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We think we might have subconsciously adopted Malinda Warnapura and we’ve no real idea when it happened or why. All we know is that he scored a hundred against India today and we thought ‘well played our guy’.
At that point we stopped. ‘Wait a minute, why are we thinking of him as ‘our guy’?’ A quick check of the King Cricket archives revealed no eating competition victories and no sign that he’s sociopathically oblivious to the world around him – like Shahid Afridi with his expert grasp on match situations and how to bat accordingly. Nothing.
We can only think it’s something to do with him having played league cricket in Yorkshire, but that doesn’t seem like much of a reason. Does it?
I was strangely pleased as well. No idea why. I hadn’t even had a drink when I saw he had got ‘ton up’.
Good for Malinda Warnapurna. He looks a tidy opener and seems to be yet another inherently likeable Sri Lankan cricketer.
Isn’t it about time India learned to field properly though? I don’t think Karthik’s going to be giving MS Dhoni many sleepless nights during this series.
It’s the name. That’s why you like him. The name Malinda.
I dated a melinda once, bit of a bitch, so i have little love for him.
Malinda = somewhere between Mahinda and Melinda
Make of that what you will.
Hopefully he’ll crack on and become a half-decent opener away from home. And Tharanga will get his confidence back.
Oh look, there’s an airborne Robert Key…
As far as today’s play goes, an internet acquaintance puts it far better than I could:
Indian Bat 1: “Watch out for that Mendis guy — he’s spinning it both ways and throwing in a few balls that do something really weird.”
Indian Bat 2: “What’s the guy at the other end like?”
Indian Bat 1: “Just an average offie — you’ll be alright, as long as you watch out for the doosra. Apart from that, nothing really.”
🙂