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Sports

In the land of the blind
By S.R. Pathiravithana
They say that in the land of the blind the one-eyed jack is king. This is a very true statement. Not very long ago, the Sri Lanka selection panel was held in very high esteem and people who served in such positions commanded respect at any level of society.

Today, one of the favourite topics seems to be the bashing of the selection panel. In the past few days the media has taken on the newly named panel of cricket selectors and made many references. Like the accusations made by the past Zimbabwean captain Heath Streak, many references were made about the local selection panel.

What does it take to be appointed cricket selector? When you are a selector especially in today's context, you are sitting in judgment of players of the calibre of Muttiah Muralitharan, Sanath Jayasuriya, Chaminda Vaas, Marvan Atapattu, Mahela Jayawardena and Kumar Sangakkara, to name a few. Then what should the criteria be? Should you have played the game at the highest level? Should you be a respected authority of the game or is it that some one owes you some favour down the line? Into what slot would one like to be fitted in?

Two of the top criteria are that playing the game at the highest level or being a respected authority of the game whose word will be held in esteem even among the players themselves.

The Present selection panel contains the names of Asantha de Mel (chairman), Shabir Asgerally, K.M. Nelson, Don Anurasiri, Promodya Wickremasinghe and Lalith Kaluperuma. When you take their contribution to the game at the highest competitive level you will be able to discern for yourself.

The Chairman of Selectors Asantha de Mel represented Sri Lanka at the infancy of its ICC status. He played the game in the first seventeen tests and fifty seven ODI's and has 59 wickets each in both forms of the game and a highest score of 34 runs in Test Cricket and 36 runs in one-day cricket. Good enough. When he played, Sri Lanka were mere fledglings in international cricket and no one was afraid of flexing muscles against the Sri Lankan minnows. But still he ended up with respectable figures which speak for his capabilities.

The last chairman of selectors Lalith Kaluperuma, though he failed to take a single wicket in the two test matches he played against England and Pakistan at the beginning of Sri Lanka cricket and took only two wickets in the 4 ODI's at a cost of 68.50 per wicket, he is a well respected authority of the game and has served the game well off the field.

Shabir Asgerally has played one ODI and scored seven runs besides opening batting for Bloomfield C and AC during its hey day. Don Anurasiri played in 18 Test matches and took 41 wickets at a cost of 37.75 per wicket and played 45 ODI's and took 32 wickets at a cost of 45.75 per wicket.

K.M. Nelson is a cricketer of a different vintage and has no recorded history, but has served in many capacities of cricket off the field. However his controversial ideas at times have not gone down well in some quarters and his contribution to the game has been translated in many a manner.

Pramodya Wickremasinghe was a member of the World Cup winning squad. His contribution in both forms of the game are, 85 wickets in 40 matches at a cost of 41.87 and 109 wickets in 134 matches in the ODI's.

Ranjith Madurasinghe represented Sri Lanka in three Test Matches and took three wickets at a cost of 57.33 per wicket and in 12 ODI's took 5 wickets at a cost of 71.60 per wicket. When one takes these credentials can one be satisfied that the best available is serving in the panel? If not what has gone wrong and where? In this present panel there are six former bowlers and one batsman in Shabir Asgerally. Does'nt it look a bit lopsided?

What has happened to persons of the calibre of Bandula Warnapura, Mitra Wettimuny, Arjuna Ranatunge, Roshan Mahanama, Michael Tissera, P.I. Peiris, Anuruddha Polonowita, Anura Tennekone, Asoka de Silva, Graeme Labrooy, Champaka Ramanayake, D.S. de Silva, Chandika Haturusinghe, Ruwan Kalpage or Stanley Jayasinghe, just to name a few.

Not long ago it so happened that when the selection panel took decisions the players went to the minister of sports against them. That happens when players feel that they have been judged by people from the wrong slot.

Though they are there in numbers this time one cannot be fully satisfied by the credentials of some of the serving selectors. Please do not let this descend to the stage of the "Andi Hath Denage Kenda Heliya," as the Sinhala saying goes.

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