by Rex Clementine 

When Sports Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage unceremoniously sacked Duleep Mendis as Chairman of Selectors in 2012, the former Test captain took the blow on the chin. Rather than grumble about his misfortune – which had come less than a month after Sri Lanka had won a Test match in South Africa – he ventured at other opportunities and Oman came calling offering him a job as the Head Coach of their cricket team.

Oil-rich Oman was a cricketing outpost. From scratch, Duleep built a cricketing empire. First, he set up the infrastructure for the sport. Then a domestic tournament and finally fine-tuned the skills of the players who fared well in those local competitions. What Oman has achieved in cricket in just a short span is quite outstanding.

They have already featured in the T-20 World Cup and now they are threatening to earn one of the two remaining slots for the sport’s showpiece event later this year in India – the ICC Cricket World Cup.Incidentally, Duleep was Sri Lanka’s hero as they won the inaugural ICC Trophy, the qualifying round for the 1979 World Cup in England.

The Sri Lankan government had made life difficult for the cricket team in 1979 by refusing to play Israel in the qualifiers due to political reasons. This meant that there was little room for error having conceded four crucial points.

But Anura Tennekoon’s side had capable batsmen of the caliber of Duleep. He was the highest run-getter in the 1979 qualifiers having made 222 runs in four innings. Duleep was Man of the Match in the final top scoring with 66 runs against Canada in Worcester.

Then at the World Cup, as Sri Lanka shocked a star-studded Indian side at Old Trafford, Duleep was Man of the Match again smashing 64 in 57 balls. Long before Sanath Jayasuriya had given Manoj Prabhakar a hiding, Duleep had made Kapil Dev look an ordinary bowler. Sri Lanka take on Oman today in a group game of the Qualifiers in Bulawayo. This should be a cakewalk for the Sri Lankans as on paper they are a far superior side.

The man the Sri Lankan team would be fearing most in today’s clash is not any batter or mystery spinner in the Omani side, but a man named L.R.D. Mendis, whose meticulous planning is legendary. When it comes to cricket, Duleep leaves nothing for chance and he would have well in advance scripted how best Oman can upset Sri Lanka. The game features two of the brightest brains in cricket in Duleep and Mahela Jayawardene, Sri Lanka’s consultant coach.

The Sri Lankan team manager Mahinda Halangoda, ten years junior to Duleep at school at S. Thomas’, knows too well what to expect today and he will be telling his charges to take nothing for granted.

Holding is happily retired. Botham is tasting wine. Miandad is spending time with his grandkids. Chappell comes nowhere near a cricket field these days. But Duleep, who’ll be 71 soon, is still hooked on cricket. He has not lost one bit of his passion for the great game. When it comes to cricket Duleep is a beast.

Oman are almost through to the second round. They have shocked Ireland and overcome UAE and have a pretty good Net Run Rate. Even if they lose today, a win over Scotland in their final group game should take them through.

What a brilliant investment Oman have made in picking Duleep as their Head Coach. Apparently, the Sheikhs there treat him like a King. Indeed, he deserves all the royalty treatment. A prophet, the bible says, is not welcomed in his own country.