by Reemus Fernando
Cricket had been the last resort even to tranquilize the spirits of war-tired battalions in the hearts of bloody Basra. What the war veterans resorted to with the introduction of Basra-Ashes was brining together England and
Australian soldiers in a desert cricket match. The concept is tried here too with juvenile cricketers. But the attempt is not to toughen them for battle fronts, but to reawaken a friendship lost and to build a bridge between two regions that has been separated by a thick river of blood, shed for over decades.
A combined North and Eastern province teams will meet a Colombo District School team at the Police Park today. Having battled it out on matting wickets in the war torn peninsula, the cricketers of Jaffna will play on a turf wicket for the first time.
`We have been playing cricket from the time we could hold a bat, said a cricketer from Jaffna who played in the Battle of Jaffna big match last March.
Despite war, cricket has gone on. Weather it`s played in the backdrop of historical Jaffna library or in the hustle and bustle of busy Colombo there had never been a rivalry between cricketers. Though century old cricket encounters between schools are ironically called battles, it`s always friendships that have developed through these games. While Cricket legends of Sri Lanka meet together at SSC today it is ideal that these two outfits meet together on such an auspicious day.
Reaching Colombo via
Sri Lanka Air Force planes and spending a few days in the capital will be the luckiest days in their juvenile years as cricketers. `It is a whole new experience. We soon felt the change of atmospheres, said one of the seven cricketers soon after a practice session at the Colombo Colts on Monday.
People moving freely even at night night shops selling `thosai` and religious places filled with devotees even in late twilight hours around Wellawatta is a far cry from the situation in Jaffna where evening curfews and routine checkups are the order of the day.
`We feel lucky to have got this break,` said one cricketer who is eager to play against a Colombo side. However their biggest worry will be their lack of turf wicket experience. `We don`t have turf wickets in Jaffna. We play on matting,` said one.
The infrastructure facilities the Colombo clubs have has impressed the youngsters from Jaffna. `The facilities you have here are wonderful. Though we have practice wickets they are concrete wickets. Here you get turf wickets for practices, said another.
However, a close look at the personal best performances of these players suggests that they could give few troubles to the Colombo lads when they meet at the Police Park today.
Walter Iruthaga, a speedster from St. Patrick`s College, Jaffna has a stunning nine wickets for nine runs against Mahajana College and an unbeaten 101 against Hindu College as his personal best.
Wicketkeeper batsman Kulendran Shelton of Central College, Jaffna has 128 against Hindu College, Kokkuwil and 7 catches against Heartly College, Jaffna as his best figures.
A seven wicket haul against Mahajana College and 168 against Jaffna Central by Shivasubramanium Vinoth of Manipay Hindu College, 153 scored against Jaffna Central College by Kurapalasingha Nishaharan of Skandavarodya College, 89 scored against St. John`s College by Jeykanth Senthooran of Jaffna College another seven wicket haul by Vidyalingam Puwaneesan of Mahajana College and 114 scored by left hander Masilamany Harapraveen are the other best figures of the Jaffna lads who will make a combine team with cricketers from Eastern Province.
