They have been hitting town in their droves and their first port of call has been the cricket ground. There the jaws of England supporters – 3,000 of them due - have dropped.
Galle Stadium, rebuilt after the horrific 2004 tsunami which claimed some 40,000 lives in Sri Lanka, and supposed to be a gleaming symbol of regeneration, looks as though it would be ready to stage a Test match sometime next December. Instead it must be ready – largely sans any spectator amenities whatever, including seats – by Tuesday.
Nobody except the Sri Lankans themselves think there is a chance. They should not be underestimated, and in any case there seems to be a great deal of British phlegm around. One chap said he would sit on a fruit box to watch the match because of its poignancy. It is the first match at the ground since August 2004. The tsunami struck the following Boxing Day.
The Barmy Army may need to be more phlegmatic than most. They have won many admirers in the two Tests so far for their singing and general hail fellow well met attitude.
It may have been the BA who inspired Stephen Harmison to his admirable bowling display in Colombo with their new song dedicated to him. It goes: “My name is Steve Harmy and my mates think I’m barmy.” Harmison responded with a steely exhibition of fast bowling: 42 overs on a pitch which made the dodo seem vibrant.
It's time for the Barmies to come up with a song for Ian Bell, to help him convert those fifties into a century. To the tune of 'Puff the Magic Dragon' perhaps: 'Ian the Wizard Batsman played all the cricket strokes, he scored runs for fun and thrilled all kind of folks.'
Well, all the very best of luck to Galle! After what happened there, they deserve all the support the cricketing community can offer - and then some. Hmm, are you sure that you think a song about marijuana is really what Bell needs? How about "I need a hero"? Of course, Murali would really need to be represented by Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody - at least, in the eyes of the English batsmen. After all, that line "Beelzebub has a devil set aside for me" probably sums up their feelings when they see him scurrying in to bowl. Failing that, how about "Will you still need me, will you still feed me, when I'm 64?" For Harmison, I suggest "Tainted Love", while Sangakkara and Jayawardene can share "Summertime" (and the living is easy). Perhaps Alistair Cook might find "There's a rat in my kitchen" congenial, What should KP's anthem be? I am tempted by the Imperial Theme from Star Wars. Any thoughts?
Posted by: olympian | 15 December 2007 at 05:25 PM
I would pay money to hear the Barmy Army trumpeter play the Imperial theme as KP strides into battle! Do you suppose any of the Barmies read such things as blogs? Do they do requests? Perhaps Bell would react better to 'With a little help from my friends'? On second thoughts, KP might like "Hit me with your rhythmstick, hit me slowly, hit me quick".
Posted by: anotherdayanotherduck | 15 December 2007 at 05:36 PM
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