Armyman,Tamil icon on field,war-torn Lanka plays cricket

If Mendis feels any emotion,it does not show. “My job is to play cricket right now,to bowl well,” he says simply.

It’s difficult to put cricket in perspective in Sri Lanka at the moment. As a brutal battle rages between the army and the Tamil rebels,the national cricket team celebrates its most lethal weapon: ethnic Tamil and national hero Muttiah Muralitharan tormenting batsmen in tandem with armyman Mendis. And colourful,boisterous crowds throng stadiums to watch their favourite sport.

“We’re used to these situations and we can’t let normal life get affected in other areas. In fact when Australia refused to travel to Sri Lanka and India and Pakistan toured us,the situation was much worse,and the security risk was greater. But we managed to put everything in place,” army spokesperson Brigadier Udaya Nanakara told The Indian Express.

“This time,we are in a winning position in our battle (against the LTTE),so everything is well under control. The army has put in place a special security ring for the cricket teams,and the security arrangement for matches is meticulous.”

Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni said the Indian team felt safe despite the political situation in Lanka. “We all love peace,but if there’s a need to go on the offensive,then it has to be done. We have no problems playing cricket here and we’ve not been given any specific security briefing,” he said.

Spectators headed to the stadium are stopped by armymen at regular intervals. They’re frisked,their identities are verified,and then,as they are allowed to pass,friendly smiles break out. Perhaps in order to use cricket as a way to distract the nation’s attention from the war,ticket rates have been slashed to just Rs 50. The ploy has succeeded,as the attendance at the Premadasa suggested on Saturday.

Still,the war is the overriding concern,and a senior journalist with a national daily confirmed the indirect control of the government over the media. Newspaper and television reporting on the war is largely one-dimensional. India figures prominently,with news of Indian government responses and heightened passions in Tamil Nadu appearing regularly on front pages.

“I have relatives in northern Sri Lanka and even in Jaffna. I’m worried about them. In fact,I’ve come to watch cricket because it’s better than sitting at home and wondering what will happen to them,” Fareez,a Tamil Muslim who has a small shop in the city,told this correspondent on the day of the second one-dayer.

Guganeswaran,another Tamil,came to watch the match for the sake of his son. His brother’s family is feared to be among the 1,20,000 civilians trapped in the war-torn north,but he can’t explain the situation to the 10-year-old boy who wants to be an attacking opening batsman like Virender Sehwag.

“To reach Jaffna has become very difficult,in fact it’s easier to reach India. We have to get special government permission and go through various procedures,as if we’re getting a visa to go to another country,” he says.

But once inside the ground,all worries are temporarily forgotten.

Through the afternoon and evening,Fareez and Guganeswaran dance to the trumpets and horns along with thousands of their countrymen,waving huge Sri Lankan flags. It is cricket,and it is,for the moment,at least as big as the war.