The Serendip sensibility - Blues Brothers at Cricinfo

How do they do it? I’m no expert on Sri Lankan cricket and its infrastructure. I can only refer to what I’ve read and heard. One story never fails to make an impression. I read it years ago, shortly after the 1996 world cup was won by Arjuna Ranatunga’s men – by the blazing opening pair of Jayasuriya and Kaluwitharana – when Rohit Brijnath wrote a piece in India Today on Sri Lanka’s cricket nursery.

I can’t recall the entire article but do remember a reference to the integrity and honesty of the Sri Lankan cricket work ethic. I think it was in Brijnath’s article that I read about the Wettimuny brothers, Sunil, Mithra and Sidath (Sri Lanka’s first test centurion). reproducing a fraying, century-old English coaching manual, page by page, painstakingly drawing the illustrations, copying the text.

It was an age before ubiquitous photocopying machines and scanners, I suppose, and being classicists, the brothers felt the young cricketers in their charge must learn cricket the right way. The romantic in me would like to believe that some of the young men in the team that smashed India on July 26 were beneficiaries of the Wettimuny way.

It is an unusual anecdote but to my mind a memorable one. The Wettimuny brothers’ act was perhaps the most moving tribute an international cricketer had ever paid to his art form, a reverential prayer to “Mother Cricket”, to borrow an expression South African coach Mickey Arthur used recently, albeit in another context.

I wish I could rattle off names of Indian cricketers who would gladly do the same to pay their dues, pass on their skills to another, less endowed generation. For me, that sentiment, that sense of obligation sums up cricket more than statistics, razzmatazz and other trivia.

The pride and passion of Sri Lankan cricket fans is never overdone or overaggressive © AFP

I’ve never seen a cricket match in Sri Lanka – though I do want to go there for a test some day – but have visited Colombo three times. I’ve discussed cricket with auto-rickshaw and taxi drivers, government officials, hotel waiters, bookstore managers, bartenders, you name it. The Sri Lankans love their cricket, are fiercely proud of their cricket team and badly want it to win.

Yet, it’s struck me that their pride and passion is never overdone or overaggressive. It’s not as if they’re trying to tell you that not only is the Sri Lankan team good but the Indian (and every other) team is bad or otherwise less than reputable. There is no deliberate running down of the other guy. Perhaps he exists, but I’ve never met the Ugly Sri Lankan Cricket Fan. I’ve encountered his equivalent in or from India, Pakistan and Australia more often than I’d want to.

To me, the best cricket tradition is one that plays the game hard, speaks in the contemporary idiom and yet salutes cricket’s glorious, unparalleled heritage. Among the three major Asian countries, I think Sri Lanka has it just right. Indian cricket swings wildly between (usually imagined) victimhood and overweening arrogance, including telling English county clubs whom to select or drop. Pakistan’s is another cricket establishment with just too many chips on its shoulder.

Sri Lanka is different. It fights and fights fiercely when it has to. Ranatunga was the prototype of the assertive, tough-as-nails Asian captain when he defended his star bowler – accused of chucking – through a gruelling tour of Australia. He took on the umpires, the other team, the unfriendly press – because he believed in his cause, his team, his country.

Even so, Sri Lankan cricket does not believe in a permanent war theory. The past is over; the mid-1990s are dead. The team and the country have moved on. The Indian and Pakistani cricket boards, on the other hand, are continually fighting yesterday’s wars.

If you’re ever in Colombo, visit the Cricket Café – at least that’s what I think it’s called. Among other things, it serves great sea food but that’s not the only reason I have fond memories of it. In its own manner, it’s a delightful little cricket museum, with memorabilia from, well, Old Blighty to New Ceylon. It has place for Hutton and Hobbs but, equally, for Murali and Mendis.

To me, this signified a small but important lesson. Sri Lankans love their cricket team and also love cricket. They don’t see the two emotions as either synonymous or mutually exclusive. I’ve never visited an Indian restaurant with a similar sensibility. Sure, I could go to one with posters of current Indian cricket stars – but would that be a celebration of cricket? There is a difference.

Sri Lankans, as a society, understand that difference. That’s why it’s impossible to grudge them victory, even when they’ve hammered your team.

Excellent article, I'm rarely in such complete agreement with an article. I doubt its going to be that popular among the sycophants drunk in their board's new found power.

Although Sri Lanka's record in the last 4 World Cups is second only to Australia and their Test cricket has been as intense and thrilling as any other side they never seem to get the same attention, hype or even the same billing as Indian, Pakistani or English sides prior to a series. This is perhaps fitting given how their crickets exude quiet confidence and fortitude and you've already touched on their work ethic (compare that to recent comments by a former Indian skipper on "fitness relating to cricket").

I have to admit that most SL cricket fans I've met mirror the description in the article and we got along really well before the recent World Cup final, even though we were supporting different teams. I'm looking forward to the second Test, even if it is another drubbing!

With numerous reports of civilian atrocities overt the past couple of decades or so cricket has been the unifying factor in Sri Lanka. My ex-tiger room mates tell me of how they stopped fighting for a day in the Vanni (rebel controlled area) to celebrate the World cup victory in 96.

The country needs to take a leaf out of the cricket team's work ethic and unity. They all work as a team without any bias on racial or seniority grounds (unlike many south Asian teams). With a good mix of players from different religions or races.

Along with this with people like Sanga alway stressing on preparation and to play with integrity and dedication is a modern day throwback to the smash and grab and winning at all costs mentality.

The lack of the two factors mentioned above have been the main cause of the decline of morals and values of Sri Lankan society on a whole ( there have been notable exceptions though ).

Come on people, lets learn to live well as well as we play (well)!

Thank you for a very nice article. Being a Sri Lankan, it was a great complement from the big brother across the straights.

Well, We love our cricket and our cricketers no doubt. They are real good role models and very down to earth people. It was only recently i stepped in to Odel shopping complex and at the door was Kumar Sangakkara. I stopped and allowed him to move forward first. He said....no, you first. I said "Kumar please go ahead". He said..."no after you". Such is the simplicity of these world reknowed players. We all know the largess of Sanath Jayasuriya, Mahela Jayawardena and Murali. They have never forgotten their roots and always makes it a point to contribute to the benefit of establishments that has helped them to come up in life.

I sincerely hope our Sri Lankan players will abandon the IPL and tour England next year. It is within their right to earn as much money as possible during a playing career. But for us Sri Lankans, moderation is what we believe in.

There is no denying that the Sri Lankan cricket team handed out a hammering to the Indian team. But merely on the strength of that, to declare them the "most underrated and under-appreciated top quality cricket team in the world" is a bit over the top considering that their best performers, with the exception of Murali perform very well at home, and struggle to come to terms with conditions away from home.

Sri Lanka's success is largely at home, whereas the much maligned Indian team - by the comments columns, that is - has had excellent success away and home in the last 8-10 years, so much so that in that respect they are second only to Australia.

Those cribbing about India's cricketers forget that in the space of the last five years, Australia have lost only two tests at home - both to India, and only once in the last 25 years have they lost at Perth, again to India.

Congratulations to Cricket SL for their success. Now how about replicating it away?

Excellent article!! Ashok has interpreted the Srilankan's passion for cricket really well. For Srilankan cricketers, upto now, cricket is not everything in their lives. It is just an important part. With all due respect to the rest, I also attribute their humble lifestyle to the faith of the majority Srilankans.

Although, I could not agree to many decisions of Arjuna, the administrator, I fully agree with his comparison of T20 cricket to 'instant noodles'. He was quite right in saying that the Indian cricketers were still in the T20 mode while playing in the 1st test.

Just recall the way Sehwag, Gambhir and even Sachin's approach. They all wanted to hit Mendis (and Murali) out of the ground! Dhoni's absesnce was badly felt behind the wickets.

My only hope is that Srilanka criket authorities will not organise a T20 tournament in the island in the footsteps of England, South Africa and Australia in the future.

Reading your article brought me some tears to my eyes. We used to get thrashed by all the countries played against us. We got used to this type of losing so it was a common factor to us.

The 1996 world cup changed the course of the cricketers and the sport loving public in Sri Lanka. We were on the rise and everybody loved the cricketers. Players like Sanath, Kalu, Aravinda, Arjuna, Murali, Vass, Mahanama, Hashan, Gurusinghe to name a few changed our attitude towards the game.

There were time we lost and times we won. We felt sad when we lost but gathered for the next series. When the team toured India in 2005, we lost the one days and test very badly. But all of us knew it's difficult to beat India in India and it's not us who are playing but our cricketers and they know how difficult it's when playing in the middle.

Our Media has a big part in educating the public by giving some valid points when we failed or win. We love Cricket and our present and past Cricketers!

It's a brilliant article.,"Hats off for malik" for being neutral.,
One thing I can confirm is that most of the Sri Lankan players if not all of them are very humble, and down to earth.,They would basically entertain anyone for a auto graph or a picture with them.,and etc.,

But the same cannot be said about players from other countries.,and even thier spouses.

On one instance few years back at london heathrow when the Indian team was flying out to India, at the world duty free counter this so called proud lady dropped an item and expected the staff member to pick it up for her, since it was not the mistake of the staff memeber, she refused with this rude request.,for which the attitude was. "Do you know who I am.? I am Saurauv Ganguly's wife"

Even then very politely the staff member refused her request, and later on even the floor Mnanager had to get involved in this very unfortunate incident.,
If I was there when she said she was so and so., My answer would have been " So What"

The Sri Lankan team deserved its victory in the 1st Test. As an Indian, I'm rather taken aback by the media and public criticism of Indian team especially, its batting. Cricket in India unfortunately has a fanatical following. Few really understand the nuances of the game. For instance, I'm not sure any of the armchair Indian critic is aware of the last time a Test team was exposed to 2 unorthodox spinners, one of whom was playing his first Test and therefore a completely unknown commodity.

Few can imagine the difficulty as a batsman when there is sustained pressure from both ends with such a bowling attack. It's a reality that sports is not a culture in India; most people don't play any sport so they find it that much more difficult to fathom the vicissitudes of a sport.

As for Sri Lankans, perhaps it's their cultural moorings which have a significant Buddhist leaning that makes them more grounded in victory or defeat. I would never grudge a Sri Lankan victory, even against India.

Well..I am an Indian (and tamil to boot). Sri Lanka is one country that has fascinated me a lot with its abundant natural beauty (reminds me of our very own Kerala though).

I have a little exposure to SL and the lifestyle of her citizens and it is completely Dravidian!(In my part of India we can occassionally see the SL TV channel Roopavahini and I formed my opinion based on that..would love to visit the country one day though!).

Coming to Cricket, SL has made amazing strides from what they used to be in the mid eighties (the days of Don Anurasiri, the good looking Guy De Alvis, the Ratnayakes, Mendis and of course Ranatunga). They always had the flair and were super fielders. But somehow they used to fail at the winning post.

I remember one match (at Sharjah?) against NZ played in early 90s which Mahanama captained where Gurusinha fought till the last ball (but they still lost by 1 run) and he had tears in his eyes.Nice to see SL win consistenly now.But dont count us out yet :)GLuck!