Saeed Anwar: A Fortunate Stroke of 194

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Saeed Anwar, the talented cricketer, etched his name in history with an incredible stroke of luck. On that fateful day, he achieved something extraordinary—scoring 194 runs in a single innings. Let's delve into the serendipitous events that unfolded. May 21, 1997, marked a memorable day at Chennai's MA Chidambaram Stadium. Anwar's masterful display caught the attention of spectators and pundits alike. Breaking a 13-year-old record set by Vivian Richards, he surpassed all expectations. However, it's essential to recognize the fortuitous circumstances that contributed to this remarkable feat. A closer look reveals that fortune played a significant role in Anwar's achievement. Examining the photograph of Anwar, we witness his exhaustion and wonder how he managed to accumulate such an impressive score. The answer lies in an unconventional turn of events—he had a stroke of luck. You see, Anwar was physically unfit, unable to endure the demanding conditions of the game. T...
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Arjuna Ranatunga : The man who transformed Sri Lankan Cricket

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Arjuna Ranatunga .
Changed the Game forever!!!!

The inception
  • This all started in 1994 when Ranatunga realised the potential of a youngster now people call “Sanath Jayasurya” .
  • He saw him batting and considered that he is way more than a bowler .
  • So he contemplated of experimenting him at the top and let him open .
  • So , he started opening with Rosan Mahanama and established himself .
  • But in the year 1996 during the Australian tour Mahanama was criticised for his batting ( Yes that’s an irony , the top order batsman is criticized ) .
  • This is when Ranatunga thought that if they can pull-off a firepower at one end why not try the same on the other .
  • So,Ranatunga in consultation with the team manager Duleep Mendis suggested another Lower order batsman Romesh Kaluwitharna as an opener .

  • Dav Whatmor was a bit skeptical regarding the same but agreed later on .
The World Cup “Stunt”
  • The audacity of the decision would really qualify it as a stunt but not without guidance . They knew what they were doing .
  • Srilanka Middle order was quite strong with Aravinda , Ranatunga ,Gurusinghe and Tilekratne to handle the cleaning job if the openers dismissed cheaply .
  • Indians were the first victims of this decision when at Delhi India scored a more than comfortable to win 271 but Jayasuriya had other plans he fired a quick 76 and Srilanka managed the score in 48.4 overs .
  • Another major performance came in teh QF against the England where again Jayasurya managed to score and win the match comfortably for them .

STUNT WAS PULLING OFF now to everyone’s amazement including Dav Whatmore .
  • In the semis although it failed miserably but not as if they have lost the two top order core batsmen , NO they were just promoted up the order for pinch-hitting .
  • Still being a very strong middle-order teams Srilanka managed 251–8 and Indian team other than Sachin were too determined to fulfill the dreams of Srilankan fans with 120 -8 and abandoned .

Who doesn’t remember this dismissal?
And the Aftermath ? One of the most embarrassing events in the history of cricket !!!


  • With a brilliant century in the finals by Aravinda and Ranatunga hitting the last runs Srilanka thumped their existence on the Cricketing World map .


The “ Reverse ” Order
Many teams followed this “ Reverse order ” afterwards , Javagal Srinath being the Indian version of Jayasurya or KKR sending Narine to open etc . But the impact Jayasurya and Kaluwitharna had can only be described as “HUMONGOUS” .
Suddenly in the ODIs 300 seemed possible .
Ranatunga changed the way cricket was played by his brilliant strategy of sending the pinch-hitters ahead of the top order .

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Saeed Anwar: A Fortunate Stroke of 194

-
Image
Saeed Anwar, the talented cricketer, etched his name in history with an incredible stroke of luck. On that fateful day, he achieved something extraordinary—scoring 194 runs in a single innings. Let's delve into the serendipitous events that unfolded. May 21, 1997, marked a memorable day at Chennai's MA Chidambaram Stadium. Anwar's masterful display caught the attention of spectators and pundits alike. Breaking a 13-year-old record set by Vivian Richards, he surpassed all expectations. However, it's essential to recognize the fortuitous circumstances that contributed to this remarkable feat. A closer look reveals that fortune played a significant role in Anwar's achievement. Examining the photograph of Anwar, we witness his exhaustion and wonder how he managed to accumulate such an impressive score. The answer lies in an unconventional turn of events—he had a stroke of luck. You see, Anwar was physically unfit, unable to endure the demanding conditions of the game. T...
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