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If the performances in the first two games against Pakistan and India in the triangular tourney in India are an indication, then there is no doubt that the Sri Lankan cricketers are in quicksand.

Alarmingly the Lankan cricketers seem to have lost confidence in themselves. When this happens, their form drops in every department. Confidence is important in every plane of life. It is no different in cricket. What the cricketers need at this juncture is a motivator.

For their defeats they cannot blame anyone. When they lost to Pakistan by nine runs, one expected the cricketers to come good against India and chalk up a victory. But that longing was only a day dream as the Lankans slid to an 80-run defeat at the hands of the Indians, who are sans their star one-day blaster Sachin Tendulkar.

What led to these two defeats was once again the poor fielding, especially the catching. In limited-over cricket every catch is important. Half chances too must be grabbed. But the Lankan catchers don't seem to be able to even pocket dolly catches and they have been made to pay dearly.

The Lankan fielders are just not watching the ball into their hands. At the last moment they take their eyes off the ball and catches go abegging. Had the catches that came their way been grabbed, both games could have ended in their favour.

But as it stands with two defeats in two games, the Lankans are looking down the barrel and unless they can miracleously turn things around in their remaining games, they will only be making up the numbers.

However now that the catching is down, like the former civil servants and cricketers Bradman Weerakoon and Dharmasiri Peiris said the other day at the SSC where the new 'Catch it' machine, the brainchild of Bertram Jayasuriya was being demonstrated, we can go no further down, but up.

Everyone will be wishing the team like Weerakoon and Peiris did and will be hoping that they will get their catching act together in the all-important World Cup where they will be defending the title in England come May/June.

The Pakistanis and Indians who are fine tuning their teams to win the World Cup, gave encouraging displays and in the form that they are playing will be very strong contenders for the World Cup.

For the Pakistanis it was a game to savour. At one stage the Lankans were cruising to victory on 217 for 4 chasing 246 for victory. Cricket it is said is a game of glorious uncertainties and these uncertainties were no better displayed than in this game.

The Lankans threw away this game with some poor shot selections that saw them lose their last seven wickets for just 20 runs and concede the game by a close margin of nine runs.

The slide started when Aravinda de Silva who was going well partnered by Hashan Tillekeratne threw away his wicket by darting down for a single that was never on. That was the prize wicket that the Pakistanis were looking for. As soon as de Silva went, Akram who is turning out into being a clever captain, brought on his fellow paceman Shoaib Akthar and he too came along to knock the stuffings out of the Lankans.

Then against India century maker Saurav Ganguly was dropped twice early in his innings and he grabbed these two lapses with both hands to knock up a century and figure in a record breaking second wicket stand of 236 with the stylish Rahul Dravid to help India post a formidable 287 for 4 and always have the Lankans struggling to get to that score. They finally crumbled 80 runs short of the target.

Skipper Arjuna who was going well after a long time had his life at the wicket cut short by a atrocious LBW decision. This once again goes to prove that home umpires should not be stood in whatever type of cricket.

Kangaroos stuffed

The West Indian cricketers who have always been a delight to watch and who have thrilled cricket fans wherever they play, came into their own after a long time where they have been the losing side to get their act finally right and stuff the Aussies by inflicting on them a 10-wicket defeat in the second Test after losing the first test by 321 runs.

The Windies were whitewashed in Mandela land in all five Tests and the one against the Aussies. But captain Brian Lara whose captaincy was on the line, fought all odds to post a magnificent double hundred when it was most needed which raised the game of his teammates who fought back like tigers to have the Aussies who were riding a crest of a wave of success crawling in defeat. It is hoped that the Windies Will continue the good form and dominate the rest of the series.