Atapattu feels ICC should have stopped the Lanka-Zimbabwe Test series

New Delhi: Sri Lanka’s cricket captain Maravan Atapattu on Wednesday warned international teams visiting Zimbabwe to expect the worst, saying his team’s recent visit to the troubled African nation was “fairly chaotic.”

“The facilities and organisation were probably the worst I have experienced in my playing career,” Atapattu told a website. He added that his team faced unprecedented problems on just about every front while touring Zimbabwe whose cricket team has been reduced to a mere assortment of teenagers following a rift between the board and the senior players.

“To be honest, the tour was fairly chaotic. There were a whole lot of things that kept going wrong,” he said. “When we arrived, the hotels did not have air conditioning, and then there were problems with the water supply as well.

“We had to go without a shower until about 10pm after one game, and there was no water in the toilets for an entire night. On the cricket side, there was no communication. When it came to things like net practice, no one took any responsibility.

“There were no net bowlers and sometimes there weren’t even any nets ready. Even the lunch during the last day of the Test match was 15 minutes late.

“One morning when we were batting, the fourth umpire, who is supposed to ask us which roller we want, used the heavy roller without asking,” Atapattu said.

Zimbabwe is in danger of being suspended from Test cricket after a revolt by the country’s top white players forced two Test matches against world champions Australia this month to be cancelled.

Atapattu, whose team played two Tests against a severely weakened team earlier this month, wished the ICC had stepped in earlier and stopped the matches as had happened in Australia’s case.

“We should have been treated in the same way as Australia were,” the Sri Lankan captain said.

“If the ICC agreed to consider stepping in and cancelling the Test series against Australia, then they should have done the same for us. It was difficult to motivate ourselves, but we had to concentrate on our performance and forget what was happening in their camp. It was not an easy tour.”

Sri Lanka faced little problem in wrapping up the two-Test series 2-0 after having swept the five-match ODI series. Though Atapattu talked about motivational problems, he enjoyed his stint against the rookie bowlers, notching up a big century in the first Test and a career-best double in the second.

His team succeeded in posting a world record too, bowling Zimbabwe out for 35 — the lowest ever in the history of ODIs. Even on the personal front, there was a much-awaited and widely cherished landmark — Muttiah Muralidharan overtaking Courtney Walsh as the most successful bowler in Test history.

The Sri Lankan captain added that Muralidharan will have the support of his teammates if he boycotts next month’s tour of Australia.

Muralidharan said earlier this month he would not tour Down Under because of comments made by Australian Prime Minister John Howard over his action.

“Any captain would want a player like that in his side,” Atapattu said. “But as a team we are going to accept whatever Murali decides. “He is going to consult a couple of people before he makes that decision. I am sure he will take the right decision. But if he says he does not want to go, then there will have been more than enough reasons for that. We will accept his decision.

“Murali is the most important person in the team and a much-loved and respected character. But when something like this happens to a team member like him, then the result is the team pulls much closer together.

“We have our views but we have decided not to talk about it because that will only lead to more controversy and we don’t need that at this time. We will keep our mouths shut and let the board and Murali handle it the way they want.”

Murali was first called for chucking while touring Australia in 1995-96. He was called again for the same offence in 1998, which led to bitter on-field row between the umpire and the then captain Arjuna Ranatunga. The Lankans had even threatened to leave the field without completing the match before being persuaded to carry on.