we can't stop speculating as to what really happened

It is interesting today to note that everyone I speak to has his or her own theory as to what happened and why it was that Sri Lanka lost!!

These post mortems will go on for years and speculation will never cease, there are as many theories as there are people giving their own version. No one can accept that we lost fair and square to a better side!! While it was the better side on the day, even that is open to opinion! it is other behind the scenes goings on that constituted the final composition that keeps propping up time and time again.

Sanga was not his normal self!, was he sick or sick of the whole farce? Him praising the President in his speech means something very different to non Sri Lankan ears than it does to Sri Lankan. The mass audience listening was non Sri Lankan, so to them it meant if you don't praise the dictator you don't have a future so be sure to get in some words that were completely inappropriate under the circumstances. To the Sri Lankan it meant praise the leader who both won the war and assisted the Sri Lankan team with all the means at his disposal to get there.

You the reader take your pick of the choices, just know that there are differing opinions even on this inclusion.

To me it was simple, I thought we had the game in the bag when the second Indian wicket fell, but from that point I did not see the normal excitement and intensity to finish it off, but a complete change in attitude, and the zeal that Sanga shows in directing the team from the behind the stumps was not there. Of course I was shattered that we did not make it, as I really felt the score in the end was a defendable one.

I wonder why? was he not totally happy with the 4 changes to the team? these are all questions we have for which we may never get the true answer.

Then I see the papers replete with Murali taking the blame for the loss saying he was not up to his usual level. Is he really to blame or those who insisted on including him? I don't know the answer to that either, so I wonder.

After all is said and done, I really feel the team should be congratulated for their performance, win or lose as they did the country credit and as it sometimes happens it was not our day on Saturday, and I really hope we can make it to the finals in Australia in 4 years and win it. Thanks guys for the superb entertainment and the credit to the country, you did us proud. No one will now underestimate the strength and depth of Sri Lanka cricket.