Arjuna Ranatunga

[Neil Pickup]

Cronje & Arjuana
Steve
Gatting,Tayler,Border
Hussain, Saurav
Fleming ,Kapil
Ponting, Pollock
Jayasurya, Azhar

Not sure about Gatting at all, and I would have Fleming right up there. And I hate Cronje (unrelated, but had to be said). Apart from that, seems OK.

The 10-Tests was mostly at home and against sides in upheaval - but it's still 10, but then they got thumped in England.

As for Ranatunga - didn't like the guy myself, but it's undeniable that he got a lot out of the Sri Lankans and they were completely committed as the team unit.

 

[Richard]

Oh yes I remember clearly Emerson leading the other umpire off the pitch and refusing to return for 15 minutes.

And I remember Emerson telling Ranatunga to move his fielders around.

Oh no, I forget, it was Ranatunga who led his team off, and it was Ranatunga who tried to get Emerson to move from where he always stood because he wasn't happy.

Try telling me that wasn't bringing the game into disrepute?

I quote Law 3.7 - Fair and unfair play
The umpires shall be the sole judges of fair and unfair play.

Perhaps that should be rewritten as well to allow petulant captains to be the judge?

And an Umpire pursuing his own political or self-serving agenda should be the judge of fair and unfair?
My point was that Emerson started the issue by making a totally unneccesary, and what's more illicit, action.
Why Ranatunga found it neccesary to tell him to stand closer to the stumps I don't know - at the time all I could conceive was that Murali was understandiby scared to ask and Ranatunga lost his temper again and overreacted. I've yet to come-up with a more plausible reason.
But I was fully with him on leading his team off the field. He might have broken the laws, but even in cricket there are times when right overrules rules.
While Ranatunga might have acted petulantly with the "stand closer to the stumps" incident, for me leading Sri Lanka off the park was not at all impulsive. Some even suggested the Sri Lankans had the eventuality covered.

 

[marc71178]

But I was fully with him on leading his team off the field. He might have broken the laws, but even in cricket there are times when right overrules rules.

Yet again you completely fail to address the point - how was that not bringing the game into disrepute.

What's the phrase - "2 wrongs don't make a right" ?

 

[Legglancer]

Yet again you completely fail to address the point - how was that not bringing the game into disrepute.

What's the phrase - "2 wrongs don't make a right" ?

Well sometimes in life Law's have to be questiond .... mostly due to changing of times. In cricket when laws were written it was assumed that "Umpires" will conduct the game "without prejudice" and will not be swayed by their personnel biases. Sadly this is a unachivable standard eventhough cricket has been blessed by some excellent umpires, hence the reason for laws to be updated by the provision of current technology .... neutral umpires ect.

In Ranatunga's defence he absolutely had no other choice because

A) The bowler concerned has already been cleared by the ICC

B) If Emerson truly belived that Murali was chucking he was not following the proper ICC protocal of refering the matter to the Match referee.

Ranatunga cleary didnt believe in the umpires credibility and integrity and wasnt afraid to do something about it in order to protect not only his player but also the game!

 

[Richard]

Yet again you completely fail to address the point - how was that not bringing the game into disrepute.

What's the phrase - "2 wrongs don't make a right" ?

As I say, I don't think it was a wrong. I don't think it was bringing the game into disrepute because it was simply the refusal to accept an incorrect and hugely poignant piece of Umpiring.

 

[Hero_Don]

To describe him in one word "********"

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

To describe him in one word "********"

As such was it really necessary to describe in one word? That word?

Get a thesaurus. :P

 

[CDAK]

Not sure about Gatting at all, and I would have Fleming right up there. And I hate Cronje (unrelated, but had to be said). Apart from that, seems OK.

.

I did this rating not based on the success rate, but purely on their versatality.Cronje had always made his presence felt to others and was never seen off the scene. the same with Arjuna.
Gatting was also a man of tactics.( I think during his time England was one of the best teams, probabaly the best.) Flemig and Jayasurya seems to be the same.

 

[marc71178]

As I say, I don't think it was a wrong. I don't think it was bringing the game into disrepute because it was simply the refusal to accept an incorrect and hugely poignant piece of Umpiring.

A better man would've have carried on in spite of it.

 

[Legglancer]

A better man would've have carried on in spite of it.

Only if the so called "better man" you mentioned is from the "spineless" garden variety !:duh:

 

[marc71178]

How is playing on "more spineless"?

 

[Legglancer]

How is playing on "more spineless"?

If the world was full of people who just accepted what was fed to them .... the earth will still be considered flat, women will not have the basic right to vote, America will still be under slavery... get the point ????

Had not Arjuna done what he did, cricket will still have to endure 1 more shamefully baised excuse for an umpire who may or may not decide to play God as he feels fit in addition the game would have lost one of its most precious talented exponants.

 

[krkode]

A better man would've have carried on in spite of it.

A better man, yes, but a good man, not necessarily.

 

[Pratters]

Its funny how some people have thought 35 was a bad batting average for Sri Lanka when they had a real bad batting line up back then.

Ranatunga built his team much like a Worrell did for the Windies and he will be always regarded by the Lankans fondly. No question about him being a great inspirational leader. And you have to stand by your players like he did.

One thing which was bad about him which no one has highlighted so far was his nature to lpay draws. He was a DRAW captain, not going for wins. Even against India, he went for 952 rather than declaring and setting up a match. The drawing nature puts him much below the greats of the game more than his average or his fights with umpire Hair.

 

[krkode]

Between choosing a drawn and a loss, Ranatunga did the right thing to choose draw.

Sure, certain matches he could have had the chance to win had he been less draw-oriented, like that match where they scored 950, but it's still better than a loss, and Ranatunga didn't really have a stellar team during his day. Murali is exceptional now, but he was mediocre then.

Even in 1996, their main strength was explosive batting. I don't know if this is statistically true, but Lankans had a hard time taking 20 wickets in those days.

 

[Pratters]

The thing is, the Lankans would bowl down the leg side and there would be very slow batting by them even from the first inning. They still do it playing slowly and I am not a huge fan of how they try and draw matches, not now, not in the past. If its there in a few tests, its okay but time and again it gets dull n boring. They didnt exactly play great test cricket under Ranatunga.

 

[marc71178]

Had not Arjuna done what he did, cricket will still have to endure 1 more shamefully baised excuse for an umpire who may or may not decide to play God as he feels fit in addition the game would have lost one of its most precious talented exponants.

I doubt it, since ther ICC would have dealt with the umpire in the proper manner.

 

[Legglancer]

I doubt it, since ther ICC would have dealt with the umpire in the proper manner.

lol ... Are you for real Marc ? .... Please dont argue just for the sake of it. Are you from the same planet ? are we refering to the same ICC thats known for the lack of a better term as the "toothless tiger" ???

Have you thought of the possibility that Ranatunga by not taking blatant injustice lying down in that instance risked his whole carrier and reputation? Perhaps if he acted with a little more self interest may be murali would have been so publicly humiliated that he would have hung up his socks ..... Emerson maybe censured by the ICC just and only just if enough people made a fuss ..... and Ranatunga will be far more liked round the world ...

Maybe you should take the shades off !

 

[Anil]

Didn't read much of what has been written before...but in my opinion....Ranatunga was easily the best captain Sri Lanka ever had...and despite his relatively poor record as a batsman.....one of the most talented batsman in a list headed by Aravinda and Roy Dias. A canny leader and a match winning batsman, he has won enough matches for Sri Lanka in both forms of the game for him to be hailed as one of Sri Lanka's best...

 

[Legglancer]

Didn't read much of what has been written before...but in my opinion....Ranatunga was easily the best captain Sri Lanka ever had...and despite his relatively poor record as a batsman.....one of the most talented batsman in a list headed by Aravinda and Roy Dias. A canny leader and a match winning batsman, he has won enough matches for Sri Lanka in both forms of the game for him to be hailed as one of Sri Lanka's best...

Ditto !