ART of the mystique of those great West Indies teams was the initials on the scorecard. You knew the names, but when the game returned from a commercial break, you’d get thrown for just a second. Who exactly is IVA Richards again? Oh, yeah. Wonder what the “I” stands for? PJL Dujon, anybody? AL Logie? It’s a wonderful bit of the game’s esoterica.
By the ritual act of following the score, we came to know our icons as DG Bradman and SK Warne. We told our Waughs apart as SR and ME. There was always a strange amusement in learning that a spinner from NSW was named SCG MacGill (which was only made better when you found out the “G” stood for Glyndwr). Cricket clings to its anachronisms, and the scorecard is certainly one of them. The history of the card itself is a long one, considering the earliest known record dates back to 1744. There were no initials on the card then – in fact, there was a whole lot of detail missing, with one player going by his smuggling alias “Cuddy” (note to the BBL marketing department: give players a smuggler alias). Two guys who shared the name Bennett were differentiated as “Little” and “Tall”. Over time, as the gentlemen’s game began to conduct itself with the proper bearing, cricketers were marked out by the initialsand- surname formulation. That is, unless you were a grubby professional, in which case you were lumped with just a surname. Sometimes they got initials after their name, and made to look like a plumber or roofer. This difference was most pronounced in the old Gentlemen vs Players fixture, for a long time the showcase game of the English domestic season. One side is a long row of Esq. while the other were granted no ceremony to stand on. When cricket dispensed with the amateur-pro distinction in 1962, one tabloid editorial sledged the Times: “Perhaps now this olde-world journal will print the initials of all MCC players.” If you had a title, the scorer had to find space for it. In the first Test played in England, in 1880, two Drs opened the batting – WG Grace, the game’s most famous set of initials, was one of them – an Hon kept wicket and Lord Harris was captain (the Aussies, notably, bucked the naming convention, all identified by name and initials). When England’s David Sheppard, a future Bishop of Liverpool and eventual baron, was called back to the side in 1965, he reappeared on the card as “Rev DS Sheppard”. Bet you’ll never see that in cricket again. The best of them all may have been the Nawab of Pataudi. There were two, both of the royal line of rulers of the Northern Indian state. The elder Nawab is the only man to have played Tests for England and India, and famously was dropped after the second Bodyline Test, having scored a century in the first, because he didn’t think much of DR Jardine’s tactics. The younger Nawab became captain of India in the 1960s, leading some of the most fabulously named XIs in history, joined by the likes of Farokh Engineer, Nari Contractor and the son of Vinoo Mankad. But for all those second-named West Indians and esteemed noblemen, nothing quite matches what the great cricketing nation of Sri Lanka has brought to the scorecard. We’ve enjoyed the talents of Murali, even admired how they shattered the mould of 50-over cricket in the 1996 World Cup. But the great fun of any encounter with Sri Lanka’s cricketers is looking at the names. The first time people became aware of it was probably Chaminda Vaas. Splendid pace bowler, often working manfully until Muralitharan came on, but the most intriguing thing about him was his entry on the card: “WPUJC Vaas”. He had more initials than letters in his surname. In long form: Warnakulasuriya Patabendige Ushantha Joseph Chaminda Vaas. According to the naming traditions of Sri Lanka, his first two names recognise his noble clan heritage, while the last four are his given names. An internet forum post said it roughly translates to “Ushantha Joseph Chaminda Vaas of the House of the Sun of the Noble Caste with Military Honour”. Since Vaas, the dam has broken and the initials have come spilling out. You have the recently retired spinner Rangana Herath, or “HMRKB Herath”, which sounds like the name of a British Army base or Royal Navy ship. Then there was Chanaka Welegedara, often right next to Herath on the card, with his keyboard-slapping “UWMBCA Welegedara”. One of Herath’s successors in the side, mystery spinner Akila Dananjaya, has had to face inquiry into his bowling action. But the true mystery is why the 25-year old – full name: Mahamarakkala Kurukulasooriya Patabendige Akila Dananjaya Perera – goes only by “A Dananjaya” on the card. The fact that these names sometimes share the same space with Angelo Davis Mathews is deeply humorous. The great shame, though, is that Rajitha Amunugama never made it to the Sri Lankan Test team. He played 102 first-class matches, but forever entered cricket lore when Wisden noticed his name after the medium-pacer took eight wickets in match in 2004, styled as (no joke) “ARRAPWRRKB Amunugama”. That’s a name with a mystique all its own. In 1975, Sri Lankawas the comic relief of theWorld Cup. In 1982, they became the eighth Test-playing nation. They moved quickly from those humble beginnings. On the back of remarkable performances, outstanding characters and marvellous players, the underdog’s journey has been a picaresque, an adventure. Their fortunes pivoted on the deeds of outstanding individuals. Along the way, they broke records. They’ve made the finals of three World Cups and won one; they own the highest team totals in Test cricket (6-952 against India), ODI cricket (443 against Netherlands) and T20 cricket (260 against Kenya), and the highest batting partnership in Test cricket (624 for the third wicket, against South Africa, Jayawardene and Sangakkara). Along the way, they’ve been an inspiration and they’ve proven just how successful the World Cup really can be at nurturing cricket in nations that have never been cricketing powers. They revolutionised the approach to one-day batting, and proved conclusively just how different the one-day game is from Test cricket by making bits-and-pieces players and competent tradesmen into one-day champions. Despite sometimes shambolic administration of the game in the island nation, Sri Lanka is now always considered a danger in tournaments or Tests. These men have been a big reason why. IPL 2019 THE BRAVE PIONEER: Roy Dias After the 1975 humiliation at the hands of Jeff Thomson in the World Cup, there was no telling how the newcomers to world cricket would fare. They’d never seen pace like Thommo’s, and it showed. He was sui generis, but there was an unlimited supply of other bowlers only too willing to boost their averages at the expense of the new easy-beats. Roy Dias seems a mere asterisk in cricket history, but he stood up during these difficult times, and the elegant right-hander makes the top-50 for batsmen who completed the quickest 1000 Test runs. His 214 runs in the 1979 ICC Trophy ensured Sri Lanka made the 1979 World Cup. In that tournament, they managed, this time, to win a match, against India, thanks to a Dias fifty. Three years later, Sri Lanka gained Test status. Their best was still ahead, and though Dias seemed to gleam all too briefly, he was vital to the careful grafting of his country’s cricket team into the body of world cricket. IPL 2019 THE CAVALIER: Aravinda De Silva Correct yet careless in the sense that no bowler worried him, De Silva stood up to, and flayed, some of the best bowling during a golden era. Imran, Qadir, Wakar, Wasim, Warne, McGrath, Ambrose, Walsh – none were comfortable bowling against this tiny Titan. He was, like Border, Headley, Crowe, Gavaskar and Flower, an absolute standout in a weak Test team, with an array of joyously executed, powerful shots his team-mates and opposition could only envy. In the 1996 World Cup final, against Australia, he played the perfect one-day game. Not only did he take 3-42, scalps which included Ponting and Taylor, but he scored a faultless 107 not-out and took two catches. He was, of course, Man of the Match, and it was his third such award of the tournament. IPL 2019 THE CATALYST: Arjuna Ranatunga Ranatunga was Ian Chappell and Javed Miandad rolled into one, a man who instilled pride into Sri Lankan cricket just when it was needed. Arjuna was prickly at times, but an astute tactician who transformed the one-day game with the help of his capable and faithful servant, Sanath Jayasuriya, by employing aggressive, airborne hitting in the first 15 overs, when fielding restrictions were in place. He saw World Cup 1996 as revenge for the calling of Murali for chucking, and wanted nothing more than to play the “culprits”, Australia, in the final. It was partly a motivational ploy, but it worked, and his men took the prize. He comforted Murali in 1999 when he was called for a second time in Australia, and led a near walk-off. During his 11-year tenure as leader, the corpulent captain taught his men how to scrap with the best, and put an end once and- for-all to their status as easy-beats. IPL 2019 THE AVANT-GARDE: Sanath Jayasuriya Jayasuriya clubbed ODI cricket into the 21st Century. Along with his opening partner, Romesh Kaluwitharana, Jayasuriya revolutionised ODI tactics during the 1996 Cricket World Cup, carrying out Ranatunga’s directions. It was a strategy they first tried on the preceding tour of Australia under the watchful eye of their coach, Aussie Dav Whatmore. The changes Jayasuriya brought to the one-day game in that World Cup just by sheer force of batsmanship are probably some of the most far-reaching cricket has seen. Certainly, it has affected the way the one-day game has been played ever since. It was by all measures revolutionary: it seemed as obvious in retrospect as any truly great invention, and no-one could ever go back to the old way of playing once it was introduced. Jayasuriya’s approach to one-day batting was as radically different from what had gone before as his countryman Muttiah Muralitharan’s style of bowling off-spin. It took everyone by surprise. It was cheeky, it was destructive, and it won his team game after game. IPL 2019 THE TEAM MAN: Mahela Jayawardene Jayawardene was a great batsman, scoring 11,874 Test runs at a tick under 50, with a highest score of 374. With Sangakkara, he also formed one of the best third-wicket combinations in history. In terms of runs scored, it was the best, surpassing Tendulkar and Dravid, and they hold the world record for any partnership of 624 against South Africa in 2004. He effected more run-outs in ODIs than anyone in history, and “caught Jayawardene, bowled Muralitharan” is the most recorded bowler-fielder dismissal. He also scored 12,650 ODI runs, with 19 centuries. He holds the records for the highest sixth-wicket partnership – 351 with Prasanna Jayawardene against India; highest partnership for the eighth wicket – 170 with Chaminda Vaas against South Africa, and the most fielder catches in all forms of cricket (440). In fact, he’s the only fielder to take 400 catches in international cricket. A brilliant warrior; a man for the trenches. IPL 2019 THE KNACK: Tillakaratne Dilshan Dilshan was always admired for his innovative batsmanship and all-round cricketing skill. He was so aggressive that he was determined not to be hindered by the conventional array of strokes available to him, and invented a shot that today is a necessary part of the batsman’s armoury: the scoop – or, as it was known at the time, the “Dilscoop”, which nudges the ball over the ’keeper’s head. Dilshan was also a more-than-handy off-break bowler and a fielding dynamo. It wasn’t until he was elevated to the opening position late in his career that he was recognised for the magnificent batsman he was. After he was lifted from the no.6 and no.7 positions, he scored all of his 16 Test tons and 21 ODI centuries. He’s also the first cricketer in history to score centuries in all formats as a captain. IPL 2019 THE GREATEST?: Muttiah Muralitharan Some might question the question-mark, but there are a ew facts about the unprecedented offie we cannot deny: 800 Test wickets at 22.72; 534 ODI wickets at 23.08. In Tests, he agged five-plus in an innings an astonishing 67 times; ten imes in ODIs. All seemingly unapproachable figures. The question-mark? We’ve heard it all before: the arm ction that was only ever really questioned in Australia, and which was also cleared by studies conducted at an Australian niversity. That, and favourable wickets at home, compared o his nearest rival, Warne. But there’s no denying that, at his est, Murali was practically indecipherable to most of the world’s best batsmen. IPL 2019 THE LATE BLOOMER: Rangana Herath It’s hard to believe the man has taken the most wickets by a left-armer of any description in history. His southpaw spin reaped 433 Test wickets, yet until 1999, his place in the national side was never certain. Though Herath made his Test debut in ’99, he was never considered a leading weapon until after Muralitharan’s retirement. He made his “comeback” to Test cricket in 2009 against Pakistan. Herath was a deceptive bowler who should always have been given more prominence, and had a near-undetectable wrong ’un. Toward the end of his career, Herath suddenly emerged in our consciousness as an incredibly destructive bowler, especially at home. In 2014, he became one of the few men in history to take nine wickets in a Test innings. His tendency to collect huge hauls, especially in opponents’ second innings (a record 12 five-fors), was becoming legendary. In 93 Tests, he took five wickets in an innings 34 times, and ten wickets nine times. He averaged 28 with the ball. Under-utilised in ODIs, he still managed 74 wickets at 31. IPL 2019 THE SLINGER: Lasith Malinga The slinger, the midnight swinger. That is, as late as it gets. With his strange low-slinging action, the relatively short Malinga veers them in or dips them low, all the while his blond-tipped mop of hair flopping wildly. He is renowned as one of the best short-form bowlers in the game. He owns two World Cup hat-tricks, three hat-tricks in ODIs and is the only player to take four wickets from four consecutive balls in any form of international cricket. In Test cricket, he was letting them go at over 150, and his bouncer was deadly. But it seems the shorter the format, the better he gets. He’s taken 311 ODI wickets at 28 and 92 T20I poles at 19. IPL 2019 THE SLICK: Chaminda Vaas Slippery as petroleum jelly. Like Malinga, a relatively short fast bowler, the dangerous Vaas is the most effective fast-bowler the island nation has produced. He’s the only man to take eight wickets in an ODI innings. He often toiled in the shadow of the great Murali, but 355 wickets at an average under 30 is extremely impressive for the mostly unsupported left-arm quick. In 2001, a series in which Lara scored a mountainous 688 runs in a mere three Tests, Vaas took 26 wickets, including 14 in the third Test, and his team won 3-0. He famously teamed with Murali to produce Sri Lanka’s firstever overseas victory in Tests, at Napier in 1995. Visit for ipl news of today
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