanka, cricket is a religion, a tool that unites a country that tends to stand divided on every little issue. Perhaps because of that, it’s ingrained in the schooling system, resulting in many stars walking into national colors out of school directly. Cricket isn’t a sport alone. It feeds off the environment it exists within our schooling system. The cheers, the backings, emotions, and narratives all play a part in its thriving resulting in the birth of stars for the future.
In this Ecosystem, big matches are a pivotal component. They provide the audience for young sportsmen to exhibit their skills under pressure. With a thousand eyes zooming in, the ability to perform is a skill that will serve one within and beyond the field. The big match rivalries in the country are spoken of highly globally. No wonder as most of those who walk into national setups have made their names in big matches. Down South, people speak about how the lazy elegance and consistency of Dananjaya De Silva made them feel he was destined for national honors sooner than later. Richmondites would take pride in the fact that almost all from one of their big match teams ended up in the national side. The Josephians down Darley Road have ruled the Sri Lankan setup In recent times. There are enough tales surrounding their exploits. One that stands out is national test skipper Dimuth Karunaratne smacking the first ball of their two-day encounter for a six at P Sara. These aren’t just events or stories. They are legacies and priceless memories. They create a culture and inspire youngsters to take up the beautiful game. Everyone will not end in national colors. But taking up this beautiful game will result in balanced individuals walking out into society from their respective alma matter at least. Anything, in addition, is a bonus.
The stage for a teenager to perform when everybody is watching is one of the best things that one could ask for. It teaches you many things which the textbooks cannot. Big matches aren’t about glitz and glamour. They are about molding raw stones into beautiful masterpieces. But they aren’t confined to it alone. They provide the opportunity for all to connect with their roots every year. Relive the memories along the glorious corridors and cauldrons of their alma matters.
The 11th battle of the Hindus scheduled for the 10th and 11th of June at Jaffna is exactly that. It’s an opportunity that is provided for the skilled teens to display their skills and show what they are made out of when everyone is watching. It’s an opportunity to create narratives that will live beyond the test of time.
Two decades down the line from an environment where the superlative efforts of a kid in cricket were missed amidst other priorities to many putting time and effort to make the Big Match a big-ticket item in the sporting calendar, the cricketing culture has taken a turn for good at the school down Lorenz Road.
The first truly heavyweight clash of this expanded T20 World Cup format comes freighted with both history and subplots. A rematch of the 2010 World T20 final at Kensington Oval, the match pits Jos Buttler’s defending champions – who are aiming to become the first team to retain the trophy – against the Australian winning machine, victors at the 2021 edition and current world title-holders in Test and ODI cricket. And that’s before you throw in the Ashes for afters.
Already there is added pressure on England, after the rain in Bridgetown led to a share of the points in their opener against Scotland (and that having conceded 90 runs from 10 overs without taking a wicket in a tepid bowling display). Lose to their oldest rivals and it will leave their Super 8 prospects open to being waylaid by the perils of net run-rate calculations, or worse.
The Scotland match was the third abandonment in five suffered by England, after a rain-affected home series against Pakistan, which has clearly hampered their readiness for this campaign after almost six months without playing T20 together. It does not take much for a side to click in this format – and England looked in decent shape when they did get on the field against Pakistan – but Buttler will be anxious for things to go their way on Saturday, if only to avoid further questions referencing the team’s disastrous ODI World Cup defence last year.
Australia, under the laidback leadership of Mitchell Marsh would love nothing more than to add to the English sense of jeopardy – having helped bundle them out of the tournament in India on the way to taking the crown. Their head to head record is less impressive in T20 however, with England having won six of the last seven completed encounters, as well as that 2010 final.
Despite a wobble with the bat, Australia avoided mishap against Oman earlier in the week, the experience of David Warner and Marcus Stoinis shining through in difficult batting conditions. Surfaces in the Caribbean – not to mention those games staged in the USA – have already had teams scratching their heads; rather than the “slug-fest” England had prepared for, following a high-scoring tour of the Caribbean in December, it looks as if boxing smart may be the way to go.
Speaking of Warner, this could be the last time he faces up against England in national colours – and another match-winning contribution would likely reduce the chances of them meeting again in the knockouts. On the other side of the card is Jofra Archer, fresh from an emotional maiden outing at Kensington Oval and ready to take on Australia for the first time in any format since 2020. Can Mark Wood fire up England’s campaign, as he did during last summer’s Ashes? Will Pat Cummins be back to harass the old enemy once again? Seconds out, it’s almost time to rumble.
Cummins is set to return after being rested for the Oman game, which saw Mitchell Starc leave the field with cramp. Starc is understood to be fine and could keep his place – which would likely see Nathan Ellis miss out. Marsh is still not fit to bowl, with Australia likely to continue with the allrounder combination of Stoinis and Maxwell to give them cover.
Australia (probable XI): David Warner, Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh (capt), Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Josh Inglis (wk), Tim David, Pat Cummins, Nathan Ellis/Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood
The one change England may consider is Reece Topley coming in for Wood, with the expectation that there will be some rotation among the seamers through the course of the tournament.
England (probable XI): Phil Salt, Jos Buttler (capt & wk), Will Jacks, Jonny Bairstow, Harry Brook, Liam Livingstone, Moeen Ali, Chris Jordan, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Reece Topley/Mark Wood
[Cricinfo]
Once is coincidence, twice is a clue, and three times is proof.
To paraphrase Agatha Christie, that is the narrative around South Africa’s meeting with Netherlands at this T20 World Cup.
The Dutch beat South Africa at the 2022 tournament and ended their semi-final hopes in a match where South Africa appeared to be sleep walking, and then beat them again at the 2023 ODI World Cup, where they exposed South Africa’s vulnerability in the chase. If they to do the treble, not only will Netherlands take the lead in Group D, but they will offer conclusive evidence of the threat they pose to Full Members, especially South Africa.
Of course, it will take some doing after South Africa’s opening performance against Sri Lanka, where they reduced their opposition to their lowest T20I total and chased it down in fairly straightforward fashion thanks to the most stable middle-order of their white-ball era. In Aiden Markram, Tristan Stubbs, Heinrich Klaasen and David Miller, South Africa have bankers and big-hitters and, for this match, they also have the advantage of experience. They’ve already played at Eisenhower Park, and have first-hand knowledge that run-scoring doesn’t come easily;Klassen said they are prepared to use their “cricket brains” and play “smarter cricket”.
But the conditions could be good news for Netherlands, who are not naturally a line-up of big hitters and build their innings on a foundation of turning ones into twos. In other words, they tend to take a slightly more conservative approach to batting, which may work well here, but they’ll be wary of the uneven bounce of the surface and will have to come up with plans to counterattack especially against South Africa’s seamers. Their own bowlers were exemplary in Dallas and will look to build on that performance against a line-up that will likely be more proactive than Nepal’s, but who they have managed to keep quiet not once, but twice in the past. Third time’s the charm, they say.
Anrich Nortje’s stunning return to form against Sri Lanka means South Africa may not have to tinker with the bowling combination, and Gerald Coetzee and Tabraiz Shamsi may have to wait their turns to get a game. The batting line-up should be unchanged, with no space for Ryan Rickelton yet.
South Africa: Quinton de Kock (wk), Reeza Hendricks, Aiden Markam, Tristan Stubbs, Heinrich Klaasen (wk), David Miller, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Ottneil Baartman, Anrich Nortje
Conditions in New York may tempt Netherlands to include an extra seamer and they have Kyle Klein in their squad. But it could come at the expense of a shortened batting line-up and they may not want to risk that.
Netherlands: Michael Levitt, Max O’Dowd, Vikramjit Singh, Sybrand Engelbrecht, Scott Edwards (capt, wk), Bas de Leede, Teja Nidamanuru, Logan van Beek, Tim Pringle, Paul van Meekeren, Vivian Kingma
[Cricinfo]
Nuwan Thushara’s last over brought Sri Lanka screaming back into the match,as he first bowled Rishad Hossain, and then nailed Taskin Ahmed in front of the stumps with a pinpoint swinging yorker. This left Bangladesh eight wickets down, with 12 runs still to get.
However, the experienced Mahmudullah was at the crease for Bangladesh, and despite some further nervy moments, pushed Bangladesh across the line off the last ball of the 19th over.
But this was a match chiefly decided by Bangladesh’s own outstanding bowling. Mustafizur Rahman was the best among them, using shorter lengths and his cutters efficiently, to claim figures of 3 for 17. Rishad Hossain’s three-for through the middle overs also kept Sri Lanka quiet.
Mustafizur was instrumental in Sri Lanka’s downward spiral through the middle overs, which culminated in a crash-and-burn end. Ultimately, their inability to find boundaries, or even rotate strike against good Bangladesh bowling resulted in their downfall. A score of 125 for 9 always seemed poor on a decent pitch, even if their bowlers made a match of it in the end.
Brief scores:
Bangladesh 125 for 8 in 19 overs (Towhid Hridoy 40, Litton Das 36; Dhanajaya de Silva 1-11, Nuwan Thushara 4-18, Wanidu Hasaranga 2-32, Matheesha Pathirana 1-27) beat Sri Lanka124 for 9 in 20 overs (Pathum Nissanka 47, Dhananjaya de Silva 21; Tanzim Hasan Sakib 1-24, Taskin Ahmed 2-25, Mustafizur Rahman 3-17, Rishad Hossain 3-22) by two wickets
[Cricinfo]
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