Cricket has always been one of my attractions. My interest in cricket developed long before Sri lanka achived test status. Arjuna Ranatunga was still not popular. Aravinda was just a little kid playing for DSS. Hashan had just joined DSS from Issipathana. Anura Ranasinghe was our local hero. Bloomfield was star studded with Warnapura,Ajith De Silva,Zabeer Asgarali, Jayantha Senevirathne ...... SSC Bloomfield games always created a short of environment that prevails when PAKS meet archrivals INDOs.
Today cricket is a passion. Everybody in Sri Lanka will be able to be awarded a PHD in Cricket. They are all selectors, technical experts, Pitch experts. In short, they are multiple experts in a single body and soul cage.This is almost the same in neighbouring Pakistan and India.
Whoever who writes cricket in SL, will have to remember the invaluable contribution of Palitha Perera and Epasinghe. They were instrumental in taking cricket to our villages. Will there be any other land where cricket has penetrated into bloood as ours? The answer is yes, in Carribean islands. see the similarities. Before going to that , let me clarify something which has always confused my friends. Windies do not reprsent one country. They are a group of independent countries which send a combined team only in Cricket. In athletics or for that matter in Soccer, Trinidad, Jamaica, Barbados, Antigua, they compete each other. They are not a homogenous group. Their roots go back to Africa and Northern India. That is the reason why you find closer to our hearts name like Ravi Rampaul, Ramnaresh, Dinesh, Rohan etc among anglicized Vivian, Clive,Robert , Malcom etc.
Cricket is a passion among islanders as we do back home in SL
Cricket is synonymous with music in WI and SL. In SL it is baila rhythems. In Carribean, depends on the island where they play cricket. Jamaica, there goes Reggae, Trinidad- calypso,socca . Indo trinis play Chutney. Chutney is form of music Indian Trinis sing in English with mix of Hindi words. So, if you know Hindi, not to be amazed at hearing peculiar hindi words when you are among crowds in trinidad. I do not know what the trademark music of Bajans or antiguans. I am more familiar with Trini and Guyana to which I am more attached due to presence of our Indo - Carribean relatives.
Sri lankans, despite their long lasting animosities due to the ethnic problem, get along well in a cricket field. Cricket binds all communities together. It was reported on the day of SL victory at Lahore, LTTE cadres were glued to Tv sets and pocket radios. I do not know how far thi is true. But it signifies one phenomenon. CRICKET IS A UNIFIER. It is the same in carribean. Though, there are no inter racial conflicts as such in Trini and Guyana, Racial tension do prevail. It is visible in political divison.But the Joy Clive Lloyd brough to Guyana was not confined to Afro-Guyanese.Muslim, Christian, Hindu east indians took enormous pleasure in seeing clive and his steel made world beaters sending shivers down the spine of other cricketing legends. Technically crafted batsmanship of ROHAN KANHAI, ALVIN KALLICHARAN or unorthodox style of SHIV CHANDEPAUL was applauded by Afro Guyanes and Afro trinis. Did they think for a while that they were different in origin.Criket does what politicians failed. INTEGRATION. Do the people in Sri Lanka think even for a minute that Murali is Tamil, he is of South indian origin. His charming smile will melt thousand rock hard hearts.Unite we stand. Divide we fall. This is the message cricket gives us.
So cricket is similar in Carribean and SL. They play under coconut trees. Come from different races and backgrounds. Falir with which both teams play is similar. Both teams may be lacking it right now. But ther were times in the history, SL in its brief period in the big league and WI in it's golden era played some awesome cricket.
Cricket recently brought another joy to me. I have been long following Monty Pannesar's progress. I was waiting for the moment in which Monty to be awrded test cap. It is no longer a dream. It gives an enormous pleasure for a sikh to see and enjoy the success of a fellow sikh. Welldone , Monty keep it up. Sikh praternity will love to see your presence in the England squad. You have created the history by being the first sikh to play for England. Long before, there will be many more to follow from UK, Kenya. Punjab keep awakning. List is long down to Harbhajan. We are waiting for you.
So cricket is not merly a game. It is a social phenomenon. It has wide angles from bio mechanism to anthroposociology. Cricket opens doors for researchers to creep in with their proposals to do multi dimensional research.
Ranjan-
