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Sri Lanka has the most interesting team in the Cup. They open with Sanath Jayasuriya, the arch-heretic of modern cricket: he breaks every rule in the book and yet he is one of the most effective ODI allrounders in contemporary cricket. He plays nearly every single shot with the bat angled and the bat face open, and he lifts the ball more often than he plays it along the ground and despite this he's probably won more matches for Sri Lanka off his own bat than any one else on that team. Upul Tharanga is a good partner for him: he had a wonderful tour of England and hit two centuries in the Champions Trophy, so if Jayasuriya gives us a half-decent swansong, Sri Lanka's likely to be off to some great starts.

The captain, Mahela Jayawardene and his predecessor, Marvan Atapattu are better at the longer game but they've adapted orthodoxy to the needs of one-day cricket and when they're in form, they make reliability seem a graceful and attractive quality.

Nationalism aside, Kumar Sangakkara is my favourite cricketer. His record in Tests is better than his ODI record, but an average of 36 and a strike rate of 75 is very respectable for a top-order player who also keeps wicket. But that isn't why I like him. Like a good desi I'm a sucker for anyone who talks a good game and I've never heard a cricketer speak as lucidly and impressively as he does. There's a two part interview on Cricinfo with Sanjay Manjrekar where he's so sharp and so fluent that he makes Mike Brearley seem inarticulate. And unlike Brearley, this guy can bat—he averages over fifty as a Test batsman—and keep wickets.

The one thing this Sri Lankan team seems to lack is an intimidating batsman who comes in after the openers and can, if required, take the game away from the opposition with pure aggression. Aravinda de Silva came to the wicket at Eden Gardens during the semi-finals of the 1996 World Cup, after Sri Lanka had lost a couple of early wickets, and destroyed us. He just decided that the bowlers had to go…and they went. Sangakkara might become that sort of batsman in time, but he isn't there yet. Australia is a great team because Ricky Ponting can walk in after an early wicket, watch a couple more fall and still go for the bowling as if it were business as usual. (The Indian team is particularly bad at dealing with the loss of early wickets: despite the enormous experience and talent in the batting line-up, its instinct is to hunker down like a besieged garrison.)

The Sri Lankan bowling is a constant delight. Chaminda Vaas, little more than medium now, is a canny old fox and his batting gets better all the time. Dilhara Fernando reminds me of the tall West Indian quicks of yore, right down to the bounce he gets off the wicket and the stress fractures. Facing Fernando and Lasith Malinga operating in tandem must be weirdly disorienting: one minute the ball's steepling down at you from eight feet; the next second your radar's trying to home in on a low flying missile slung at you from under five.

After his destruction of the West Indies in the Champions Trophy, Farveez Maharoof seems a real prospect though he'll have to compete with Dilhara for a place in the eleven. And then, of course, we have the great man himself, Muttiah Muralitharan. Sri Lanka missed him in their tour of India before the World Cup, though to be fair to the Indians, they're such good players of spin that Murali's never really been a mortal threat. But the man has more than four hundred wickets at twenty-three runs apiece at an economy-rate under four runs an over. If you were picking the bowling attack for a World IX you'd pencil him in right after Glenn McGrath.

So speaking strictly as an alien, I want to see an Australia-Sri Lanka final. And should the Sri Lankans win, it'll be nice if they don't take the trophy off to be blessed by the Buddhist clergy like they did the last time they were champions. Murali, Farveez, Atapattu, Malinga and the rest of the team do their best for Sri Lanka, not for some majoritarian Sinhala Buddhist state. Nationalisms that exalt a dominant faith dishonour the collective effort that makes team games special. They should have no place in cricket.

After all fumed aat you as Indian patriot, now you start to be an asian patriot. Make journals reviewing every aspects clearly,
I understood one thing
Australia is the ultimate team to beat. A team can beat Australia when bad luck rues the team work for Australia. Dont you agree if England and SA or NZ makes final. Sri Lanka is also a tough contender, but be ready if bangladesh upsets a game in group, one sub continent team should watch super 8 in TV. The team that delivers the best will win the cup. If you write journals, please make unpartial comments. You made a previous blog that Lara and 11 dwarfs, For such biased comments, i wish none of the subcontinent teams should come to semis, the champions trophy semis should be repeated.

I simply disagree that Patriotism should be involved in your choice of the team I support. I cop a lot of heat for supporting New Zealand, being an Indian. To me the sport has always been greater than any Nation. Even when New Zealand play I only wished they won but I know the team that plays well should win. To explain myself: It goes back to that semi-final in 1996 when I felt betrayed by eleven players representing my nation. There was no fight, we merely laid down our weapons and to top it off the crowd misbehaved to doubly insult the sport. Every time NZ takes the field - they are far inferior to the quality and skill that most of the top 8 teams have. But take a look at their record. They do what they do very well, they never give up. The game is on until it is over. Besides, you never count them out even if they need 150 runs in 20 overs with four wickets in hand. All that aside when India plays Pakistan- I know which side of the fence I am on :-) As far as Sri Lanka goes, I think they are a very strong unit and they should be one of the favourites to win it.

It was like a breath of fresh air reading Mukul's comments on the Sri Lankan team, especially because it was emanating from a non-Sri Lankan. I listened to Sangakkara's interview with Manjrekar, I whole heartedly agree with Mukul that he is the most eloquent and articulate speaker amongst the cricketers and also amongst the commentators.
Be that as it may, I do not know what the future holds for the Sri Lankan team in the world cup. But it is a joy to see them celebrating on the field with such enthusiasm. The England and the Australian teams used to react very formally when taking a wicket. But it has changed now. There is jumping, screming and hugging. Did Sri Lanka influence it?
I think the whole world rejoiced(except Australia) when they beat Australia in the 1996 world cup final. It is mainly because they are a team the whole world loves and not a team that the whole world loves to hate. Hope Sunny would like to comment on this.

Good article! Just a factual correction: India did not bat first in the 1996 semi-final!

A very good article, but a strange ending. Why should it matter to any bystander what the rituals are of the Sri Lankan cricket team, true there are many members of the team that are non buddhist, but Sri Lanka is a majority Sinhalese Buddhist country, and as such tradition is prevalent. Its simply a ritual, a team always obtains blessings before leaving for foreign territory, I'm not religious in the slightest, but if you're looking at an example such as Pakistan, they are a muslim country and their religion is shown prominently on the field, some of there players were initially Christian, but those players had no quams. Religon has no place in cricket? but sure, cricket is played by such diverse nations, that there will always be cultrue gaps, and in South Asia religion determines culture. Go Sri Lanka, or else, West Indies, You can always enjoy a fairy tale ending.

This is by no means in retaliation to the thoughtless and random comment that Mr.Kesavan has made at the end of his article, to quote "It would be nice if the Sri Lankan team does not take the trophy to be blessed by the clergy in Sri Lanka" . To satrt with I do not think any player who participated in that glorious win had any thought pleasing any country or state (Buddhist or otherwise).They played the game hard and won.Every sigle player, whether they catch a batsman out by desperately holding onto a ball with speeds upto 154 Km /hour or score a century or even a fifty looks upto thank their own gods and that includes all players of any sport of any religious persuation.I am sure as a team they might visit a place that is holy to a given nation but in the final analysis it is their personal gods that they prey to and rely on and count on.I am left wondering what random thought process drove you to make this comment and at such a crucial time!! Was your intention to create tension within the Srilankan team. I wonder!All in all this article which is obviously written by an alien possibly to be read by aliens , only succeeds in delivering a backhanded compliment to the Sri lankan team and most of all to the players who has worked so hard to get here.This comment also begs the question " would it be much motre nicer if the trophy was to be taken to be blessed by an Alien God?
WHAT DOES IT MATTER WHAT ONE DOES WiIH SUCH AN HONOUR AS RECEIVING SUCH A TROPHY, AS LONG AS ONE HONOUR THE PLAYERS AS WELL AS THE GAME WHICH GAVE YOU THAT TROPHY AND TAKING IT ONE'S PLACE OF WORSHIP IS THE ULTIMATE HONOUR THAT ONE CAN BESTOWE ON IT.

Just a correction on your comment about the 1996 Semi-Final between India and Sri Lanka. We, Sri Lanka, batted first and scored 252. India started collapsing when Tendulkar was run out by the 'keeper, Kaluwitharana, when he attempted to take a run from a sweep-shot. Then when India started self destructing and were 8 down for 100+, the crowd started rioting and threw things on the field.

Excellent post Mukul.

As I am deeply patriotic, I obviously wish for a Sri Lankan victory. If Sri Lanka isn’t affected, I will always side with the underdog in a good close game. If a team runs away with the game I then feel cheated as I want to see the two sides battle it out to the end.

I do also agree with your statement regarding the Buddhist Clergy. The clergy bless the team on departure on any overseas assignment and it has now become a tradition as opposed to a religious ceremony.

Srilanka at the moment seem a fantastic and rejuvenated outfit under Jayawardene. They most probably will make it to the semi finals. But to see if they can go beyond those boundaries, we need to see how the middle order performs in the league and super eight matches. If they get back into form with the likes of jayawardene, silva and arnold firing on all cylinders, then definitely there is no stopping them. This world cup is going to be a battle of the middle orders and all- rounders (as always) more than anything else. And that is the only problem srilanka faces. Their top order is good with sangakarra coming in one down. Their bowling is great with vaas, maharoof and murali. Maharoof has clearly come off age and looks international standard. But, are they good enough to stop a very good team such as Australia or South Africa or as a matter of fact India is the big question. Remember, the Indians always up the ante during the world cup. So beware of them! If I were extra terrestrial and were to be supporting the SriLankans I would be pretty nervous about their prospects of lifting the cup yet again.

This is really a sill article from a person who can't put his thoughts into the right place. It is very strange for me to see someone else supporting him saying that sport is greater than a nation.

I think Indian spectators behaved like that because there are people like 'Venu'.

As someone who cheers Sri Lanka, I was gratified to see Mukul Kesavan generously support my team. Mukul focused on the weird and wonderful unorthodoxies seen in the Sri Lanka team. That in itself makes you want to cheer for these guys. They are like a troupe of circus entertainers all having different 'acts'. No other international team comes close!

Mr. Kesavan closes with an uncharacteristic bit of vitriol. I personally don't see anything wrong with a bit of religious blessing. It's pretty harmless, I think, and I say that as someone who thinks that organized religion is mostly bunk. I am sure that Hindu and Christian priests in Sri Lanka joined Buddhist monks in blessing the Cup in '96. The blessings simply confer local cultural legitimacy; it should not be confused with parochial ethnocentrism.

Yesterday I saw some video footage of Indian supporters prostrating themselves before Hindu temples and a photograph of the Indian three-headed lion symbol being graced by the portraits of Ganguly, Dravid, and Tendulkar. Nationalist, of course, but no harm done! Surely one expects nationalism when there are countries playing other countries. As a Canadian I am ticked off when I hear Americans bellow 'USA! USA! USA!' in support of US teams or participants but, upon reflection, it seems to me that it is better to allow this venting of steam, this expression of harmless nationalism.

Sri Lanka vs. Australia in the Final --- now that's a thought to savour! I want Sri Lanka to win but, failing that, it will be great to see the West Indies triumph.

It is a good article.like everyone, i wish Srilanka to lift the cup.It is a land with differences in ethnic,language and religion, but when it comes as a nation all the people there decorates under one roof,SRILANKAN.Their team spirit, dedication to the game and discipline on and off the field were very high.they are in good form and all the players are in form and w/o any injuries.Their strength is that they dont play as collective individuals, but as a individual team. thats make everyone to love the lankans. my full support to the islanders.

u seem to have written this in a hurry.very poor and abrupt ending.what about the weaknesses of the team?

Me thinks the extra terrestrial is biased- To a large extent, bowlers have worked out jayasurya and have managed to get him out in his strong areas. Malinga too is no longer a novelty, and Murali is not a real wicket taking threat though he does manage to restrict scoring in the middle overs

Why only buddists get blessed when the SL team is leaving... if you acually look at it players like maharoof, arnold etc stand away from the ceremony which is shown on tv. who blesses them?? they seem to have no say.. this is not being racist but the fact.. I am a patriotic sri lankan supporter too.. but there should be all religions or none involved.. and same occured when sri lanka won the world cup in 1996.. to end off cricket has no religion. Snagakkara and his english makes the whole nation proud. Com'on Sri lanka we r waitin u to bring home the world cup.. we deserve it more than anyone and it will be a fitting tribute to the ones who are playing their last world cup who have won matches for us single handedly.. GOOD LUCK BOYS.. lets show those aussies what we r made of... cheers

anyone but Australia to lift the cup... even 'Subedar Major' will do.

SL is by far a good choice for a team to win the cup though I do not see anything magical or overtly romantic about their team or game.

may this best win in a tough contest.

on religion + sports it is a choice to made by a team and country. no need to use harsh language against it. though personally i am against it. i feel that by highlighting religion overtly 'Subedar Major' has done more harm to the team than good. can't be very different for SL. a buddhist might see the blessing of the cup as tradition but for a non-buddhist it is not so easy. indians praying to x headed gods and y headed lions is a personal matter. the team did not go for blessings.

and by the way 'Subedar Major' has decided to speak only in Urdu. Another SL connection - remember the post on C Silva...

A very interesting article, do not be surprised my friend if your predictions come true.....We are capable more than ever.SL won in 1996 performing well in just two departments, batting and feilding. We had the worst bowling attack in 1996 finishing eigth placed in runs conceded and runs conceded per wicket.This tinme round we are a balanced side as mentioned and can be dangerous to any team if the front order does not cave in. The only area where the flaws are evident.
With reference to the religious remark I wish to add...
I wish all Sri Lankans will think the same (be united as when supporting the national cricket team)when it comes to sorting out our ethnic problem. When we all sit and cheer our team which represents almost all ethnic groups we must remember that they represent SriLanka as one. So let it be one nation but respect and accept all ethnic groups as one.As for the religious blessings those who know will vouch that all religions were represented. So please do not try to drive a wedge.A multi ethnic muti religious community will have the up-and-downs but if we are united we will concour all and sundry including the world cup 2007.

Sri Lanka have a balanced side, I will not be surprised to see them make the final. They have a good batting lineup and a well-balanced bowling attack. They do lack the lower middle-order batsmen who can hold together an innings in the case of a collapse or provide acceleration towards the end to make a total seem unreachable. Provided their upper and middle order play to their potential, they are a handful for any side. I still say, India is going to bring this trophy home, this is their year!

By birth I am Indian. But, by passion I am a Sri Lankan.

I fully agree with the writer. And, take it from me, we, sorry, the Lankans are going to lift the WC'07. They are the most balanced side and, unlike the paper tigers i.e. the Indians, the Lankans play for pride and their country.

It would be a tribute to the greatest UNSELFISH all-rounder (after Sir Gary Sobers)- Sanath Jayasuriya - if the Lankan Lions win on April 28, 07.

Long live the Lankan Lions.

Mukul's analysis will warm the cockles of the heart of any Sri Lankan supporter. There was no need to spoil it all with a vitriolic comment about the Buddhist clergy. What is wrong in receiving a blessing from anyone? I am pretty sure that the Sri Lankan team in 1996 was blessed not only by the Buddhist clergy but by the Christian Church hierarchy and by Hindu and Muslim clergy as well. Above all they were well and truly blessed by the people of Sri Lanka. Anything wrong with that Mukul?

thanks Mukul for some inspirational comments.Well i personally believe subcontinent cricketer are the most delightful ones to watch sans great west indians few years ago.I never forget the bowling hearoics of Walsh and Ambrose. well that is history. i will be delighted even bangladesh made it to the final no matter what. being a sri lankan i would love to see sri lanka play Aussies in the finals but i do not mind any asian nation doing that.its not patriotism but pure arrogance and ignorance we must defeat. on the otherhand cricket is a great leveller and mind game. May the best team win!

You ve lost the plot Mukul.Poor start and a indeed a poor ending. The rest of the stuff was too common and ordinary. One more thing in this article you didnt right click on your mouse for synonyms.:-)

I agree with Krishna. This piece is not quite as rich in its texture as the previous two. The previous articles combined the strengths, weaknesses, idiosyncracies, history, and prospects of the subject team into a very delectable offering. This one is kind of uni-dimensional...there isn't that richness to savor, that complexity to disentangle, that subtlety to applaud, that edge to intrigue (and drive many a poor soul to the brink of incoherence in framing their responses). Mukul, like the Indian team will surely be asked to in the coming weeks, I ask you to dig deeper. We want the magic, even if it brings the worst out of some of your readers. Cheers!

Mukul: what's the whole point?. Every team in this competetion can fancy their chances on a given day(other so called "extraneous" factors not withstanding)

it is enough for a team to get their acts together for couple of months to lift this trophy.
what set australia apart was that, they maintained that standard since 1999 in both forms of the game!

Good article but its ruined by the ending. The winners of trophy should be entitled to do what ever they want with the trophy and its unjust for you to criticize their religion and their beliefs. If India wins this trophy, what would they be doing when they return home. Would they take it to a Hindu temple along with their entire team and be blessed? Or have they all been westernized now?

As a Sri Lankan Buddhist I commend you for your article. I agree one hundred percent around your rationale about the non Buddhists in our side, to bless the trophy, or indeed the team, smacks of the very same pseudo nationalistic/religious bigotry that we as a nation need to move away from.

C.Mallawaratchie – To suggest that the author is trying to create tension within our team is absurd, if you, like me, have had the pleasure of reading Mukul’s blog over the last few months surely you’d be able to see that his opinion is consistently presented with grace and tact.

Krishna – “u seem to have written this in a hurry.very poor and abrupt ending.what about the weaknesses of the team”
Surely you see how ridiculous your statement is given the way you yourself constructed your post?

Good article.. Go SL go. SL should win it.
hey roshan, is it you from forumhub?

Mukul, I think your blogs are intended by you to provoke some reaction. I would like to think that your intention is to make people on either side of the issue you are raising air their views. If so, there is nothing wrong with that. I think it is good for promoting mutual understanding, be it on the subject of Lara's eleven dwarfs, or SL's breed of nationalism. So, you need to be commended for your blogs, however controversial they might turn out to be. (BTW, the eleven dwarfs haven't done too bad... huh? May be you provoked them... if they read your blog, that is. May very well be that that was your intent).

To understand Sri Lanka, you have to live amongst Sri Lankans... and not just for a short time. Looking in from the outside, it all may seem some form of nationalism that exalts a dominant faith. Nothing could be further from the truth.

In SL, followers of different faiths are known to participate in each others’ religious ceremonies. It is just a matter of relative degree (of participation). If there is one country in this world where religion is not divisive, it is likely to be SL.

The reason for this is that SL is truly a multi-cultural and multi–religious country. There is no jingoistic separation between ethno-religious communities. In my view, even the so-called ethnic problem in SL is not so much an ethnic/ religious/ cultural problem as a geo-political and economic one. That statement may well be controversial by conventional wisdom.

I very much doubt that the non-majoritarian members of the SL team, Dilhara Fernando, Arnold, Vaas, Murali, Maharoof, and others, would have a problem with monks blessing a World Cup. I doubt they (or non-majoritarian Sri Lankans) would view it as a dishonour to their collective effort. It is just a simple practice that expresses a simple faith... and faith need not be religious. In fact, it is likely to be more cultural than religious. (Those who are closely associated with the country might agree it has nothing to do with religion despite the involvement of monks).

It is certainly not an exaltation of a dominant faith. I do not believe that the dominant faith would have a problem if one of the minority faiths (Hindu, Catholicism, Christianity, Islam) would also want to bless the World Cup. (I would not be surprised if they have their own separate ceremonies that do not attract the same publicity. I would be very surprised if they are in any way prevented from doing so).

Like I have stated, you need to live amongst them. Do not look upon them through the lens of the much-ballyhooed ethnic divide (if that is what you may well be doing). If you do, you are likely to misconstrue many aspects of life in SL.

To suggest that it dishonours the collective effort is in my view a gross misjudgement of the Sri Lankan context. There is likely to be no such issue in SL. A problem arises only when we misconstrue their context... and make wrong conclusions about them.

There is nothing wrong with people anywhere in the world expressing their simple faith, beliefs, etc. so long they are not practicing them to the exclusion of allowing others to practise theirs’. I doubt this might be the case in SL.

Thanks for that Mukul. It's nice to see an Indian put aside his heart and write with his head for a change!I strongly feel that Sri Lanka can lift the cup - they've got the experience, some world-class players, an aggressive captain and coach, and, most of all, they are 100% fit - thanks to the excellent Australian physio that we have.I've already put my bets down on them. I do tend to agree with parts of your comment about the Buddhist clergy and all the song and dance that's made. Unfortunately, we don't live in a country like India, which values the diversity of it's people and respects that right. We are going deeper down the road of majoritism, due to the "frog in the well" attitudes of the majority of our politicians, who'll do anything to stay in power. All we can hope for is a just peace - Inshallah!!

I appreciate your comments on Sri Lankan team. But I'm really disappointed with your ending. This is a country where people from all the religions and ethnic groups enjoy equal opportunities. Nationalism is not in Sri Lankan dictionary but Patriotism is. We all treat everyone in a equal manner. Blessing by Buddhist priests is like a part of our culture rather than a religious thing. Do you know that the team was blessed by other religious priests once they won the world cup??? All the players in the Sri Lankan team are united like brothers regardless of their racial differences or religious differences. We love Sri Lanka. We love our society. We don't need a divided society. Please be careful when you write something because without knowing you may spread hatred. We know a lot of people want to damage the image of Sri Lanka. Don’t be a part of them because their intention is to destroy this beautiful country. Please show me another country where minority is treated better than in Sri Lanka. I hope you will study the facts more than this before you write something next time (not about cricket). Please don’t bring these topics to Cricket World. Thank you.

Like said before, I think its a very good article and the way you have talked about Sri Lanka, being a Indian is a breath of fresh air. But I definitely don't agree with the ending of the article, and thought it was very weird and unnecessary. Murali and Vaas are of Hindu and Christian religions respectively, but have been in the team for a long long time, and I'm sure they thank their own gods and pray to their own gods, but the blessing from monks is tradition and something that Murali and Vaas and the other non-buddhist members in the team obviously respect. Therefore I don't see a problem with it. A very good article, but a feeble ending!

well said. but should have left religion away
nothing to do with game.we love our cricket and
players not worrie about other matters.

Sri Lankans love their cricket and play it with a typically Islandish flair and passion. Every boy between the age of 5 and 15 plays cricket with his mates either on the street, neighbourhood ground or even on the beaches. I repeat, everyone. We play the game for its sheer entertainment value as much as we play it for winning and losing. As a result, the team-spirit is very apparent even in street cricket. Very rarely you will find any grand-standing by any particular bully among the boys. You can see this in the national team as well. The giants of the team, Jayasuriya, Murali and Vaas are some of the humblest cricketers in the world. Though they give their heart and soul to the national team's cause and play with a lot of national pride, none of them are paid multi-million dollar ad contracts. As a result, the fans are also very appreciative of their effort and nurturing in their support. Very rarely you will find public outcry against a capatin or the team's performance. Regardless of Mahela's bad form at present, Sri Lankans are very supportive and sympathetic towards him. They persist with their faith in him. I think all these elements somehow have a sobering / relaxing effect on the way the Sri Lankans play their cricket for what it is - after all a game. If I may say it, they are sort of the Windies of the 80s with respect to popularity among other cricket fans, especially among other South Asians: The 2nd favourite team after your own national team, though the lankans are nowhere near as dominating as the 80s windies. But this underdog tag makes them even more appealing to cheer for.

IMPORTANT DISCLOSURE:

For those who have visited Mukul's previous topics might remember that I have been a very emotional, biased and unashamedly nationalistic supporter of Sri Lanka. So much so that I got some heat from Aussie bloggers for my biased comments. As such, I don't think any one here would question my patriotism.

What you may be surprised to know is that I am a Hindu Tamil born in Jaffna - the hotbed of Tamil Nationalism and a region that is currently being carpet-bombed by the SL Airforce. I am also of a personal view that the Sri Lankan state and a disturbingly large section of its buddhist sinhala majority are hell-bent on preserving and projecting the sinhala-buddhist hegemony over other communities and religions - using whatever the state power they have, military or otherwise. But that is a different topic for a different audience.

Having said that let me share my view on Mukul's provocative final paragraph.

I don't think there is any thing wrong with the custom of having buddhist clergy bless the team on its departure as it is "a part" of the traditions and faiths of the people and a large number of its team members. But note that it is only "a part". There are other traditions and faiths in that country, namely Hindu, Christian and Moslem traditions, representing 30% of the population and, more relevantly, almost half the team. For a diverse country such as Sri Lanka, a country that is in the middle of a bloody ethnically and religiously charged civil war, team members and authorities should be extra sensitive and be more inclusive in carrying out such religious practices involing cricket, a game that is widely considered as one of the few unifying elements left in this beautiful yet cursed country. If for nothing else, at least for the symbolism it represents. The minor matter of a multi-religious pre-departure ceremony would have gone a long way towards further uniting the country and its people to come together to support its most representative and united entity - the national cricket team.

Instead the authorities and the government choose to conveniently ignore or (refuse to invite) the Hindu Priests, Christian priests or the Muslim Clerics to such events. Chaminda Vaas, a christian, has gone on record about his disappointment over this topic. There is an unverified rumor that Dilshan (originally a muslim) converted to buddhism to be better recognized by selectors. And what is even more disturbing is that there are a few sinhalese brothers in this blog who would rather defend it as the right thing to do since Sri Lanka is a "majority buddhist" country.

At this hour, when fellow tamils are being indiscriminately carpet-bombed out of their homes by the almost exclusively Buddhist Sinhalese SL Army, I am digging deep into my sense of patriotism and brotherhood with my fellow Sri Lankans (buddhist, christian and moslem) to forget our differences in supporting my country's cricket team in the WC and to whole-heartedly rejoice in its success. To this end, Seeing Sanath being blessed with Vibuthi (Holy Hindu Ash) by a Hindu Priest similar to how a Hindu Murali was blessed at the airport by a buddhist monk would have been heartening and gone a long way in healing my wounds. Instead comments from fellow Sri Lankans on this blog claiming that Sri Lanka belongs to only the Buddhist Sinhalese or that an exclusively buddhisht ceremony is acceptable, goes against all that the great religion of Buddism stands for and makes it painfully disappointing to read. Somewhere deep down... it hurts and leaves a bad taste in the mouth. Somewhere deep down I fear that such comments would deny me the "absolute" joy and satisfaction that I want to feel if/and when Sri Lanka lifts the WC in 6 weeks. Somewhere deep down, it reminds me of the reality that was eloquently summed up 25 yrs ago by one (in)famous tamil rebel: "If JAYAWARDENE was a true buddhist, I wouldn't be carrying a gun".

Oh well...what the hell...I love my boys who are fighting the battles in the caribbean. I love sanath, vaas, murali, Chamara, Sangakkara, all the same. They played on the streets I played and they played the school cricket I played and they also cheered the school teams that I cheered....and they love the country that I love. So what if my captain, Mahela, shares the same last name as the president who ordered his thugs on my people to kick-start a bloody civil war in the name of buddhist sinhala pride?!

I may not ever consider him (JR JAYAWARDENE) even as my president, but Mahela JAYAWARDENE is my beloved and favourite captain right now and I want him to win more than any one else.

My fellow Sri Lankan Cricket Fans...I am rising...trying to rise above our differences...help me...and help yourselves...to rise...if for nothing else...for our proud boys in the caribbean who are unitedly playing for all of us...and the world loves them for it...so, let us not embarrass them with our petty differences and spoil the coming moments...lets savor them...another world cup is 4 yrs away and who knows how many more wars we would fight among us in those 4 years

Another day in Paradise isle for a hopelessly idealistic Sri Lankan!

Mukul, your article was very encouraging to read, especially as a Sri Lankan. However, I do not know why you had to change track and bowl a bouncer at the "strange" practice of taking the trophy to the Buddhist clergy. Do you expect the Pakistanis who are openly religious on field to do anything less or anything else? Buddhism is Sri Lanka's majority religion and most of the players are very definitely practicing Buddhists. Some are not. Have you seen at least three of the players signing themselves with the cross before they bowl / bat. What religion do we think Maharoof comes from? I am not a Buddhist, but I think your comments are a little distasteful. I am quite happy to read your blog, as it is perhaps one of the better renditions in todays criscket blog world, but this time you bowled a bouncer, perhaps a beemer! Sorry mate, i thought I had to say it.

nice post Mukul.

Subjectively i wish for a Sri Lankan victory.But if i also be a total alien, i wish the WestIndies win it.think WestIndies are the most modest and humble nation when the fans and player both considered.They TOTALLY enjoy the game, dont worship the players.

About the latter part about the religion. I don't see anything wrong with that blessing.It only made the occasion little serene.Its a tradition and Kovils and church in sri lanka dont mind it...
Term >>"majoritarian Sinhala Buddhist state" came from reading some bad new papers i think.U should read the facts and dont believe some crap shown by media.

Nice post anyway...

Now lets look at the downside of Srilanka. A Jayasurya who can be planned out. A captain woefully out of form. A pace spearhead in Vaas who is much older than what he was eleven years ago and nowhere as good. A master spinner- again who was a mystery eleven years ago, but whom people have learnt to play safely for about forty runs in ten overs. Against any team that has a balanced attack the current Sri Lankan team will struggle. As for the beauty of hitting, give me the west Indians or the New Zealanders any day. Even Indians like Utappa, Yuvraj, Dhoni and Sehwag play more attractive cricket. With Bangladesh playing the way they have been, I have the suspicion that they will be in the super eight this time around- at the cost of Sri Lanka. Just like Lara and the ten dwarfs may end up walking away with this years world cup.

It's very refreshing to hear from a non-Sri Lankan, that we have a chance at winning the trophy..and especially surprising since he is an Indian. True SL -Aus final would be the the best ever.. but realisticallly lets hope SL can make it so far...its not that i dont think v can do it but we don't seem to be consistent enough thats probably why v start off and the fade as the tournament progresses...having said all that SL rocks....and i wish them all the very best!

Well ! Mukul your sentiments are respected and as a Sri Lankan & more so a cricket buff , I too believe that the team has a chance of going all the way but the captain needs to quit talking and start performing , himself to achieve that . However I do believe that your remark on the buddhist clergy and all that was uncalled for .

nice comment
ya in the paper SL is the most dangers side in the word cup.
but still they hv to prove it.

Be informed and educated Mukul before pouring your prejudiced, ethno-centric vitriol on to an article about cricket. Going for blessings from the Buddhist clergy is not a chauvanistic act of ethnic domination as you seem to imply, it is an act of faith. You should also know that many team members visit Kataragama for blessings regardless of their religion, as it is the most sacred Hindu site in Sri Lanka.

If you look at two of the biggest stars in SL cricket in Murali and Sangakkara, they are both "hard core" Tamil and Sinhalese respectively, absolutely proud of their cultures. But unlike you they do not see it as a divisive element, but a combined collective strength where the weaknesses of one is covered by the strengths of the other. It is this spirit that invigorated and sustained the team throughout Murali's chucking controversy with Ranatunga putting his career on the line for a bowler who was only average at best at the time. It all finally culminated in the 96 world cup where everyone, but most of all the aussies, found out what being a Lankan was truly about

A well thought article.How ever a asian conventional idea has come to the end of the article.Try to understand the different cultures.Whatever they do it is according to their culture.Ever body every where does that.If one can understand that and give the due respect to others beliefs world will be a better place to live.So cheers to Sri Lanka team.Thanks Makul for the good comments

What else can one expect from the guy who has been praising the logic of taking Kartik to the world cup (leaving out guys who have performed well there in the recent past like Kaif, or even guys like Gautam Gambhir who on his day can take the fight to the opposition). Ah yes, the Sri Lanka team would give the view of a fast Fernando or Mallinga being despatched to the boundaries by batsmen of all test playing countries.

Great article.
I do not know why a couple of people have tried to correct Mukul by stating that India did not bat first in the 1996 semis. Mukul has not stated so in his article.
Yes, Sri Lanka for the World Cup.

(I had actually said in the original post that India had batted first. Some kind soul at Cricinfo corrected the howler in response to comments that spotted it. I should have indicated that a correction had been made. Apologies. MK.)

Sri Lankan's, the team with genuine smile and talent is the team for watch. They play with style and elegant. You will not see stressed and serious faces like Gangully/Dravid or tired and weary face like "Mcgrath" in energetic and enthusiastic Sri Lankan squad.
Its packed with big front guns of Jayasooriya, tharanga combination follows with class of Sangakkara and Mahela...
Spin wizard Murali and temperd Vass will give sleepless nights to opposition teams.

All and all Sri Lanka's is the team to watch. The team that bring smiles to genuine cricket lovers if forget mere patriotism...

You dont have to be nationalist to say that India has a very good chance of going deep into the cup and probaly lifting it as well.SriLankans are a gud team and more so on paper but there bowling sans Murali is vulnerable.Lasitha is erratic, Mahroof at times pedestrian, Dilhara is good but will they pick him? There support spinners are still unproven.

A martian would... not know about cricket. Just a thought...

As a Sri Lankan, I've said it many times and I'll say it again: this is the best opportunity for us to win a world cup since '96. In '96 no one gave us a chance in hell of going past the Quarter Finals, let alone win the world cup. We did it then and for the time since December '95, I feel that we have the team to repeat it. Ranatunga expressed similar sentiments recently when he said that if we didn’t this time around, then we’d have to wait a long time for world cup success. Not for the first time, Arjuna is correct.

That said, I was really peeved by the last comment on your article, Mukul. Now I am not a religious person - and I find it funny that I am actually arguing in favor of religion - something I've always been against - but the comment showed that you had little or no understanding of the traditions that have become enshrined in Sri Lankan cricket.

Granted, Murali, Mahroof, Vaas and Dilhara Fernando (the latter two are Roman Catholics) subscribe to different faiths, I think (and hope) they'd be the least worried about what post-victory celebrations would be like back in Sri Lanka. The English cricket team got drunk and were paraded around London for winning the closest (and arguably best) Ashes series in recent memory. We ask our monks to bless the team after a significant victory. I see nothing wrong with that.

To finish off, I suggest you write an article on India’s ridiculous over-hyping, deification of their cricketers. A country of one billion that resorts to mass praying for success in the world cup needs to be explained to the rest of the rest of us, lest we think that this future super-power takes simple escapism a bit too seriously. As a social historian, I am sure you'd do a better job writing on that than pass half-baked, slightly ignorant comments on your neighbor.

You might also be interested in knowing that both Marvana Attapatu and Malinga are Buddhists. You article also missed out in mentioning the two most prominent Christians in the squad.

Apologies if this comment seems to be written by one who is irritated, but your conclusion was written out of ignorance and I had to point it out.

The rest of the article was beautifully written, if somewhat repetative, based on a similar sentiments you expressed in another article.

Fare analysis except, perhaps, your personal opinion on religions place in sport. Sri Lanka is the most diverse team no doubt in that; distinct personalities of contrasting religions unconditionally respect each other and battle for the glory of one Nation. I think it’s the humility of the Sri Lankan personalities on the world stage that makes them amicable to ‘an alien’. That’s my reasoning anyway. However, no team should take this characteristic, attitude, trait lightly, if you do, you will not know what hit you. I hope anyone except Australia wins. Ideally a sub-continent nation or the Windies!

As a Sri Lankan, I thank you for those benevolent sentiments. I only wish you had thought more carefully about the ending !
It was almost as if someone else had written the end, why bring race and religion into one of the only things that trancends those terrible barriers that continue to haunt our country.

Very nice of the article writer being an Indian to be honest about his thoughts. Being a Sri Lankan I am a bit more skeptical. We are a great team no doubt but we dont have players in the middle order who scares opposition bowlers. Sheer image I mean. Take India. You have Yuvaraj & Dhoni. Take Pakistan you have Inzy & Yousuf. Take Australia you have Symonds & Clarke, Take New Zealand you have Oram & Maccalum. Take England you have Peterson & Flintoff. Take South Africa you have Boucher / Pollock & Kemp. We dont have those kind of known hitters to send jitters down opposition bowlers. Where we will do well is if our batsmen put up good partnerships with decent strike rates and Sana plays a cameo at the top we will almost always win. What we lack is the ability to win games from the middle order. This is an area which if exploited will put us in a lot of trouble. Anyhow the mental strength of the team is such that they may even chase a 400+ score to win. Hence its going to be interesting watching my country play.

Congrats to Mukul on his objective assesment of the Sri Lankan team! Although I would love to see India repeat the derring-dos of the Kapil Devils, I have no iota of doubt that the Lankans are going to lift the Cup this time. If some rationalistic being, devoid of nationalistic anaesthesia, can ponder the following points, arriving at the obvious conclusion wouldnt be a difficulty:

1. Sri Lanka's exploits in Australia during their last successful tour made the Aussies(I still remember the massive six the newcomer Kapukedara clobbered off Brett Lee in Sydney)shudder at the looming threat of Sri Lanka winning the WC--07. Hence, they came up with a deliberate and desperate ploy to take the steam off this World Cup by going down to England and New Zealand in a string of unusual defeats. This prompted the least-intelligent Cricket pundits, mostly Aussies, to go to town with the slogan: "This WC is OPEN to anyone, as Aussies are on the wane." Not surprisingly, they found quite a few 'experts' to parrot the Aussie-engineered tom-foolery! If my imagination is not running riot, I have little doubt that the move to keep Brett Lee out of the WC too was strategic and calculated, knowing fully well that there wouldnt be sting in his deliveries in the Caribbean, as they do in English and Australian rubberised pitches. Those apart, the uncharitable and unprecedented remarks of Martin Crowe on Murali's action, a couple of weeks before the WC, seems to be handywork of the Aussies. Luckily for the Lankans, the smear campaign did not generate the desired result.

2. Everybody in India believes that India defeated Sri Lanka in their last tour. On the contrary, it was Sri Lanka which defeated India by lulling us into a complacency. For instance, the Lankans, without their two main strike bowlers, restricted us to an average score of 250. Again I may sound bit wild. I strongly believe that the four main Lankan batsmen got out cheaply in all their outings to prevent us from getting any practice of chasing a score excess of 260 against their bowlers. In doing so, they also derived the richest experience of making their 'lower order' come up with a decent fighting total. When it came to bowling, the Lankan bowlers employed a faulty bowling line to give us false confidence and hope. This they did not once, but twice(in their previous tour too)to lull us into absolute complacency, as they are wary of our batting strength. In fact, the Lankans were planning against us ever since the WC schedule was announced!

If you find my thinking naive, please hold your breath till March 23. I know I am ABSOLUTELY CORRECT!

Excellent article and fully agree with your final comment. But then again, if the Buddhist clergy in Sri Lanka did not get involved in cricket and politics and did what they are actually meant to do (mundane things like preaching tolerance and helping us rid ourselves of hatred), Sri Lanka would not be in the mess it is in now. However, we are more likely to win the World Cup than than reforming the Buddhist clergy. What is that about power corrupting?

Despite being a SL fan I think 7 other teams also have a good chance at this World Cup. When too many people back one team they get it wrong. In 1996 only Sir Richard Hadlee said SL will win the cup - nobody else did.
It is unfortunate that a religeous twist has being given to this article. If one comes to a national event in SL you will find all 4 religions (Buddhist, Muslim, Christian & Hindu)given equal prominence - because we are a secular country. If Mukul saw the 1996 WC being blessed by the buddhist clergy (may have been given the 1st chance as 70% of the population are buddhists)he forgot to continue watching - to see it being blessed by the other three faiths!

Thanks Mukul
As a indian he proved SL Team is the most success team to handle Australia / SA / WI Teams.
By the way good luck for Indian Team also...

I think what he tried to show us is how four different players from four different religious background could still play as one unit for the country; Murali (a Tamil/Hindu), Farveez (Muslim), Atapattu (I think he thought Atapattu is Catholic but I don't think he is and in the event Atapattu isn't Catholic, he should/could have picked Vass or Arnold to make his point) and Malinga (a Buddhist/Sinhala).
Very well done my friend for posting this, especially as an outsider he claims he is. Because no matter what other narrow-minded people would say, even in year 2007 the truth is it is hard to separate state from religion, your personal beliefs from your political affiliations, your ethnicity/race from your everyday life affairs, such as the job you possess, people you hang out, and yes sports from your religion/ethnic/racial background !
Believe me; a multiethnic country like Sri Lanka which has been involve in conflict for decades, if not for centuries, needs a sporting event like this at least once in a while to reunite its citizen under one flag, one team, under one country (isn’t it true that even Prabarkaran horary for the Sri Lankan side when we won the World Cup in 1996?? isn't it true that when the Parkistan visits Sri Lanka some Sri Lankan Muslim fans support the Parkistan team??).
I mean think about it, I bet around 75% of Sri Lankan cricket fans who is going to watch this World Cup have not been to some parts of this small island in their entire life time !! When are you going to see an end of the Guerilla war?
So once again, my gratitude goes to this Indian who had balls to say what finally needed to be said; two thumps up for you brother !! Be this sport event become an eye opener for the country that is so divided at least for one day (hopefully that day be the Saturday April 28, 2007 !! lol What a New Year gift that would be for the country if our team able to lift that World Cup one more time, right??)

I was over the moon when Sri Lanka won the cup in 96. It was the first time a team had opened with 2 pinch hitters. It was exciting to watch.

One thing I will never understand however is how so many people drag politics and religion into cricket... or sport for that matter. Honestly who cares? I for one do not, what really matters is how you play and results. What the players would like to do is entirely up to them.

Whatever happened in the build up to world cup, When Sri Lanka moves in to a big occation, You could always expect the unexpected. Every player in the team lifts their game up, that on a given day Australia is no match even to a week team in the tournament. They have got the best balanced bowling attack and if the middle order is upto there full potential, WATCH OUT,...

For A Right SRI LANKAN Victory...

Good article, Mukul. But even i feel like many others here that you should have reviewed their weakness as well. Or, correct me if am wrong. Do you mean to say SL has no weakness at all ;). And Anand Sharma, you give a complex to even Ms. Ekta Kapoor

Sri Lanka - Probably the best bowling outfit. (At least on paper)
Think about it -
Vaas & Murali are truly special, i dont think they need to be discussed, Lasith Malinga - even though can be erratic can also be devstating brings a dimension to the bowling attack that sri lanka never had. Mahroof if he performs to potential can be a dangerous late order slogger and useful bowler. Add to this Jayasuriya's capability with the ball and you got a great bowling attack.
The question is will Sri Lanka's batting click? If they do, Sri Lanka is going to run away with the world cup.
Having said that, this i believe is going to be a closely contested affair and the front runners are - Sri Lanka, South Africa, India & of course Australia.
By the way Pawan - Nothing justifies the way the Indian fans behaved in the Semi Final of the 96 world cup. It was just not right!!!

Your final paragraph took the gloss of the whole comment. It was heartning to hear all the praise about our team from an alien but the last bit was totally unnecessary.
GO LANKA GO!!!!!!!!! U CAN DO IT!!

All of us know that Sri Lanka is not going to win the world cup this time. Get real. They are really entertaining on the fielld... much like portugal who are an excellent team to watch, but world champs this time, they are not. Even India is much stronger than them. I bet west indies makes it to the semis and possibly beyond.

what was that about the ending?? totally out of context, and doesnt do justice to a fairly done article... as a critic of u, after the rubbish u wrote about windies, take it as a compliment. Windies Feilding was a joke u said?????

as long as we win the world cup, am sure the non bhuddists in the team wouldnt mind one bit.....

Sri Lanka is in a very good position this time since they have 4 top class run scorers from last year and 2 exprienced bowlers.Sri Lanka have peaked up at the right time and would be a major threat to the Aussies. The middle order clicked right on time in the tour of India and this is last chance for Sri lanka to win the title for another couple of years and this is a very balanced squad and as a Sri lankan support lets hope for the best!

In 1996, we were real underdogs! Nobody even
talked about Sri lanka's chances, other than a
Sri Lankan. Things have changed during two past
world cups.　
As I believed in 1996, I believe we have a
great chance to get to the final and lift the
world cup in 2007.
For that everyone has to perform well when
needed. Everytime Jaya can't win matches single
handed. We need to have plan B when A does not
work. Although most people did not give due
credit to Guru at that time, someone has to play
his anchor role. Who is going to be the anchor
this time or different anchor everytime?
We have a real balanced bowing with Vass,
Malinga, Murali, (+Jaya and Dilshan -
allrounders). However, the middle order is not
solid like 96. So we have to add allrounder like
Arnold and Maharoof as insurance.

The Sri lanka – India match in the first round is
the key match that we can predict chances of Sri
lanka to win the world cup. If Bangladesh does
not make an upset, the points of that match will
be carried to super 8, making the task easier to
get to the semis.

We should not praise Sri lankan team too much.
Sri lanka has won when they were called
underdogs or in tougher circumstances more
often. When they are together as a team with
self belief, they always can win now. This
mental toughness is not second to even the
Australian team.

No matter it is a real praise or a backhanded
compliment, we should know our strength and
weakness. Although we are a multi-cultural team
and a multi-cultural nation, if we play as a
team with different roles for different
individuals, we can win.

i feel mukhul kesavan is flattering sri lanka in order to tarnish buddhism exists in our nation ,most people like him trying to single out sinhala buddhist customs as sort of religious oppression.if such exists vass & dilhara won't have a chance to mark the Cross before bowling.Even ceremony of blessings by buddhist clergy involved other clergy too! so to speak think about india's so called secularism before preaching to others.

I do agree with article but not with the ending. SL has the best balanced team in the world. Very good openers, middle order back to foam, very good wicket keepr, powerfull bowling attack, best spinner by distance,one of the best bowling attacks, very shrewd captain,very good support bowlers. Lots of experienced players. A good genuine fast bowling allrounder (Mahroof). The best opening fast bowler in ODI"s. Well what else you need. I think srilanka is the clear favourites on paper, but cricket is a very funny game.

i agree with kesavan and NON VEGETARIAN.

The blessing by the buddhist monk should be allowed ONLY if other religiuous gurus were to be present to appreciate the existence of other religions in the team and in the country.

it just goes on to show the dominant mood of the Buddhist Sri Lankans and goes a long way to explain the civil war.

anyways, GOD (Allah/Shiva/Buddha/Jesus - hope you get the point - they are all ONE!) bless SL and may they win the WC!!!

i think there are many many chances of winning th WC for SL....; considering there recent form.
In to my mind the only GAME recent they need to consider is the game on 23rd.
If they get through it...thats it...I don't think Australia or South Afria is a problem for SL ...especially in carribean picthes

i predict that india and bangladesh will qualify for the super 8s!!!!

"If you find my thinking naive, please hold your breath till March 23. I know I am ABSOLUTELY CORRECT!"
Anand, if we follow your advise we won't be alive to witness this amazing prediction! LOL!!

Hey fellow Sri Lankans and cricket fans. Which forum do you guys use to talk cricket? After the TMS board shut down I've lost touch with all of you. Are there any good forums that you use? Thank you.

your comments reminds me that recent Gavaskar's post on 80's west indian team, truely we loved the way they play and wanted to see W. indians holding the troopy if Sri Lankan's out of reach of winning. Seems such a positive image is creating around about the way Sri Lnaka Play the game, welldone Sri Lankans. go and get Australians.( becouse no body enjoy the way they play the game.)

I see where you are coming from 'Pawan' - because I don't think that any nation is greater than the sport, I therefore, would have no issue insulting the sport itself by supporting a nation. A very well constructed argument. And by the way, did you read or did your band-wagon patriotism prevent you from reading and understanding my post?

SL won WORLD CUP in 1996. Can you analyze the situation. SL were 4points on the opening ceremony when the WC commenced. And SL performed in QF and SF which is a kinda Knock out. In realtime Lets see if SL can perform in Super Sixes or Super Eights. WC96 is just a crap with just a fortunate day turns to party. My comments abt WC96 is that if SL played the games against aussies and Ambrose driven WI in either India or Pak due to security concerns, SL shouldnt have even lifted the CUP. SL must be happy with the fact they tour WI when Ambrose and Walsh retired, else those both can break the complete batting backbone of SL. Sri Lanka now got the right stage to prove they can compete. they must justify their triumph is no fluke in WC96, take 2003 Super Sixes, SL had Zimbabwe, Did they win against Australia or India. take Semis, all believe they are the only team who could overcome Aussies, and what happened? Oneday game is 75% team work and 25% luck. Luck will not always turn fortunes unless you make comtributions. else SL or any team other than Australia can hope for rain or D/L rules to increase their furtunes. Beating aussies once is not a landmark. competing them at high level is what is required. i think SA or NZ have good chances

Srilankan Fans, concentrate on game and teamwork not on pitch conditions. OK. Good Luck for you. its not SSC or Premadasa Stadium with Srilankan umpires officiating the ODIs

Lanka should win the WC easily - The other teams are either too over-rated or are jus gona choke as usual during the cup. WI, Eng an India r a disaster waiting to happen an SA and NZ are too over-rated and Pakistan are jus in a total mess. Only da Aussies ave da potential but they havent got a decent spinner though I expect Hogg to claim many against Scotland and Holland. Common sense ses Lanka should win the cup but in ODI Cricket anything can happen - doubt it though.

Yeh your right SL look good on paper but they'l have to prove it on the field though I expect them to win their group quite comfortably with probably the Bangladeshi's beating the Indians as the 'surprise' of the tournament. In the Super Eights SL should then defeat NZ, WI, Pakistan, England and South Africa and I'm expecting an Australia - SL Final which should be a classic (the two best teams on paper facing each other). Howvever, as I stated this is all on paper and SL will have to prove that they are the worthy Champions. Should be great viewing.

As I have said in many other blogs on this site...This wc is a very long one, one that will test the professionalism, focus, deficiencies and even the "Plan Bs" of the teams in case of injuries. Yes, luck will always play a big role but to a lesser extent in this one. But not many teams have all the above mentioned attributes to survive through the six weeks. Australia, SA and India are the most balanced and have the fewest of holes. SL has some gaping holes and I am very concerned that the big guns will easily exploit those during the super 8s. We better fill those holes as solidly as possible and as soon as possible.

Cheers
Suku

please delete my signature in my previous posting. I'd like to keep writing as "non-vegetarian third party" ;-)

I would like to commend Mr Non- vegetarian third partys comment as one of the best I have read this year. As a fellow lankan i really liked his words and his passion for the country even in the midst of all this killing and sadness. The country need more people like this who support it even when its at its lowest and keeps willing it to have better days and futures for all its commnunites. Keep it up Mr Non Vegetarian!!

Its a shame to bring religion, race, politics to this game. These are the only reason why other countries beat us Asians. The writers who have played their part on promoting them are a disgrace to the society.

Coming back to Cricket. Sri lanka has a chance to win like the other eight countries. The beauty on this world cup is there are No clear favorites. Sri lanka could go all the way if the top 5 players fire. Have to say the form of Mahela is a worry. He is one weakling in this team. Also I dont know how Marvan can fit in to this side. He looks to me a real passenger at the moment. Malinga is a powerful weapon. Using him properly could break or make the Bowling attack.

May the team that plays best cricket win!!

Dear Mukul, you have refreshed the thoughts of a big cross section of readers.We appreciate your article and I appreciate our Sinhala,Tamil & Muslim brothers who take sports and the country before any nationalism. Events like World Cup 2007 will definitely bind us together as ONE COUNTRY ONE NATION and we will determin to walk forward hand in hand for the progress & well being of all Sri Lankans regardless of their ethnic or religious diversity. After all we are Sri Lankans.....Thanks Mukul for bringing this enthusiasm among all of us. We wish Good Luck to India & the other sub continent teams too ...

What a wonderful write up by our Indian friend.Just to share a thought I've been having for quite some time ....in my opinion Sanath Jayasuriya should be named "The greatest One day Cricketer of all time !"..(just compare his allround capabilties & stats).

Also this majority religion intimidation should be done away with ...there's no denying the fact that this exists(unfortunately in our Sports as well as day to day life).

Shehan.

Nice comment Mukul but sad ending, but then thats the whole problem with us Asians, we cannot keep our eyes on the ball we have to stray and spoil the whole effect, you would not be remembered for you fair comments but for the "relogious comments". A piece of advise, DON'T GO DOWN THAT SLOPE.. ITS VERY VERY SLIPPERY...

Srilanka -- the winners ? Oh Mukul cmon....There should be some logic behind it....They are the team who win against minnows emphatically, their players have great outstanding records against minnows (443, 398 etc), their greatest offie bowls more against Zim and bangladesh than India or Australia.....To Vaas the keeper stands up to the stumps, their new face is at max a multi coloured haired blonde who pays more attention to his hairdos than line and length....The likes of Bandara or Arnold or Dilshan are expected to strangle Indians ? Oh cmon, get real.......SL might have won in 1996 but they won on default in the semis, dint play against Aus and WI as this 2 teams forfeited the games, unfortunately the rules of the tourney allowed them to win,else they were not the deserving winners.....

Batting : Their captain is out f form, he hasnt got a 50 in last 20+ inns, the in and out opener Jayasurya is no longer the threat he was in 1996 ....He blasts few 50s and 40s quickly and then again 100s against minnows........Last quality 100 for him ? way back in 2004 against India......Look at their record against minnows as compared to other teams like India or Australia...In bowler friendly conditions, the batting fails.....Against quality teams SL fails.....(1-6 and 1-2 defeats against India, 0-2 defeat against Pak in SL, they even lost to bangaladesh in 2006) ? Only bright record...5-0 win against England and few emphatic wins in Champion trophy against minnows (again)........

Srilanka are good for minnows world cup, they wud win hands up by breaking all records in bowling and batting, perhaps vaas would bowl them out for 1.4 overs with figures of 10/0.....Or Murali wud bowl 10-10-0-6 against any minnow or for that case Vaas would take triple hattrick , Sanath would score 200 too, but with good opposition, this team wud be ripped......Put Zaheer, Ajit,
mcGrath, pollock before this minnow bashers.......And you would know where SL stands

Interesting article. As for the ending of the article, it has nothing to do with cricket, and i believe there is a traditional send-off ritual done in all major relegions in Colombo before such tourney. Any Colombo dwellers can update us based on local media reports?
This SL team is good; my money is on Sanath, Chamara and Kumar. And if there is an option to make Mahela play as a 'non-playing captain' i would like to see it happening..

I listened to the interview of Sangakara too with Sanjay and it was one of the best I have heard lately. He was fluent, smart, composed and knew what he was talking about. I agree that Sri Lanka is one of the favorites but I have 4 teams before that. My favorites in order are, India (Yes, being an Indian my heart will always be with them), West Indies (If not Sachin then Lara should win the Cup once), South Africa (It seems its there time but I am not sure if they are good enough for West Indian pitches), New Zealand (I always liked their team) and Sri Lanka...

Shehan has never seen any matches from his comments that sanath jayasuriya is the greatest oneday star of all time. look the runs and ave for jh kallis. i dont think jayasuriya is closing in on him. Beware srilankans, when Murali is gone, you will find it hard to win in your own backyard with International umpires officiating tests. MURALI, the one and only match winner for Srilanka outside subcontinent. rest all are subcontinent lions but cats outside subcontinent.

It was interesting to read Mukul's article and the comments afterwards – especially by the large number of Sri Lanka’s who responded. To start off, let me state that I am Canadian, Buddhist and originally from Sri Lanka. First on cricket. I think Mukul is being a bit charitable to Sri Lanka here. Yes, Sri Lanka does play entertaining cricket, but so does the current Indian team. For example, take the last India-vs-Sri Lanka ODI series. Indians played much better and more entertaining cricket. On average, they batted better and bowled better. If that series is any indication, I would take Indians over the Sri Lankans to lift the cup, come April 28. To win the cup, you need very strong middle order batting and I feel with Yuvraj and Dhoni, the Indians have a much deeper batting line up. Although India does not have a bowler of the stature of Murali, their bowling side is not chopped liver either. The biggest worry for the Sri Lankas must be the form of the captain Mahela. If he repeats what he did in South Africa in 2003 World Cup, Sri Lanka can forget about advancing in this one.

Now on to the very last bit of Mukul’s article, about faith, Buddhism and cricket. I feel that he probably was not aware of the cultural subtleties of the multi-religious society that is Sri Lanka. If he had lived there, he would have understood that it was just a blessing, nothing more – nothing less. I don’t think anyone in Sri Lanka would take that action as trying to impose the majority’s religious view on the non-Buddhist team members. Most important events in Sri Lanka start with a religious blessing and being a country with a Buddhist majority, these are mostly Buddhist prayers. However, there are many events, where when other religions are present, non-Buddhist prayers are also offered as a blessing. Sri Lankan national team probably is the most diverse of all major cricket playing countries. I have read about Vaas and Dilhara who are Christians and who does pray before every match. I don’t think anybody in the country (officially or unofficially) that has objected to that practice. Murali, a Tamil, is a national hero and so is Sanath, who is devout Buddhist. Cricket, in Sri Lanka is one activity that race or religion does not enter into the equation and I am certain that it will stay that way. In that sense, cricket offers the rest of the society very nice example of how things should work in a multi-racial, multi-religious society.