Animals magic in Dambulla
| 08:19 UK time, Friday, 5 October 2007
There is a bit of an animal theme developing on the Dambulla leg of this Sri Lanka tour: bats flitting around the hotel corridors, monkeys stealing fruit from the players rooms, cobras lurking in the undergrowth and dogs invading the outfield.
The dogs probably feel quite at home though, knowing the England team is captained by a Colly!
It is a fascinating location for an international cricket stadium. The backdrop is a lush, dense jungle, with Dambulla lake flanking the ground on one side and Dambulla rock rising majestically in the distance on the other.
Cows graze on the wiry grass on the lake shore, able to wander right up to the practise nets if they please and when darkness suddenly falls and the floodlights are switched on, there is no glow from orange street lights to pollute the stark blackness of the night sky.
The 60 acre site itself is owned by the Rangiri Dambulla Temple, and while the stadium was built in only 167 days to enable cricket to be played all year round in Sri Lanka while monsoon rains batter other parts of the country, there was a dispute over tenancy, and following the inaugural match in 2000, it was starved of any international fixtures for three years.
The temple in question - - is home to Dambulla’s famous Cave Temples complex, which is one of seven UNESCO World Heritage sites in Sri Lanka. To reach the caves you pick your way past the monkeys up steep steps cut out of the rock face.
It is a little disillusioning to learn that the imposing 30-metre high golden Buddha overlooking the main road was built just seven years ago, but some of the caves, their wall paintings and 14-matre statues are thought to date back to around the first century BC when King Valagamba took refuge, having been driven out of . Buddhist monks still visit the temples three times a day.
Walking back down from the caves it is impossible to miss the inevitable sellers making the most of the visiting tourists. We happened across a snake charmer, who hastily began piping a haunting tune which brought forth two swaying cobras with intricate diamond patterns on the back of their heads.
I was happy enough to watch from a distance but was less enthused when the chap shut the cobras back into their wicker basket and approached me with a python in his hands, which he seemed eager for me to touch, hold, hug, kiss, you name it.
aren’t poisonous, but knowing they prefer to kill their prey by constriction, I was far from keen to let this chap drape one around my neck.
There is only one more game for England in Dambulla, before heading back to Colombo and Paul Collingwood isn’t getting carried away with the significance of Thursday's first ODI victory in Sri Lanka for 25 years. He told me after the match that he will only rate the win if they can go on to take the series, something that has never been done before.
The toss is certainly playing a big role in these Dambulla matches, although both captains are keen to play that down. Were it not for Owais Shah, England could easily have been 2-0 down already.
At 1-1 though, the third and last game in the jungle could prove crucial to the outcome of the series. The rains have already arrived in Colombo, and the forecast doesn’t look too promising for the two games there.
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Hi Alison, very much enjoying the excellent commentary you and your TMS colleagues have been providing so far, however, I would like to know why Dougie Brown is being included in the set up? Fair enough, he has played a few ODIs and first class cricket, but what can he bring to the commentary box that Gus Fraser, Vic Marks and Mike Selvey cannot?
I do not find it appropriate that he should be commenting on people who have played and will continue to play the game at a higher level than he ever could hope to grace.
Please address this and give us someone to listen to that we can respect.
Craig D.
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Craig D (message 1) - your comments suggest you are not aware that Dougie played nine one-day internationals for England earlier in his career and was a member of the team which won the Champions Trophy under Adam Hollioake's captaincy in Sharjah in 1997. He also coached Namibia at the 2003 World Cup before playing in this year's tournament for Scotland - I'd say he's very well qualified for his current job.
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Como on Alison, when they go to animals' habitats to play cricket, where should animal go?
Human is invading every piece of land for their own sake and never think of nature.So-called cricket nations exploited sri lanka for centuries and now they again destroy sri lankan natural beauty in different other ways.Poor sri lankans, It seems like you like to sacrifice anything for cricket. Good Luck !
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come on Alison, wud ave luvd to see u ave dat python around ure neck... hehe... juz kiddin.. while ure there, u shud also make it a point to visit kandalama hotel... im sure ud luvvvv it!
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i love you alison mitchell
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Dougie Brown's great, leave him alone meanie
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The same arguement of Craig D's applies to Alison's level of cricket, so why pick on Dougie Brown? Also the legendary Henry Blofield never played cricket to this standard...yet he is one of the most famous cricket commentators of TMS history. It could be worse anyway, it could be the same standard of appauling commentary we had to endure during the ear-ache of the 20:20 world cup!
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The same arguement of Craig D's applies to Alison's level of cricket, so why pick on Dougie Brown? Also the legendary Henry Blofield never played cricket to this standard...yet he is one of the most famous cricket commentators of TMS history. It could be worse anyway, it could be the same standard of appauling commentary we had to endure during the ear-ache of the 20:20 world cup!
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Craig D
Just a thought, you seem to be contradicting yourself when you give your wholehearted support to the commentary of Alison Mitchell, but then go on to say that Dougie Brown doesn't have the crudentials to commentate at international level. Surely Dougie Brown has played cricket at a higher level than Alison Mitchell?
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Sir Neville Cardus, E.W. Swanton, John Arlott, Christopher Martin-Jenkins ... how many Test caps did they win between them? Yet I'm sure 100% of all cricket lovers would rather listen to them than some top-class ex-pro whose poetry on the game finishes at 'good areas'. Hussain and Atherton are insightful and erudite enough to make decent summarisers, but Botham? Willis? Allott? Sky need more professional commentators and fewer ex-England captains. I'm just glad they haven't signed Alec Stewart - known as 'The Gaffer' because of his love of soundbites. If Sir Douglas (wearing my Bears hat now) can bring something good to the microphone it doesn't matter if he played 25 ODIs (Paul Grunill, don't forget his sterling service for Scotland) or 125 Tests.
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I agree with your description of the Dambulla ground - it is quite wonderful... I visited Sri Lanka in the summer before the Tsunami. We saw the Dambulla ground and then watched South Africa in a test match at Galle - while sitting on the walls of the old Portugese fort. It was shocking to see photos of that ground after the Tsunami. I don't know about exploitation - either of the land or the people... They enjoy cricket and to have quality grounds is one hell of a perk, I would have thought. Although your visit is purely business (!) if you get the chance do visit the national park to see the wildlife. Not on a par with Africa for quantity but certainly there's an amazing variety of creatures...
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i really enjoy your commentary style alison. lovely voice.
hope you become a permanent member of tms.
interesting article too.
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i swore blind i saw a dog on the outfield the other day! my girlfriend thought i had gone mad!
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I liked the way you have phrased your entire passage...it wants anyone to visit this beautiful country. having been there i would recommend each one to go and enjoy the nature, hospitality and the beauty of the scenic Dambulla, Kandy, Nuwaraelliya or be it colombo beaches.......
cricket becomes secondary then............
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Talking of commentators where's Aggers?
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The cobras were no danger to you as they would have been 'de-fanged' and will be dead within the month. A well fed, drugged up python isnt much of a threat either, dont know how long its got to live.
Ignore these 'charmers' they pedal in animal suffering and should be given no money or credence.
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Indian cricket fans are known to set off fireworks at night to celebrate victory of their fireworks on the field during the day. Alas the field fireworks are so few and far between. More often than not they fizzle out before they dazzle.
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Whilst you may see the charm of the ground, you clearly weren't in the crowd where we were at the inaugural match at Dambulla (2001, not 2000).
A scorchingly hot day in a stadium that had been rush-finished to be ready for the game. Poor facilities all round and ages to use them. The corrugated iron roof started blowing / falling off during the game... makes for very nervous spectators when you're not sure where the next huge sheet will land.
Later in the game, the police decided to haul a Sri Lankan spectator from the crowd and beat him unconscious in front of everybody (I dare say it didn't make the TV highlights). Not exactly good for the atmosphere and caused a steady stream of objects to be thrown at gun-toting police in what looked like a gradual escalation towards a riot. Good job England were so bad on the pitch as this helped placate the crowd.
Then, the locals decided that they wanted to come into the ground for the first ever game there, despite not having tickets... and there weren't one or two of them, but thousands. The police gave up and let them in causing an ensuing crush through the gates and into the stands which had fellow Englishmen in my stand whispering 'Heysel' under their breath.
Great setting, lovely country... but my first and only trip to Dambulla was one of the most frightening days of my life.
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I visited Dambulla some five years ago. As I walked up the hill, a quick shower came and passed. In the process it refreshed the surrounding forest cover and drove the monkeys back under the canopy. I was enchanted by the caves up the hill. I spent a lot of time there. Upon leaving, I was presented with bananas by the security guards. We shared more than food - conversation, cultures and smiles. I liked the rural feel of the place.
That night, I stayed in a guest house just opposite the temple. My room was basic. It was roofed with hard-baked red tiles. One of the tiles was missing. So for part of the night I watched the stars go past me. At about 3 am, the room suddenly brightened with a surreal glow from above. I looked up to see the moon shining through the hole in the roof.
I am not sure about the exact time but at about 5 am Buddhist chanting started in the temple just across the road. I lay in bed in a dreamy state, half asleep and half awake, listening to the chanting that mesmerized me completely. I didn't want to sleep. I didn't want to get up from my bed. I stayed in bed for an hour or two to the comforting music of the chanting. In those few hours in Dambulla, I had found peace.
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Thank you Alison for a nice article. I remembered my school days where my english teacher used to teach us good english. It is written so beutifully.
One way I am glad that we have an international stadium in a place like Dambulla but on the other hand I am personaly sad that all those animals like monkeys,cows,Elephants and also snakes would loose their home in time to come. Hope and pray that Dambulla would not become a concrete jungle.
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Looks like Dambulla a nice place. It is unique ground.
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A very vivid description which misses only the swifts appearing at the onset of dusk, closely followed by the bats post dusk as they chase the flocks of moths congregating around the floodlights. my only regret is that i booked for the first three games only, anticipating England beign 3-0 down! Winning the toss is of huge importance at Dambulla, particularly in a day - night game; had it not been for Sri Lanka's poor batting performance in the 3rd game and the weather, it may well have been 2-1 to them. stars for England so far have been the bowlers, excluding Anderson and the lower middle and bottom order batting. It is time for our much heralded top order to perform.
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Hi.
In the early 80's I was the Archaeological Field Director of the UNESCO/Sri Lanka Cultural Triangle Projects at Dambulla and Sigiriya. The monkeys and snakes were there, but not that enormous Buddha.
England B came on tour, and Derek Pringle, a friend from university came to visit my excavations. I collected him and Tim Tremlett (father of Chris) from Columbo and had to have them back in Kandy for the ODI the next day. After taking them up Sigiriya Rock, we set off for Kandy, but our car, an ancient Holden Estate, gifted by the Australian Government about 10 years previously broke down, just outside Dambulla. As darkness fell quickly, the boys started to get a little worried about their prospects of making the match.
But this was cricket mad Lanka! I stopped the first passing jeep, and enquired of the owners if they would possibly mind dropping two England Cricketters to the Hotel Topaz in Kandy. They were in Heaven!
When I eventually limped into Kandy, our Sri Lanka friends were slightly worse for wear in the bar with the entire England squad, proudly brandishing their complimentary tickets for the match!
My very unreliable car, made two Sri Lankan fans very happy that day!
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Hi Alison, I'm one of the sri lankans who lives in london. Thank you very much for your comments about dambulla venue. As you have seen we are a poor country and big hearted and kind people. I'm sure you must have realise that.
for your comments about animals unfortunately in our country we don't have any RSPCA or anything like that so animals are multiplying and pretty obvious they do need some space to wonder around too.
What ever said and done im sure you all have been entertained by the natural beauty of our country and the fine weather.
Nish.W
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Alison please can you pronounce the Sri Lankan players' names properly? It is Dilhara Fernando not Dilharo Fernando!! You have no idea how much it annoys me! And please don't keep mixing up players' names, it's hard enough having to listen to the cricket without the commentators getting the names wrong! It makes me miss home more - where Sky Sports is!
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