In search of Cinderella Man?

Hiran Nishantha LIYANAGE

CRICKET: During the Great Depression of 1929, when U.S was on its knees; James J. Braddock - a.k.a the Cinderella Man gave hope to the nation and inspired its populace.

A boxer by profession, age and injuries were catching on him and with the Great Depression, lost everything he had like most Americans during this period.

Just when his career seemed finished, he had a series of wins and finally doing the unthinkable; taking on Max Baer-the heavyweight title holder, who was renowned for killing two men on the boxing ring. At the end Braddock prevailed and won, much to the delight of the common man whom he represented.

Now made into a Hollywood movie-Cinderella Man is the sort of sports personalities that can change the attitude of a nation and inspire its people.

Battered by a war and economic hardship, we might have our own Cinderella man in the making in Sanath Jayasuriya, and gave a glimpse of it in Sydney against the mighty Aussies.

He changed the fortunes of Sri Lanka, with his flamboyant batting, smashing the Aussie bowlers with utter disdain. It re-charged the self-belief in the team, and ever since, SL Team started looking different, compared to the beaten and worn down one seen in India and to an extent in New Zealand.

The question is can he become our Cinderella man? Cricket is no boxing ring, and it's not just about few fights in the ring. While not undermining James J. Braddock's achievements; cricket tests the character of a person more with no escape route.

Ever since that great Sydney knock, Jayasuriya hasn't repeated his willow spectacle in 'throw the kitchen sink at bowlers' manner. This is how Jayasuriya has come to be known as, and that's when he is at his destructive best, so he shouldn't resort to any other batting strategies.

It is also important to understand, for Jayasuriya to do the Jayasuriya act without any hindrance, a strong middle order is paramount. This is exactly what we had back in 1996; a strong middle order to compliment Jayasuriya's flamboyance.

One feels there's still a little bit of inspirational type cricket left in him. Would it come during the World Cup 2007? Or are we just dreaming and expecting too much? Could he be our Cinderella man, and galvanize the Team as a whole to greater heights while giving the common folks in SL something to cheer about and be proud of?

Or else could it be a costly mistake to have faith in him and not try a youngster at a time when 500 run barrier seems a possibility? Only time would tell, but for the time being let us indulge in hope, and hope that our Champ of world cup 1996 would return in 2007.