ON their four previous tours of Sri Lanka, the West Indies have been blighted by one setback or another.
The solitary Test in 1993, the first between the teams a dozen years after Sri Lanka’s elevation to the status, was restricted by a swampy outfield in Moratuwa to less than 12 hours play; only one of the three ODIs ran its course.
In 2010, Sri Lanka’s heaviest and most widespread rainfall in 18 years caused floods and landslides that displaced 300,000 people. There was enough play in Galle for Chris Gayle to accumulate his 333 but, overall, fewer than half the overs were bowled in the three, drawn Tests. Ultimately, the three scheduled ODIs were abandoned and the West Indies returned home.
The one trip unaffected by the weather, in November, 2010, brought the joy of Brian Lara at his glorious best in a fascinating contest against Sri Lanka’s spin wizard, Muttiah Muralitheran. It was counter-balanced by the home team’s 3-0 clean sweep of the series.
The left-handed maestro’s Test average had dipped below 48 following 15 innings without a hundred; he announced that he intended to raise it back above 50 in Sri Lanka. Even for Lara, it seemed a ridiculous assertion. The magic figure was reached with his second innings 130 in the final Test at the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo that followed his 221 in the first innings. His tally was 688 in the six innings at an average of 114.66.
Lara apart, Muralitheran’s prodigious turn, teasing flight and clever variations allied to the left-arm swing of Chaminda Vaas exposed the frailties of the rest of the batting; they accounted for 50 of the 60 wickets. Later, Muralitheran classed him as “the best player that has ever been”.
The fifth is following the pattern – and there is no Lara.
The latest team arrived in Colombo last weekend, underprepared after four months confined to Caribbean Premier League (CPL)
