COVID19: if you drop your guard, you could get out ~ Malinda Words

Ricky Ponting, clearly one of the best batsmen the world has seen, was once asked to reveal the secret of his success. His answer was as simple as it was profound: ‘I treat every ball with respect.’

In other words, he probably blocked out what went before and what could come later. Such things would detract from focus, he probably reasoned. The previous delivery could have been loose and duly dispatched for a four or six, but this does not mean that the next would not be a wicket-taking one. Dwell too much on the elegant off-drive or perfectly timed hook shot and you would not be giving 100% attention to the next ball you have to face.

It’s the same with getting ahead of yourself. If a team is chasing a formidable total, a batsman or even a team can get undone by ‘scoreboard pressure.’ One could easily fall into the trap of calculating the required run rate. What is likely to happen next is to take more risks to keep the scoreboard ticking. The more risks one takes the greater the chance of error. A relatively easy target can also prompt carelessness. Teams have been undone by overconfidence. It’s not over until it’s over, obviously.

Ponting inhabited ‘the moment.’ Each delivery was taken as being distinct. Anything else would amount to the bowler being given a slight edge. It would amount to a dropping of the guard. A smart captain or bowler will try to capitalize.

The Ponting Theory is applicable to a lot of things and right now it seems an appropriate rule-of-thumb as Sri Lanka lifts restrictions imposed on account of the COVID19 pandemic.

We lived through some inconvenient times. Fortunately, perhaps, the fact that we’ve lived through such times before helped. Curfews, check points, the need to curb enthusiasm, adjusting consumption patterns and the emergence of community spirit ensuring that the most needy will not fall weren’t new to us. Face masks, social distancing and sanitation protocols were of course new. It took a while but by and large people accepted such things as inconveniences they have to live with.

The absolutely heroic efforts of the relevant healthcare professionals, combined with relentless tracing of the possibly infected, quarantining and isolation of vulnerable areas have allowed the authorities to completely lift curfew.

The numbers tell the story. Confirmed cases: 2,042. Number recovered: 1,711. Deaths: 11. Number of days since the detection of an infected person outside the quarantine centers: 61 (as of June 30, 2020).

So is COVID19-free? According to criteria used by New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, the answer is ‘yes.’ New cases have been recorded only among those returning from abroad and those in quarantine centers on account of possible contact with infected persons.

Does this mean that Sri Lanka has effectively quelled the COVID19 threat? No.

We know how infection rates soared in countries like the USA and UK when restrictions were lifted. Of course the containment levels in these countries are extremely poor compared to Sri Lanka. We can’t afford complacency, however.

For all the precautions taken, despite the meticulous screening and tracing, all it takes is for one error to take a country back to those anxious days of curfews, restrictions and enforced deprivation. If not from anything else, we can learn from one of the unfortunate errors in the early days. Navy personnel who had to come into contact with people suspected of carrying the virus were infected and they passed it to almost a thousand of their comrades. We simply didn’t take the necessary precautions to protect our ‘frontline.’ Sri Lanka’s ‘performance’ would have been that much more laudable if not for this.

That error has been rectified of course but we need to recognize that there are no foolproof systems. ‘9/11’ if not anything else taught the world this uncomfortable truth. And today, we see the worth of adages such as ‘better safe than sorry,’ and ‘prevention is better than cure.’

It’s all about ‘treating every ball with respect,’ come to think of it. Now there are openers who have carried their bats out. There are batsmen who are not out at the end of the innings. However, there isn’t a single batsman among those who have played more than a few Tests who has never been out.

COVID19 is a like a bowler who can come at you from different angles, who will exploit to good effect the peculiarities of the wicket and therefore has to be negotiated with absolute skill. Brain-freeze of any kind will result in the wicket being gifted. We can’t afford that.

This article was first published in the DAILY NEWS [July 2, 2020]

Other articles in the series 'In Passing...': [published in the 'Daily News']

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Anyone for inclusive grieving?

Wildlife in the Department

The far and near of police brutality and racism

David Dungay couldn't breathe either!

Field Officer Jayatilleka Herath

Suku's family and heart

When the Government lowered the bar

Mother and mothers