Tri-series: Dambulla not an ideal ODI venue

Agencies
Bellevision Media Network

New Delhi, 10 August 2010: After a Test series that proved to be a harvesting season for records, India and Sri Lanka have finally settled their duffel bags in the picturesque Dambulla, where the teams have nailed in tents to stay for the duration of the ODI tournament, with New Zealand completing its triangular nature.

 

The culture-rich Sri Lankan city first welcomed cricket to its shores in the year 2000, after the Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium – Sri Lanka’s newest – was completed in just 167 days. But since its inception, the venue has been at the heart of controversies, ranging from the lease agreement of the stadium’s site to an undue advantage to the side winning the toss.

 

The toss – as we saw in the Asia Cup in June – had a decisive bearing on the match and the skipper winning it invariably chose to bat first on two counts: the quality of floodlights and the flattering bowling conditions in the evening.

 

 

The floodlights at Dambulla have historically come in for some criticism due to their low intensity and the area’s high water table and heavy sweating amplify swing for the faster-men in the evening. That leaves no choice for the captains than to bat first after winning the toss and give both their batsmen and bowlers a chance to excel under natural and artificial lights respectively.

 

In the recently concluded Asia Cup – which had seven matches in all – the skipper winning the toss chose to bat first on six occasions and won on four of those. It was especially tough on Sri Lanka who won every match until the final, where Sangakkara first lost the toss to Dhoni and then the match.

 

The unfair advantage that winning the toss brings for a team was laid bare in that match by the Indian pacers who reduced Sri Lanka to 51/5, chasing 268. That, though, takes nothing away from the fact that batsmen and bowlers still have to play the right shots and bowl in the right areas to get the desired results. But such compromising conditions make sighting the ball difficult for every player, including the fielders.

 

At a time when ODI cricket is looking for a window of an opportunity to rub shoulders with its rival T20, the limited-over format can least afford a situation where 50 per cent of the match is won at the spin of a coin.