A bit late we know but here is a commemorative poster for the Eng v SL series which has been signed by Mahela Jaywardene and Rangana Herath – stars of the tour for SL.

The best thing about this is that the proceeds will go to the Mahela Jayawardene Foundation which helps kids in rural areas in Sri Lanka with cricket equipment. So this is your chance to help SL Cricket grow, even a little bit. We always talk about how much talent there is outside of Colombo, so this is a real way you can actually pitch in a little bit to tap that potential.

Here is a Preview of the poster

We wanted to capture the 20 years history of SL v Eng with a focus on the current tour that just ended. Hopefully you guys like it and support the cause.

It’s priced at $25 .

All posters are A3 Size – there are a total of 50 to be sold.

Uniquely hand designed by the lovely Shamanthi Rajasingham

Signed by Mahela and Rangana Herath

To buy click on the the Buy Now button below. You can use Paypal or your Credit Card. We promise not to use them to buy new cricket gear for ourselves.

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If you have any concerns Email me and we can sort them out.

“Nothing is more powerful than a well directed Yoker.”

“It’s time has come.”

“It could have been in Hobart but Malinga stuffed that up bad”

“It’s time is now”

So begins the Kohli 2012 video which has officially gone viral as of last night. With over 183 million hits in just two days the video has caused an overnight sensation in most parts of the world, except New Zealand, naturally.

The video tells the story about a very cruel man from the heart of Asia. A man, who in this year alone, has sent countless bowlers to the soft couch of a psychologist’s office. A merciless, angry man, who, if unstopped could destroy generation upon generation of young bowlers from ever seeing the inside of a dressing room, let alone a flat track tailor made for their destruction.

The story of Kohli is told through two young men, whose stories would touch even Steve Waugh’s ice heart. We are first introduced to a young boy from Sri Lanka called Malinga, who is shown sobbing into Mahela Jaywardenes shoulder. “Why? Why would he do such a thing. He told me he was my friend when I went to Dehli last time. Death would be better than this. Just take this pain away. Oh god”. Earlier that day Kohli had brutally taken apart Malinga at a strike rate of 293. It’s hard not to cringe when you say those numbers out loud. Watching Mahela trying to pat Malingas head through his thick mop is hard to watch, even for the most desensitised amongst us.

From there the story moves to a Pakistani named Wahab Riaz. “I knew he was on the move, but I could not have known the horror that was about to come. I wanted to retire in the middle of the over than bowl to him”. When told he was taken for 40 off 17 Riaz just stares into the distance with his lips trembling in silence. It is perhaps the censored imagery of Misbah Ul Haq, naked, in the streets of Mirpur, screaming into the night for answers, that truly hits home the wake of devastation Kohli has been leaving in his path.

The video though is not without its critics. The ICC themselves are calling it a fluke without actually focusing on the issue at hand. Many supporters of the Kohli 2012 movement are accusing the ICCs lack of support as arrogance about the videos success in introducing cricket to the USA, where it has registered a staggering 1000 hits. And it’s in the US, in the bedrooms of many teenagers, that the video has gotten the most attention. “I know he’s like bad nall, but he’s pretty cute. Bad boys are like so hot” said one teenage girl when asked about her thoughts on Kohli. Many young white boys have adopted Malingas hair do as a sign of solidarity.

Cut to a scene at a rural cricket ground in Sri Lanka where everyone in the team is padded up. There are no bowlers in sight. Teams have had to be disbanded because no one is keen on having a bowl anymore. A startling reminder of Kohlis legacy is captured vividly in a shot which shows a box of brand new red kookaburra balls left aside gathering dust.

The video comes to an end with the narrator trying to explain to his 2 month old baby about what Kohli has done to bowlers in Asia and possibly the world to come. He then sends his son into a room filled with thousands of cricket balls and one bat hidden amongst the  pile and asks him to choose. And the scene cuts to black.

The end credits are as follows.

“Please help us in stopping Kohli. You can do this in 3 steps

1. The power is really with you and your wrist and seam positioning.
2. Urge your coach to help you bowl Yorkers. And master at least 25 kinds of slower balls, bouncers and length balls.
3. You can also donate money to help bowlers like Malinga and Riaz through therapy

The time is now.

Actually wait until after England’s tour to India. Make sure you remember that.

The time is then”

Peter Roebuck has gone into one of his flowerly discourses about Sri Lankan cricket again. The article is generally a lot of doom and gloom. It questions Geoff Marsh’s ability to get Sri Lankan back on track and talks about the civil war which has become every writers muse these days.

For all the poetry, it doesn’t really offer too much in terms of constructive options about how Sri Lanka can get out of their current rut. Yes Peter, most Sri Lankan fans know we are on the brink. Do you have any ideas about what can be done about it instead ?

The way we see it. The Sri Lankan problem is two fold.

On one hand we have a captain who, as Roebuck points out, is not the best leader or men in the country and not even in the 11 that take the field these days. So what exactly is Dilshans problem. He is a nervy character by default. He can’t help it. It is in his blood. When things don’t go his way, he fidgets, looses focus and so does the team.  A clear example of this is his recent announcement that he wants to bat in the middle order now. Which may or may not have ended Thilans career. The Aus tour started with Dilshan trying to repeat his 2020 innings against the red ball. He failed and SL were caught with their pants down when Ryan Harris arrived. Then he tried to slow it down which didn’t suit his style and got all muddled up in his head. Then he came down to the order and got an 80 against a tired Aussie attack. In 3 games he tried 3 different approaches and now thinks that the one that worked must be the one he should stick with.

Where is the self belief he had just over a year or 2 ago. When Dilshan is batting well Sri Lanka is in control of the game. That is how important it is for him to open. This – try everything and stick with whatever gets the most runs is – Balls. It is the same when he captains on the field. Put faith in the bowlers, give them a field, be aggressive. This is how Dilshan should lead. Trust his instincts – because someone in the team should.

The other problem also stems from Dilshan – which is a team that has no direction. There is Sangakkara and Mahela. What should their role in the team be ? How about the two who take responsibility. If they are to be the back bone then act like it. Score when it matters. Dont score a 50 and throw it away.

Sri Lankas openers need to be counted. While blocking and scoring slowly isn’t a bad thing – Paranavitana needs to learn the value of taking a single. As do all Sri Lankan batsmen. It is a basic principle that Sri Lanka does well they are on top but forgets easily when they are in a corner.

The bowlers aren’t too bad. They kept us within reach during most of the tour. So how gutting must it feel to hear your Captain say that they lack experience and need to improve ? Sri Lanka don’t have match winners anymore. Malinga only shows up for 10 and 4 over spells these days. But the people who do show up with a red ball in hand fail at the same obstacle that the batsmen do. The basics. Whenever Sri Lanka built up pressure in the last series they let it go with poor bowling. Herath looks like the most unlikeliest of attack leaders but this is where Sri Lanka are now.

So where does Marsh fit into all this ? No one really noticed Marsh’s influence on the late 90s side. Yes they had some great players in that time but what that Australian side did better than every other country at that time was pretty simple.

They picked the right side.

They believed in their captain.

When they batted – they did so with purpose and discipline.

When they bowled – they were accurate and worked as a unit to build pressure.

When they fielded – they made sure they held their chances and created half ones.

And they worked hard. And was proud to play for their country.

These are the same principles that Marsh used in the early 2000 Zimbabwe side and that made them a competitive team in that time. And this is what Marsh hopefully brings to the SL table. Hard work. Basics. Direction. Respect.

Marsh comes from an era in Australian cricket where they didn’t take a backward step and SL needs this more than ever. The political strife at the SLC is always going to be there. It is a given. Until the country roots out corruption how can a cricket board ? SL fans knows this, hate it, but we hope for the best inspite of it. This is Marsh’s task. Work the board but get what you want. As long as the team does well. No one will care who is on who’s payroll.

Well, this is what it looks like

The Tiger is dead. Long live The Tiger.