da marjack bet： South Africa’s decision to withdraw from the tri-nation series had all theinevitability of the monsoon showers that have lashed the city over thepast week.
da apostaganha： Dileep Premachandran in Colombo16-Aug-2006
Covers were out at the Premadasa: With wet weather and security concerns a siegementality prevailed © Getty Images
South Africa’s decision to withdraw from the tri-nation series had all theinevitability of the monsoon showers that have lashed the city over thepast week. Once the bomb went off near Liberty Plaza, and once thesecurity team that they trust implicitly reckoned that the risk had become”unacceptable”, it was only ever a matter of when the players would leavethe country. In the end, it took two days of interminable waiting beforewhat most people already knew was confirmed. The players will now leaveearly on Thursday morning, most likely in four batches.Back in 2003, there had been much anxiety before their tour of Pakistan,with only last-minute parleys and detailed inspections of the safetymeasures convincing the players that it was safe to go. But ever sinceNichols and Steyn came on board to assess security situations, the playershave been content to follow their advice on such matters. Once FaisalNagel, the security officer accompanying the team on this tour, sent areport to the board in the wake of the Monday bombing, saying that thesituation was too dicey to stay on, the players’ minds were made up.That much was clear even on Tuesday evening, after it was announced thatthe Dubai-based Olive group would carry out an independent securityassessment. Far from being flustered, the mood in the South African campwas upbeat and relaxed, with players convinced that they would be headinghome, no matter what. It helped that Gerald Majola, the Cricket SouthAfrica chief executive, had initially come out in their favour, thoughpressure from government quarters had subsequently prompted a rethink.So while the media speculated about what might happen, several of theplayers spent Tuesday night in the Cheers Pub at the team hotel, havingdinner and light-hearted games of pool while joking about which flightsthey would take back home. The team management had apparently asked for 27business-class seats for the team, but with such a bulk booking notpossible, there were plans to send the team in three groups, via Doha,Singapore and even London.By Wednesday morning though, with no decision taken, there was anincreased element of jitteriness and belligerence. A team meeting in themorning reportedly had the team deciding to head home, with or without theblessing of the board. By early afternoon, with the Olive report beingsent to Cricket South Africa, it was certain that they would leave, andall that remained was for administrative hurdles to be surmounted. Majola,who had been on vacation before this crisis broke, hurriedly convened apress conference at 3:30pm (7pm Sri Lankan local time) in Johannesburg,but by then Sri Lanka Cricket had already been informed of the decision towithdraw.An email sent by Majola to Duleep Mendis spoke of the warm relationshipthat the two countries shared, but reiterated that the situation was toodangerous in South African eyes for the tour to go on. And by the timeArthur read out Majola’s statement to the media – no questions wereentertained – Sri Lanka Cricket and the BCCI had already announced theirplans for a three-match series to be played at the Sinhalese Sports Club,where drainage facilities are markedly superior to that at the Premadasa.The very fact that the Indians weren’t keen on a five-match series – theywill leave Colombo more than a week ahead of schedule – suggests that theytoo have a few concerns about the situation. Under the circumstances, itmakes little sense to point fingers at the South Africans for bailing out.With the rain constant and the security cordon tight, boredom and a siegementality were nearly inevitable. A half-hearted performance with mindsback home and nerves on edge would have done no one any favours, least ofall the crowd.
