Asia Cup Cricket: Why is Sri Lanka the Favorites?

-DR. ABDUL RUFF

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I

It is rather a thankless job to predict the wining tam in cricket chiefly because of the joint cricketism trends when economically stronger teams try to get upper hand by using all possible tools of control from foreign and sports ministries. 

Although there are many  former British colonies in Asia playing cricket now a days, only India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and  Bangladesh ply too much of cricketism and are alone now eligible to play in Asia cup. 

The Asia Cup cricket tournament is to be held in Dhaka from March 11 to 22. In the opening match, on 11 March, Bangladesh will face Pakistan in the opening match of the competition at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur on Sunday. Meanwhile, news or rumors, orchestrated by the sports ministry people, that Indian batboy Dravid would retire from cricket on Friday.

In Asia, an innocent looking but “resourceful” India has been assisted by England and others in South Asia to have a bigger say in ranking and records by fixed matches, at least thus far.  Bangladesh, Pakistan and even Sri Lanka unwittingly bat and bowl for promoting Indian interests.  India wants to be sole owner of cricketism in South and rest of Asia and expects all other neighbors to deliberately promote Indian cricketism goals. SL plays for India especially because many SL players work for Indian IPL on payment basis while SL Malinga is the main n wicket taker of Mumbai real Indians. 

Right at the outset, however, it should be openly mentioned that Sri Lankan team is the best in Asia as of today judging the trends from the just concluded Commonwealth bank Tri-series. Of course, then, one can easily bet on Sri Lankan capabilities to win the Asia Cup 2012. 

SL team is the best one of today and can withstand Indian pressure tactics and defeat it. 

The result of CTSeries would testify SL preparedness against any team in South Asia.  Pakistani players would present themselves as "unpredictables" and help India as they did for the last World cup in New Delhi, if the Zardari regime asks them to do that.  Can they overrule the dictates of cricket mafias? Moreover, once Pakistan loses the 5th wicket that would be the end of Pak bating as well.  Last 4 Pak batboys just make a big show at the crease and end the match. Pak bowlers are goalless, too. That is pathetic. Bangladesh is the weakest among all and not every batboy knows how to hold the bat. As such, BD cannot promote Indian interests even if the Hasina boys try. 

A whitewash against India in the Tests and now the tri-series win over Sri Lanka in the finals. Meanwhile, this is the first time in the history of tri-series finals in Australia that the team losing the second final has won the third.

India is no better than BD but has the maneuvering capacity.  

Only SL has the potential in Asia to play and win the Asia cup, unless they play for India.  India was knocked out of the tri series even before many thought it would, losing its bogus ranking in ODI.  

In the third final (which is absolutely ridiculous) of Commonwealth bank Tri-series, Sri Lanka bowled and fielded well to restrict Australia to a winnable total but lost too many wickets at the start, in their attempt to score quickly.  Once Australia had made 231, it looked as though Sri Lanka would chase it down quite easily. The visitors got off to a good start but they lost wickets in quick succession and were pushed on the backfoot. Once they lost Mahela, Dilshan and Sangakkara it always looked like an uphill climb for the Rajapaksha boys. Also, the Kangaroos kept the pressure going and despite courageous efforts by the middle order batboys. 

With firm resolution, Sri Lanka looked down and out at the beginning of the series and fought against all odds to earn themselves a place in the finals. Sri Lanka's team work was brilliant throughout the tournament but they were just not up to the quality of Australia. There are a lot of positives for Sri Lanka to take home from this series.

In fact SL won the toss and elected to field, initiating reckless bowling and more professional fielding. When those wanting to shine at SL cost, began falling one by one, it appeared SL would restrict the Australian to below 200 hundred but somehow they leaked many runs towards the end to make their total 231. Probably, SL bowlers faulted deliberately because as per the current bowler tactics, they offered extra runs in consideration for the good runs in 50 plus/100 plus for their own batboys, although they denied many extra in terms of noballs or wides, etc.  Even this total 231 could have been easily chased s down, but Australians also resorted to reckless bowling, though their fielders are still infant and playful missing stumps and misfielding. 

Australia has done it! McKay was the pick of the bowlers for Australia and two of his ODI five wicket hauls are now against Sri Lanka. It has been a remarkable summer for Australia. First they dominated India in the Test series and then they went on to clinch the title in the ODI tri-series. They have finished up as the winners of this long drawn out series.

Yes, a fine game, fine victory for Australia in CTSeries.

The hosts in Australia were the better team throughout the tournament. The one thing they lacked was brilliance in the bowling department because bowlers have not been properly used by the team so long as others offered 100 plus to their batboys. and they showed exactly how good their bowling is by defending 231 in the final encounter. 

In fact, however, SL was slightly better than Australia in all respects, except in luck that went Aussies way- also the trophy.

SL skipper Mahela Jayawardena put it h in his own way: "Initially if we would have been given 231, we would have taken it. We didn't keep wickets in hand towards the end and Australia bowled well. It was a day when we didn't execute our plans well.

Australia now departs for the Tour of the Caribbean against the West Indies while Sri Lanka will meet India, Pakistan and Bangladesh in Bangladesh for the Asia Cup. 

II

Cricketers like Tendulakar by continuously occupying the crease for years mercilessly deny fellow citizens their chance to serve their mother India. 

A few batboys exceptionally enjoy their expansive shots as bowlers present pro-batboy balls as the most favored dishes on a shining plate. 

Batboys shine only if the bowlers and fielders let them enjoy their expansive shots. This is like an innocent looking Manmohan enjoying the power aided by all opposition parties and without having been elected by the people directly.

When denied spaces for expansive shots or guided drives by bowlers and fielders, the batboys, as Tendulkar is now, get stranded at the crease like the besieged Palestinians.  

By the by, who doesn't enjoy their favorite dishes if offered by hosts in plenty! The result is 100 plus runs and bogus records and rankings. All those, who made as many 100 plus as possible, like Lara and Tendulakar, have also enjoyed the bowler sympathy,.  

There is no retirement age for non-state employees including cricketers but cricket represents Indian state that is why India takes special care about cricketism. If every player plays till his death or old age, how could new crop of players emerge?  These days, there are no pro-Sachuin Tendulakar cricketers to promote his interests even on usual huge payment basis - by extra praising him even beyond the status of India’s this leading Hindu god. Former Australian fast bowler Geoff Lawson feels Sachin Tendulkar should not delay the retirement for too long as the criticism will grow. He answered thus when asked for his reaction to the former India captain's view that Tendulkar should have quit one-day cricket after India's triumph in the World Cup last year. He also hailed Pakistan's performance against England in the just-concluded Test series against England in the UAE. 

Indian worshippers of Tendulakr go panicked when  the bowlers  remove their god approaching 50 or 100 and they really want the bowlers to eliminate him early s a that they don’t have to pin false hopes on him and  get deadly disappointed.

In stead of Sachuin Tendulakar, Indian cricket bosses shunted Rahul Dravid soon after Rahul Gandhi failed to zinc with the voters of Uttar Pradesh that went to polls recently, crushing both Congress and BJP false hopes almost forever.  These days, when Tendulkar failed to get the bowlers promote his 100 plus misadventures, Indian cricket feeders targeted both Rahul Dravid VVS Laxman- both South Indians.

Rahul Dravid could have easily ignored all loud cries for his exit by citing Tendulkar’s overstay like the Indian state terrorist syndicate in Jammu Kashmir, but he retired as a gentleman. He said: "At the end of the day, I knew I had to go and I didn't want to drag it any longer."

Hopefully Sachuin would now follow the foot steps of Dravid and leave cricket in all formats and assume a post of coach. 

III

There is hypothetical question. Supposing SL could restrict the Austrians below 200 runs which they could if they sensibly bowled, would the Australians still won the match? Australia bated first in the finals, like before, and except the last time, they made good runs, in the first final they were offered 320 runs. In the third final, SL batboys seem to have taken the decision to restrict the hosts to bare minimum runs and they executed their plan quite satisfactorily by giving just 5 runs in the first 2 overs.  

A crash bowler like Lasith Malinga should recognize his role in his team’s wins and reequip his bowling and fielding potentials for Asia Cup.  There should be a basic difference between the trained international bowlers and street players who just throw the ball to the bat. The batting is the real problem for all teams when the bowlers strike sensibly, especially for India and Sri Lanka. The tri-series has proven that batboys enjoy only when the bowlers and fielders selectively promote their self-interests and when bowlers take their profession seriously, batboys fall one after another like flying waste papers on the streets. 

From the attitude of Australians, it is now clear that if the opposite bowlers offer 100 plus to at least 2 of their batboys, then, that team also would be offered good runs without targeting the stumps or LBW. Otherwise, the bowlers would "step in" to play serious game.  

Australian batboys get 100 plus extra by mutual understandings but the regime shields such cricket crimes by honoring them with “Orders” of the nation. Do the politicians have any sense of shame at all?

Since SL refused to oblige the Australian frauds with 100 plus as they did before, Australians came back more firmly. 

Cricketism shows, directed by mafias and corporate sponsors, would go on and on fooling the spectators, regimes and others. 

Is it then cricket or cricketism?