Men And The Cup

Aravinda De Silva, the steward announced authoritatively, was one of the world8217;s great batsmen 8212; 8220;he played here with Kent the other year, you know8221; 8212; but had been injured a few months ago and, sadly, had missed the tournament. 8220;Great pity, that,8221; he said. The steward was half right. De Silva is one of the greats 8212; as his match-winning 107 not out in the 1996 final against Australia amply demonstrated 8212; and he was injured recently.

But the 33-year-old from Colombo, despite appearances, is at the 1999 World Cup. It8217;s just that hardly anybody outside his own changing room has noticed. If he doesn8217;t perform against India on Wednesday, Sri Lanka will probably be heading home after the first round.

Perhaps all the likeable Sri Lankan needs is a little fortune. Time, however, isrunning out.

Kallis, player of the week

South African all-rounder Jacques Kallis has been chosen as the BPL Player of the Week ending May 20. Kallis, who has already won this award once before, was selected for his composed and chanceless 96 that set the foundation for the South African victory over India in the Group A8217; World Cup encounter. Besides, his stunning spell of three for 20 took the sails out of Lankan batting in the ongoing mega campaign. In a close decision, the judges comprising Sunil Gavaskar, Sir Vivian Richards and Tony Greig, left out Lance Klusener, Alec Stewart, Neil Johnson and Graeme Hick who were the other contenders for the 500 weekly award.