Sri Lanka Slip Sliding Away

Dilshan

In the post Murali, post Vaas slide which Sri Lanka - in almost Paul Keating parlance - were going to have, no one quite imagined them slipping so far towards the sudden tail bone thump at the end of the slippery dip in such a short time. Now, fifteen Tests later and still without a win, they can't find the bowlers to take twenty wickets and win a Test and when they do find them, they skunk their hair in post modern self-obsession and turn up only when it suits them.

Their batting is aging, the skipper third choice at best, their Board is bankrupt and first class cricket is suspended because there is no money to stage the games. Test players have been waiting for months for back payments and few young players are emerging of Angelo Mathews ilk - players with enough lust for international competition to bridge the other chasm of frailties which is Sri Lankan cricket. It is only now apparent that Murali's greatest contribution in his last three years wasn't his still prolific wicket taking exploits but rather his wallpapering over deep, disturbing cracks which remaining heroes like Kumar Sangakkara can no longer hide.

That's the last fifteen Tests.

Today, the track in Durban is green, South Africa are hot and the tourists are further into the malaise they arrived with. Tillakaratne Dilshan announced player replacements last week but his money strapped Board not only ignored him but denied his claim publicly. Such circus tricks would render captaincy untenable elsewhere. Dhammika Prasad may return to the side, three years since his last Test with a record of 16 wickets in eight Tests at an average of 58. Hhmmm. Dinesh Chandimal, a youngster with fair performances in the shorter forms of the game, may debut for wicketkeeper Silva who has disappointed since replacing Prasanna Jayawardene. The top order is well below its best and the captain can't decide where to bat, having lost the ability to score runs. Sangakkara has been the only light to shine, but even he wasn't switched on until the second half of 2011.

The Jolly Green Giant have the minor injury worry of Vernon Philander: minor, not because he isn't important to the attack but rather because his wounded knee bears none of the seriousness it did for Spotted Elk and his band of North American Indians. The batsmen are full of runs and Villander full of wickets against a side which struggled to 300 runs in spending 20 wickets at the Centurion slaughter house.

The only mitigating factor might be South Africa's poor recent returns at Kingsmead, where Australia, England and India have won the last three Tests since 2009. Even so, a Sri Lankan victory would be the Test cricket equivalent of the Titanic resurfacing and coming back for another go at the iceberg.