Where is Sri Lanka Cricket (in its true sense) heading? Yes, the Lankan cricketers may have hit a purple patch in their Asia Cup exploits by entering the final for the ninth consecutive time, thus keeping their unique record intact. However very ironically, the happenings behind the curtain keep hitting an all time low.

In short, we can begin with a very inconspicuous occurrence. The domestic cricket season for the 2008/09 was just about to get underway with the important under 23 tournament scheduled for this weekend. At the same time, it is very customary for the management to talk to the press about the tournament before hand. This year the custom has changed. Through the grapevine, we heard the tournament was on. One scribe asked for the schedule on Thursday morning, which was, not ready -- a futile call. Then another made inquiries in the afternoon and with barely forty-eight hours left for the commencement of the tournament and the schedule was released. So, we at this end got the opportunity to tell the public that it was on. We agree that this is a very insignificant incident, but it is the parlous and lethargic state that the citadel of cricket in Sri Lanka has ground itself into. Even the very basic chores take a month of moons to take shape. The reason is that the ship is sailing without a rudder.

Besides the accolades that the cricketers bring in, the government of this land also must consider it as a serious foreign exchange earner. At the same time now that has come under the responsibility of the Sports Minister a la the interim committee they must make sure that the governance of the facility is done with a lot of transparency and responsibility.

It was only the other day a very senior member of the interim committee and a champion cricketer nearly decided to call it a day, but, the pleas of another very senior member just prevented him from doing so. The reason shown is that if he just goes ahead and does it the perpetrator of all this ills wins the day.
The entire committee other than the perpetrator and his acolyte are disgruntled and are criticising openly. One angered member said, “We just do not know what is happening here. He just does not know what responsible good governance is. If he does not get his way in anything, he takes it personally. From that point onwards, the man who has opposed him becomes his targeted public enemy. You expect a man to develop into a well matured person with time and age, but in this instance it has not happened so and he still behaves like an immature kid.”

In fury, he added on “The cricketers on one side are unhappy with the proceedings and even their contracts are not completed. Most of the development is on hold because they could not be done his way. In short, chaos is prevailing here. Moreover, he is never in the country to attend to any important business, he takes the slightest of excuses to travel abroad.”

The Asian Cricket Conference incident is another good example of autocracy. The secretary of the SLC, who is also a director of the facility along a good balance of the interim committee, is left behind. Then a man with many questions behind his mere existence and a person who is a transport provider are given the invitations forwarded to attend the twenty-fifth year celebrations of the ACC and are taken. This is a clear message given to the rest of the cricket fraternity -- “I do things the way I want and stop me if you can”.

No wonder the irate IC member called it chaos.

One good deed

Sri Lanka’s decision to be with the Asian pack on the Zimbabwe issue at this ICC meeting augurs well for the country’s status in the club, when seemingly the chips are going down. However, it being a political decision rather than a pure cricket decision takes a little sheen away from the credit, but still it is a good one. Sports Minister Gamini Lokuge said on Thursday just prior to ICC met in Dubai to ascertain the future of the beleaguered Zimbabwe (which ran into an unprecedented third day), that he had advised the Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) to take a united policy decision with India. So whatever it is it will be the minister who wore the feather on his cap rather than Interim Committee chairman Arjuna Ranatunga who put his hand up for cause in unison with the sub-continent view.

England and Wales Cricket Board has already said that they would not host a tour by Zimbabwe next year while Cricket South Africa has cut its ties with Zimbabwe because of the political situation in the country.

Sri Lanka on their part are scheduled to play Zimbabwe twice in the near future. Once in Sri Lanka hosting them for a series of ODI games in October-November this year as they are out of Test cricket at present and then early next year tour the country in February on the reciprocal tour under the FTP.