You write off all-rounders at your own peril. British tabloids used to mock Andrew Flintoff about his weight frequently and he would cash in when the opportunity arrived. Having smashed a stunning 137 in Christchurch during the winter tour of 2001, Flintoff found himself being compared to England’s greatest all-rounder Sir Ian Botham. Tongue in cheek he told the British press, ‘Not bad for a fat lad’. Our own Thisara Perera was the subject to all kind of abuse and harassment last year after that Sarfraz Ahmed drop catch as Sri Lanka made a painful exit from Champions Trophy. Six months later, he has become an indispensable member of the Sri Lankan side.
People are quick to pick on all-rounders. It has happened everywhere in the world and throughout generations. In 2011, as Sri Lanka created history by winning their maiden Test match in South Africa at Durban, Jacques Kallis collected a pair. The South African media was quick to hit out claiming that Kallis’ eyesight was on the wane. It was a big mistake. Kallis took his anger on the hapless Sri Lankan bowlers producing a master class double hundred in the deciding final Test at Newlands.
Then we have the classic case of Botham, whom the British press during the tour of West Indies in 1986 accused of having such wild sex with Miss Barbados Lindy Field that they ended up breaking the bed! Botham’s autobiography ‘Don’t tell Kath’ is a must-read for all cricket fans. The former England captain has been married Kathryn Botham for 42 years.
When Imran Khan wanted to leave Worcestershire and join Sussex during his days in England, the move was discouraged in many ways. So much so there were reports that the reason why Imran decided to leave was that there weren’t enough women in the little town of Worcester to satisfy him.
Shane Watson is another. The Australian selectors in 2013 dropped him for the crucial Mohali Test for not doing his homework. Or for that matter Keith Miller – the best captain Australia never had. A pilot during the World War II, Miller was asked about pressure of playing Test cricket. ‘Pressure,’ Miller said. ‘I’ll tell you what pressure is. Pressure is a Japanese fighter plane up your a**e. Playing cricket is not’.”
After the Champions Trophy debacle, Thisara Perera had few friends and had been written off. He wasn’t picked for the home series against Zimbabwe and made a return during the tour of UAE. His arrival saw Pakistan captain Sarfraz Ahmed rubbing salt into wounds when he was asked about the dropped catch, the turning point of Champions Trophy. “Thisara will remember it for the rest of his life and I will remember it for the rest of my life,” Sarfraz said.
Thisara’s appointment as captain for the ODI leg of the tour of India was by default due to lack of alternatives. Historically, all-rounders have not done too well as captains. Of course, there are exceptions like Imran and Kapil Dev, but most of them struggle with the added responsibility. So did Thisara.
Since being stripped of the captaincy, Thisara has been a revelation. There is venom in his bowling as he appears to have added an extra yard of pace. Particularly impressive is his death over bowling and as Chandika Hathurusinghe is stocking up his armoury for the 2019 World Cup, Perera’s death overs bowling – with oppositions trying to accelerate after the 40th over – could turn out be an important cog in the wheel.
Also impressive has been his vital contributions with the bat. On Thursday, as Sri Lanka completed a record run chase in T-20 cricket in Dhaka, his contributions were crucial as he smashed 39 off 18 deliveries with four fours and three monstrous sixes. There has been never a doubt about Perera’s big hitting ability. The problem has been with his shot selection and Hathurusinghe seems to have brought that much-needed discipline into his batting.
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Thisara used to be predominantly an on-side batsman but now seems to be manoeuvring the ball onto off-side as well with relative ease. There was the odd spark with the bat during the tri-nation series as well, but the effort that won him the Player of the Series award was his bowling. It was a bit surprising that he went unsold during the IPL auction in Bangalore last month.
It is a pity that Thisara doesn’t play First Class cricket anymore. Having had a run in with authorities trying to announce his retirement from Test cricket, he threw in the towel in a subtle manner and hasn’t played First Class cricket for four seasons now. Most all-rounders given the riches of franchise-based cricket all around the world are happy to just to stick to white ball cricket alone.
However, playing red ball cricket does help you to become a better player in shorter format of the game. Longer spells instil discipline into your bowling. As Chaminda Vaas once said, the more he bowled, the better bowler he became. It will be hard for Thisara to be convinced to return to red ball cricket and if Hathurusingha can’t do it, nobody else could.
All-rounders are known for their eccentrics. Some stories about them are true and some made up. There’s this famous story that happened down under in 2012. The Sri Lankan team was hosted for a reception by the Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard. The members of the team were being introduced to Australia’s first female Prime Minister. Upon reaching Thisara, she put her hand out and greeted, ‘How are you keeping? Thisara responded, ‘I am not a wicketkeeper. I am a fast bowler.’
