The opening hitmen

Seven years ago the Sri Lankans arrived and took one-day cricket by the scruff of its neck. A little bloke called Romesh Kaluwitharana and a burly lower-order man called Sanath Jayasuriya marched out to bat with the clear intention of upsetting the applecart and performing numerous other clichés before spectators had settled into their seats or bowlers into their rhythms.

Realising that rule changes prevented captains protecting the boundaries in the early overs of an innings, the Sri Lankans pinned back their ears and played shots that sounded like the crack of a gun and had much the same effect upon alarmed bowlers.

This audacious tactic reversed the traditional pacing of an innings -- a slow beginning, a gradual gathering and then a late flurry. And it worked.

No one had expected much from the Lankans. Few could pronounce their names. Jayasuriya's plunderings forced opponents to change their plans. Bowlers of a nervous disposition were appalled by this rudeness. A blacksmith had walked into the Melbourne Club.

There were no limits. Reputations were meaningless. The first ball might be dispatched over the boundary. Suddenly the leather-fingers were under pressure.

Sri Lanka did not win the competition but they did change the way 50-over cricket was played. Arjuna Ranatunga, a wily schemer, had devised the strategy by way of instilling confidence in his emerging players. He was preparing his team for a World Cup and wanted to find an edge.

A few months later the Lankans beat Australia in a tumultuous final played in Lahore. Neither Jayasuriya nor Kalu scored many runs in the last stages of the competition but their spirit endured. The most adventurous team won the trophy.

Sceptics were not convinced anything significant had occurred. Sanity would return on harder Antipodean pitches. An average Australian innings contained more singles than a 'Desperate and Dateless' party. Excess could not last. Could it?

The intervening years have been kind to the tactic and its most dangerous practitioner. While Kalu lost form after enjoying the celebrations for longer than the recommended period, Jayasuriya continued to thump the ball around and his fortunes rose till finally he was appointed captain of his country. Clearly he had been underestimated. A strong arm and a keen eye remain a formidable combination.

Nowadays the extraordinary has become commonplace. No longer is attacking the new ball regarded as reckless. Most teams send out an aggressive opening pair and several promote hitters to bat at first and second-wicket down. Sensible players are held back in case of a collapse or other emergencies.

Roshan Mahanama fulfilled this role in the Sri Lankan line-up. Counterpoint is needed. Michael Bevan can score at the required rate without belligerence or fuss and counts among the most brilliant one-day batsmen of his time. Nonetheless, the early assault continues. There is no setting of the scene.

Accordingly, the outcome of a 50-over match becomes harder to predict. An awful lot depends upon the first 15 overs, before the field spreads and deflections and collections come in to play. Teams send out their most brilliant young players to launch the innings with license to cut loose.

Virender Sehwag opens for India; an intrepid, inspired batsman capable of collaring any attack. Responsibility might curb his strokeplay. Let senior men put Humpty Dumpty back together. Experienced cricketers can adapt their games, rising men are dangerous, precisely because they have not discovered failure or its cousin, fear.

On Wednesday night, Saleem Elahi opened the batting for Pakistan and took such a toll of the bowling that his team reached 6-335, the highest score against South Africa. Elahi scored his century in 94 balls and the accumulators did the rest. This could happen in a semi-final of the coming World Cup. It could happen to Australia.

Inevitably, captains have been forced to change their tactics. Early wickets are crucial. Once under way, an innings is as difficult to control as a bushfire. Attacking bowlers are needed and long spells given to the top men. Glenn McGrath might keep going till the field can spread. It is not a waste. No use saving him while the fire burns.

Ranatunga, Jayasuriya and chums challenged orthodox thinking. Now Jaya and Kalu are back and still bristling. The Australians will be waiting for them. Strategies will be in place to contain them. The element of surprise has been lost.

But the Sri Lankans will not be intimidated. Winning the World Cup meant a lot to them. As far as cricket goes, it was a coming of age. Now they are willing to exchange words with abrasive Africans and vulgar Antipodeans alike.

One-day cricket awaits its next evolution. Meanwhile, the visiting teams will regard the series, which got under way in Sydney this afternoon, as a superb opportunity to prepare for the World Cup. Sri Lanka took the chance last time around and stand third in the rankings. England are further back but not without hope. That is the point about this brand of the game. Hope is eternal and can be found in the mind of a clever captain or the meat of a belligerent bat.