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Sri Lanka v England, 3rd Test, Galle
Galle faces race against time
Andrew Miller in Galle
December 15, 2007
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Then and now. Galle was devastated by the tsunami in 2004 and, three years later, is still not quite ready
© Getty Images
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The newly reconstructed stadium at Galle is facing a race against time
to be fit for the third Test between Sri Lanka and England on Tuesday,
after heavy unseasonal rain hindered the attempts of groundstaff and
construction workers to put the finishing touches to their
preparations.
With just three days to go until the final Test of the series, much of
the playing area was underwater, while workmen were still laying
paving and building ticket-booths on the concourse in front of the new
pavilion. By Saturday afternoon there was no electricity or running
water inside the ground's buildings, and most of the grassy banks
where England's spectators sat during the ground's last international
fixture in 2003 are currently deep pools of mud.
And yet, there is no question in anyone's minds that the show must go
on regardless. Of all the symbols of the terrible tsunami that
devastated Sri Lanka in December 2004, perhaps none was more poignant
than the obliteration of Galle's stadium. International sport is,
after all, meant to be escapism on a vast scale, but the rubble and
ruins of one of the most glorious venues in the world meant that no
sports fan could fail to appreciate the stark realities of the
disaster.
The message is that, if international cricket can return to Galle,
then so too can a normal life for the thousands who were dispossessed
that day. "It will be ready come what may," said the stadium's head
groundsman, Jayananda Warnaweera, who has been working round the clock
with an army of labourers, in a bid to overcome the atrocious working
conditions. "It has been a long haul but for the people of Galle this
is a celebration and we will make it happen."
For England's cricketers, the desire to fight back from their 1-0
series deficit has been subsumed by an appreciation of the bigger
picture. "We're pretty much going to have to take the stance that
whatever we have to play on, we'll go out there and play on it," said
Paul Collingwood, who made his Test debut at Galle in 2003. "It's as
simple as that.
"It's obviously not finished at the moment but they are working very
hard and progressing day by day, so hopefully it'll be playable," said
Collingwood. "Driving down in the bus from Colombo, the further we got
down, there was a real sickening feeling, seeing the destruction that
was caused. That's why it's vital to put the smiles back on people's
faces and get on with it."
Andrew Miller is UK editor of Cricinfo
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