Sri Lanka Cricket headquarters are "keeping mum" over the issue of the state of the pitch at the Sinhalese Sports Club, with national curator Anuruddha Polonowita not prepared to comment

SSC curator mum over flat pitch

Sri Lanka Cricket headquarters are "keeping mum" over the issue of the state of the pitch at the Sinhalese Sports Club, with national curator Anuruddha Polonowitau00a0 not prepared to comment.

Even the television and radio commentators were looking the other way when asked to make an honest observation of the state of the surface prepared for this laborious drawn second Test between Sri Lanka and India yesterday.

While the draw ensures that India remain No 1 in the ICC rankings, with their latest adjustment showing how even a Sri Lanka victory in the third Test, starting next Tuesday, will not topple Mahendra Singh Dhoni's team from top position, it left a warning note about the criticism of preparing such pitches for Tests.

It is also now understandable why Muttiah Muralitharan opted for Galle as a farewell Test and not this venue.

His experience in with low bounce and hard work at the SSC placed a strain on a tired body, which tells its own story of hard labour for the wizard.

It is four years since the now retired Muralitharan gave the SSC pitch conditions a backhanded compliment. In 2006, he had just taken 10 wickets for the 54th time on a pitch that produced a world record partnership of 624 against a battling South African bowling attack. He was the only bowler to make an impression in that Test, with Nicky Boje giving away 221 runs in 65 overs of toil and trouble.

On that occasion, South Africa were missing both Graeme Smith and Jacques Kallis, recovering from operations and watching the carnage at home.

Muralitharan, as he so often did, led an attack that footslogged on for 157.2 overs to bowl out South Africa as second time. In what were key passages of that South Africau00a0 second innings, he delivering 64 overs on a pitch becoming slower and more docile. Even giving it a rip didn't seem to work.

Muralitharan's contribution in that Test of 10 wickets for 172 runs during 82.2 overs, explained how in such conditions why he is the backbone of Sri Lanka's bowling. He reeled off over after over, perspiring in the scorching heat. In total he delivered 384 deliveries, all with the same intensity and complete focus.

When it was over, he grumbled with the incredulous: "This SSC pitch is getting slower and lower with each series. This body (he was 34) can't churn out (82.2) overs a Test for much longer. I really need to talk to the curator about the bounce . . . No bowler is going to enjoy these conditions if they continue to be like this. It was really hard work among the hardest I have had to bowl in."

This Test was condemned to death by tea on day four and failed to recover. In fact, the rumour is how the local Flat Earth Society are about to hold their next meeting at the venue.

While officials offer platitudes and smile, or perhaps smirk, for the camera, Test cricket's viability as a saleable product has been given a heavy slap by local officials, and dangerously close to lose credibility.

For those who remember, the same excuses offered back in November over the Motera debacle, where slow death by similar suffocation was applied. The teams were same contestants that battled out here at the SSC.

Of course, they will point to the win over an underpowered New Zealand side here last year, forgetting how the third Test of the series with Pakistan ended in a stalemate - the hosts falling 101 runs short of the 492 target.