da aposte e ganhe： Flambuoyant wicket-keeper batsman Romesh Kaluwitharana has experienced aweek of churning emotions
da bet vitoria： Charlie Austin11-Dec-2002Flambuoyant wicket-keeper batsman Romesh Kaluwitharana has experienced aweek of churning emotions. Just days ago he despaired that his internationalcareer was over but yesterday he left for Australia filled with fresh hope.The selectors inexplicable decision to omit him from a provisional 30-mansquad prompted outrage in the media. Kaluwitharana was rightly axed afterSri Lanka’s tour of England for his inconsistencies but surely he remainedin the top 30 cricketers in the country.With Sri Lanka’s top order faring so abysmally in South Africa andKaluwitharana scoring runs heavily in the domestic one-day competition forColts Cricket Club the selectors were forced into a dramatic u-turn.© CricInfoHis participation in the tour was confirmed only hours before the team’sdeparture to Australia when the Minister of Sport was assured that he couldbe accommodated in Sri Lanka’s final 15-man squad for the World Cup despitehis earlier omission.As the team bade tearful farewells to relatives and friends, Kalu bubbledwith delight, that characteristic smile spilt wide across his cheeks.”It has been a dream come true.I would say it is a miracle,” said Kalu.”Seven days a go I was nowhere but now I am back in the side with a chanceof going to the World Cup if I grab this opportunity.””I am looking forward to the challenge.this is a very good opportunity forme. I was very disappointed to have been left out of the 30-man squad forthe World Cup but now I am very happy.”But Kalu is under pressure. The 33-year-old, who has scored 3463 runs at22.20 during his 177-match career, knows that he has to perform in Sri Lanka’s opening three matches of the VB Series.The players have all signed contracts valid only until December 22, a clearsignal that the three-man selection will act ruthlessly should players failwith the World Cup now fast approaching.”Australia have been a very good side for some time now and it is going tobe very tough – but it is a challenge that I am looking forward to,” hesaid. “I have to make the maximum from this opportunity.”Fortunately, Kalu will travel to Australia with fond memories. Unlike themajority of Sri Lanka’s top order, the right-hander averages more overseasthan at home, thriving on the quick wickets with his back foot game.He averages a healthy 32.72 in Australia after 11 games, statistics thatprovided heavy ammunition to the selector’s critics. Even in South Africawhere the World Cup is to be staged he averages a reasonable 29.Most of Kalu’s runs have been scored as an opener and he will now, rightly,resume his opening partnership with Sanath Jayasuriya, a marriage that firstflowered in Australia seven years ago.© CricInfo”Sanath and I started batting together in Australia back in 1995 just beforethe World Cup and it proved a successful partnership,” he reminisces. “I amlooking to repeat that this time.”During those carefree early years, when Sri Lanka possessed a toweringbatting line-up, Kalu’s batting knew only one style: all out attack. Itendeared him to fans but came at a price: inconsistency.Eventually, the axe had to fall. Sri Lanka can no longer afford to sacrificeearly wickets in the search for quick runs. Regular success requiresconsistent run scoring and the top order had to place a higher price ontheir wickets.Kalu claims to have adapted to those demands, increasing his productivitywith improved shot selection. This seasons domestic stats – albeit againstweak opposition – back this up.He has scored 450 runs at an average of 112.5, which is over 200 runs morethan the second highest run scorer. There have also been five half centuriesin seven games.”I used to go after the bowling right from the start but I believe that myshot selection is much better now and I am a changed batter compared to myearly days,” he says. “I am feeling very good at the moment and veryconfident.”Sri Lanka fans will dearly hope that he can replicate that form inAustralia. The team desperately needs an injection of confidence after apoor tour of South Africa – could the new Kalu provide the necessary spark?
