Wanted: A skipper to lead a flamboyant team

March 4 SLMW, Colombo - With mounting speculation that Marvan Atapattu could retire from international cricket soon after the 2007 World cup in the West Indies, the buzz about the man to replace the skipper of the chic Sri Lankan Cricket outfit has gotten increasingly louder. Depending on if the position is to be filled on the account of overall merit or seniority or both, there doesn't seem to be just one obvious candidate. But there are a few good bets.



One of them is Mahela Jayawardena. This option might be the least controversial given Mahela is the current vice captain. In numbers, Mahela is a frontrunner with a decent test batting average that is second only to Kumar Sangakkara. However, he has consistently failed to live up to the reputation of being the next wonder boy of Cricket. With praise from the critics and the admiration from the fans, Mahela started his career with a bang. But the bang became a plop when he frequently failed to deliver at critical times. He did, however, maintain his decent batting average thanks to mammoth innings made at not-so-critical times, mostly, at home. His away average is a hardly noteworthy 35.85 compared to Kumar's 52.37*. His appointment as the vice captain also didn't come without controversy. Chaminda Vaas was rumored to have threatened to quit the team for being overlooked.



If seniority and accomplishment to-date was the only factor considered, Vaas would have to battle his long time teammate Muralitharan for the job. Both are world class bowlers, seasoned players and members of the dream-team that won the '96 world cup in Lahore. Murali might score a few negative points for his bout with the throwing controversy but Murali, a minority Tamil, is just what the government of Sri Lanka needs to promote racial harmony in this racially troubled country.



Then there is Kumar Sangakkara. Wicketkeeper, batsmen, law student, Victor Hugo fan, and at times "trouble" - is reputed for his aggressive, fighting personality. He is a resilient batsmen and ardent cricketer known to take no muck from anyone. Not even from the Australians. Often entangled in brawls, he is a regular visitor to the referee's room to be "disciplined". Kumar is, if not anything, entertaining and couldn't be bad for the TV ratings. But his aggressive personality, according some, is the very quality that might deny him the captaincy. The captain of the Sri Lanka team will have to carry the heavy burden of being a role model to almost every kid on the island. But remember the guy who led the team in '96? His conduct wasn't exactly rated PG13 either. But he made a darn good captain and brought the cup home.



* Data from www.cricinfo.com