Sanath is not the reason we lost – Stop hitting a man when he is down !

For all those ungrateful morons who keep jumping up and down screaming that Sanath Jayasuriaya is the reason we lost, needs to head their heads re-examined.
A few years ago those same morons were rooting for “Sana” when he was smashing attacks all over the place.

Sanath is past his prime and should have retired. Somehow he was chosen to play, and was an epic failure. But he was just one player. What about the rest ???
Didn’t they fail as well ???
When Sana was winning us matches on his own, nobody complains, but when he failed one tournament badly, all these dicks are having a field day.
We Sri Lankans love to bash a person when they are down and going through the darkest moments in their life.

I don’t give a shit about Sanath’s politics, nor his affiliation with Mahinda. When he steps onto the field, he is a cricketer.

Appam Chutiya, Sangakkara and the IPL

Appam Chutiya (Sreesanth – a name coined by FakeIPL Player) has made Sanga’s captaincy skills look even more ridiculous. For some reason everything that Sanga touches turns to shit these days !
Malinga who was sensational for 2009 and the current IPL season under Sachin, has gone no where under Sanga. I don’t know if it has to do with his field placings or the way he handles him, but the point remains that Sanga was unable to get the best out of him. Sanath (all though seems to have hit a bad patch) has been terrible under his captaincy, while he did score a few hundreds under Mahela. Mendis also suffered under him – not just bcos of poor field settings, but also due to poor wicket keeping from Sanga. I am not blaming all our woes on Sanga, but it seems something is a amiss. Under Sanga Appam Chutiya has gone from bad to worse and Sanga just continues to allow the guy to bowl. The only other bowler who can challenge Sreesanths status is our very own Dilhara Fernando. I think they are brothers from different mothers !

Anways lets hope Sanga learns a few hard lessons before the T20 world cup. It was just ironic to see Chaminda Vass bowling him for a duck during the Deccan vs Punjab match on the 19th. He had all but discarded Vass, but the man is currently the purple cap holder. Vass is still our best new ball bowler, and what he lacks in pace, he makes up with clever tricks and experience. He is not a death bowler (we have Malinga for that), so using him in the latter stages is simply idiotic. Gilchrist made the same mistake as well. Let the man bowl his 4 overs at a trot and pick up as many wickets as he can. I sincerely hope Vass (and Sana) continues to do well.

Why Australia Never Had Shane Warne As Captain.

When the Royals won the first IPL season, the pundits wasted no time in pointing out that Shane Warne was the best captain that Australia never had. They waxed eloquence about his tactical acumen and his extraordinary ability to get something out of a bunch of unknowns. But anybody willing to look beyond the haze could easily see that the bunch of unknowns were infact competent performers in their own rite, who would have performed under any captain with a little bit of balls. While the batting revolved around Shane Watson and the hot-cold Yusuf Pathan, the bowling was spearheaded by Sohail Tanvir. Young Jadeja was a star in the making, who is now a regular in the Indian ODI side. To be fair it should also be noted that Warnie infact tried to lead by example. He wasn’t afraid to show his affection and support to young players, by putting his arm around them when they were being carted around. When the heat was on he exuded a sense of control rather than resorting to screaming or biting nails endlessly, a skill likely acquired at the poker table rather than on a cricket pitch. When he talked about helping the youngsters in the team, he did project a sense of sincerity that wasn’t really seen in him before.

All being said and done, the next two seasons showed why he wasn’t really the kind of captain that Australia was looking for. With the 2009 season about to unfold in South Africa, Warne was still busy trying his luck at the poker table. If one is to talk about distractions and poor team preparations before the start of a season, then one doesn’t need to look beyond that incident. Another troubling aspect is his apparent favouritism shown in getting his friends aboard at the expense of the team goals. A case in point is the signing of Damien Martyn while letting go of Jadeja (all though it seems Jadeja is partly to be blamed). Martin is an elegant batsman all right, but his acquisition, well after his retirement seems more like Warnie giving his friend a retirement gift of $100k while he still has some influence with the Royals management. Signing up Darren Lehmann in 2008 was another such example. The dude was so out of shape, it was hilarious to see him painfully moving around the field and then dropping an absolute sitter in one of the matches. He sat out the remaining games and then was let go. All that money spent on him was an absolute waste. It would have been better spent on a youngster like Jadeja that actually made some contribution. Apparently this hasn’t gone unnoticed – check this cricinfo article.

One reason why the Australians were the number one team for such a long time, was due to the administrators being able to pick the right captain. They always backed the right horse, by selecting somebody with a stable private life and a reasonable amount of intelligence, rather than their best player. They fully knew the repercussions of having a captain who’s a tabloid sensation. All though Warnie had a tendency to spin tabloid headlines with his less than impressive behaviour off the field, I doubt it was the only reason why he was denied the captaincy, especially given the fact that he never allowed his off field troubles and behaviour affect his performance. I believe his trash talking personality, his lack of discipline and commitment to team goals may have also played a role. One could argue the above examples from IPL is not a good indication of how he may have behaved had he been the captain of Australia instead of a high profile domestic team. But then again IPL has very high exposure and commands the same amount of following as high profile international matches.

Jayasuriya into politics? why or why ?

Perhaps reality is sinking into him and is thinking about life after cricket. Perhaps he is misled by some folks or maybe he has genuine intent to help the people of Matara. What ever it is, I think it’s a terrible choice. Politics in Sri Lanka is not for gentlemen no matter which party you decide to hang out with. This immensely talented man has seen a sharp decline in the last year or so. Even though I want him to go forever, I think reality is catching up with all of us. So perhaps we can’t blame him for looking for a life after cricket.

I think his IPL contract is expiring after this season, which probably will not be renewed. AFAIK he was not recalled by the Nashua Dolphins for another season and he has found work in lesser leagues in Singapore etc. Kind of reminds me of the Wrestler movie. I thought he had one last hurrah left in him for the world cup, but if the last few internationals are any indication, then there isn’t much hope left. As any loyal fan, my hopes went up when he got back into form in the inter provincial match against the combined X1, but since has not had much luck with the bat. I hope the spell he bowled against the Kandurata team will keep his chances alive as an all rounder. It remains to be seen what the selectors think when the time comes for the T20 World Cup. Perhaps he may come back to form during the IPL. His reflexes may have slowed down a bit, but I think the man still has the luck and the magic.

Either the way I wish him luck. Maybe he might be able to make a difference to his home town. But I think deep inside, he himself wants people to remember him as the swashbuckling batsmen that helped us win the world cup, rather than Sanath the politician. I hope he protects that legacy.

Sinhalaya modaya – LTTE supporting tamils are laughing from their backsides

The LTTE supporting diaspora tamils seems to be overjoyed while we sinhalese fight among ourselves. This is the story of our nation.
We love to betray each other and fight among ourselves while the rest of the world continues to shove it up our asses.

The tamilent article here is happily reporting that the general was beaten and dragged away. They are laughing at us from their backsides.
When will we realize this???

Arresting Fonseka is a mistake

As VIC has also stated, I think it was a mistake to arrest Sarath Fonseka.
Sarath should be defeated politically, not by imprisoning him. I think it’s unfair to say the least. After all this is a man who worked hard to default the LTTE. He almost paid with his life for this. So the man deserves better.
I was also appalled by the way he was arrested. It should have been done in a dignified way. The manner in which he was arrested gives the impression that vengeance and humiliating him was the goal.

This will only give the western counties more talking points and reasons to interfere. This will give another reason for the lacklustre opposition to rally it’s supporters. Why the government is trying to spoil it’s own mandate is beyond me. The opposition was floored during the presidential elections and their unholy alliance was broken with UNP deciding to contest on its own. Now the government has given them a potential theme for the general elections. They may again unite using this as a reason.

I don’t think this will sit well with the general public either. The maha nakaya thero has already condemned this. All though the common man (irrespective of party affiliation) will not riot, they may silently register a protest in their minds and it could potentially manifest in the general elections as a vote opposing the government.

An incredible article about Abdul Qadir

Abdul Qadir was the first spinner that I saw on TV and the one that I would rate as the best. He may have not gotten as many wickets as Murali or Warne, but he’s up there against the greats.
I don’t think there is any other spinner who could bowl a googly just the way he does.
Here is an interesting article about the man.

SF Lost, Ranil Survived – (Ranil Has Survived To Fight Another Day At The Expense Of Fonseka)

All though SF lost and UNP’s voter base eroded further, Ranil has yet again survived to fight another batter.
However I think the “maha janathawa” are also not oblivious to the fact that Ranil promoted SF, due to his inability to face the election on his own.
But then again the people of Sri Lanka are known for the their short term memory and perhaps Ranil is banking on that.

I think the result is more a rejection of the unholy alliance of Ranil, Mano, TNA, Hakeem etc than a personal verdict on Fonseka. The alliance never really gained any trust due to the shady past of all the leaders involved.
People recognize them more as opportunists than real leaders and they were united for all the wrong reasons.
I also think people were not oblivious to the fact that the Mahinda administration has wide spread corruption, with jumbo cabinets and clowns like Mervin etc. But people still recognized and appreciated the political leadership and courage shown by Mahinda during the crucial stages of the war. They appreciated his achievement in defeating the LTTE. Had he not shown courage against overwhelming odds, the LTTE would have survived to fight another day.

All though the maha-janathawa has a favourable opinion about Mahinda, I doubt they do so about the rest of the people in his government. So the parliamentary elections may take a different tone.

Update : Ranil says it’s a free and fair poll – Ranil has no shame.

I supported Mahinda, but I am very disapointed about the deception and lies spread by his campaign

The last minute lie spread on state media using Wimal was indeed a 3rd class tactic. I certainly believe any victory achieved by MR will be devalued by these cheap tactics.
Sri Lankan elections are all about lies and deception !!
The campaigns for both candidates are built around either lies or facts that are totally irrelevant. Perhaps the people who run these campaigns are idiots, or may be the “mahajanathawa” are idiots.
I certainly think we are all idiots, for we keep tolerating and promoting this despicable culture.
I am disappointed beyond words !!!

Is The West Encouraging A Regime Change In Sri Lanka?

Maybe, but perhaps not to the same extent as what Wimal Weerawansa is claiming it to be. I don’t think the West is of the opinion that SF is more amiable than Mahinda, but SF seems to be the only candidate capable of ousting Mahinda. Following is an objective look at why the west may want a regime change.

Why US would care
I really don’t think the US would give two hoots about the LTTE or the civilian casualties. But I think they are somewhat concerned about the close ties Sri Lanka has developed with China. A fact that was not lost, when the following senate report was issued, recommending a more a cordial relationship with Sri Lanka. For those of you who wonder what strategic value Sri Lanka has, it’s placed in a strategic geographical location which is very close to international shipping routes. US does have a history of encouraging regime changes both overtly and covertly in nations they deem unfavorable to their overall goals. Historically UNP governments had a pro western outlook. So I wouldn’t be surprised if they approve of an UNP backed candidate, but I doubt they would go beyond that. Even if they throw money into the fray as claimed by some government politicians, I doubt it will have any effect. It all depends on the votes, so I don’t think it’s as scary as what Wimal is trying to portray.

Also the average Sri Lankan is not anti-US and would probably like to see a cordial relationship with the US, especially strong trade ties.

Why Norway would care
It’s no secret that Norway had a very favorable approach towards the LTTE. There wasn’t a sizable tamil population in Norway that could carry a swing vote during elections. So I am not sure what strategic value they saw in favoring the LTTE, other than perhaps the oil deposits available in the northern part of the Island. Norway also has an abysmal record in managing conflicts. Sudan is a case in point. Most Sri Lankans, not just the government, have a less than favorable impression about Norway and have openly expressed it. Also the present government led by Mahinda withstood immense political pressure and managed to destroy the LTTE which clearly made Eric Solhiem etc.. unhappy. Norway also has a history of funding various elements through it’s NGO’s, especially the now thrown out Peoples Aid. So I wouldn’t be surprised if Norway plays an active role in encouraging a regime change by doling out money to whoever they think might make a difference. To me this angle seems far more credible than anything else. But again everything depends on the votes.

Why Britain or France would care
I don’t think Sri Lanka is of any strategic value to either Britain or France (please correct me if I am wrong). They do have a reasonably sized Tamil population and especially in London it did become a thorny issue with protesters. But apart from a local politician or two who is motivated by votes, I don’t think they care much about the Tamils either. If they are encouraging a regime change it would be more due to the cold shoulder given to them by Mahinda and Gotabaya than anything else.

Conclusion
My personal opinion is that the west would like to see a regime change on the 26th. However I don’t think they are actively seeking it apart from Norway. Even if they do, the impact will be minimal as they don’t really have any viable mechanism for influencing votes. The most they could do is to throw money to support opposition campaigns. The opposition could also use that as bribes to get politicians to crossover etc. But I still think the impact is minimal if the population of Sri Lanka use their heads to vote.