CRICKET: Is there anything to be salvaged?

I suppose the persons who refused to accept the positions in Sri Lanka Cricket surely must be letting off a huge sigh of relief and commending their own actions to themselves.

Just prior to the announcing of this new interim committee the fourth estate learned about some very well respected personalities in the cricketing estate turned down requests made to them by the authorities to join the new bandwagon. However they did not have any misgivings about turning down those offers forthwith.
Last Wednesday – 18th March 2009 was one of the saddest days in cricket in modern times – or is it an all-time record I wonder.

It was supposed to be a drab old affair, another press conference to introduce a bunch of personnel may be for all other reasons than merit (with due apologies to the guys who really have the right credentials, but that too go with the intricacies on the positions they hold).

The first hint of an unusual morning came on when a chameleon dressed in Sri Lanka Cricket attire (I still wonder if he could have worn that garb officially) took centre stage, made an empty song and dance about the morning’s proceedings. From the way he was paying hosannas to certain persons in the podium the press learned that this was a very amateurish attempt to divert the attention of the fourth estate.

However once the chair began to defend his title the ship began to sink. The newly appointed Interim Committee Chairman D. Somachandra de Silva cut a sorry figure up at the main table. He was good cannon fodder for the marauding press.

He began his speech by thanking the president of this country and the sports minister for appointing him to that position. This was the first ever occasion that any one up there in the pedestal confessed that the president of the country had a direct hand in appointing a person to the position of an Interim Committee Chairman at Sri Lanka Cricket.

Each time he tried to defend himself he was floored back on the canvas with a barrage of left and right hooks.

First it was his ignorance on matters pertaining to the shifting of the Champions Trophy Cricket tournament from Sri Lanka. So much so there were two contradicting news items in newspapers on Tuesday – one giving a report on Sri Lanka agreeing to shift the tournament away from Sri Lanka making it a unanimous decision while another report read that the new IC chairman still wanted to host the Championship in Sri Lanka. Then when there was a question on the present financial status once again DS was a poor student refusing to lift his hand along with the answer.

The media deliberately bowled him hollow once again by asking on the status of the future tours programme – a simple question to which he could have given several answers but none was forthcoming.

Then came the not self but induced confession of his being connected to the gaming industry and here too he put the blame on his political peers and said that it were they appointed him and he was not to be blamed.

The newly appointed Interim Committee Chairman D.S. De Silva even did not know who was exactly funding the Hambantota ground project and came up with a very vague answer about the President’s son Namal Rajapaksa getting some sponsors to finance the project. But he was sure that by mid next year the ground would be ready and he was sure that one of the 2011 World Cup semi- finals would be played at Hambantota.

At the same time the new IC chairman did seem to know the contribution made by former bowling coaches Champaka Ramanayake and Ruwan Kalpage who had rendered yeoman service till unceremoniously dumped by his predecessor Arjuna Ranatunga.

At another point he was pleading with the media not to embarrass him so much. This was in reciprocation to a question put forward to him asking who is finally responsible for Sri Lanka Cricket and who owns it.

D.S. de Silva was very clear on two points. First was his stance of security on future overseas tour and the appointment of a professional security manager. The next was his stance of local coaches and his plan to elevate them to national positions.

The entire rigmarole culminated in fine fashion. Suddenly an employee whose action came into discussion earlier stormed the floor and demanded that he too should be given the forum to defend himself even against the wishes of his peers. For the good part of five minutes his part of the entertainment went on amidst the pleas of the head table requesting this employee – ‘Podi sir’ to quiet down. Then there was a lull and the match was over.

May be that finally the new IC chairman let the cat out of the bag by making a public announcement of who was responsible for his appointment!

Unlike any other sport, Cricket is a game that is taken very seriously in this country and at the sametime it is the only game that has brought this tiny island nation such a lot of accolades and honour. Even in the conversion factor, Sri Lanka arguably holds more records than any other cricket playing nation that includes the highest totals in Test Cricket, One-day International arena and the Twenty-20 version of it along with so many other achievements.

Cricket is a passion and binding factor in this country. In this country cricket has no boundaries, racial differences or known enemies.

The peers, who make this decision on important matters pertaining to this game, first should ascertain the contribution that this game is making to this country’s image abroad.

At the ICC Sri Lanka and its contribution to the well-being and development to this country is taken very seriously and that is endorsed by the positions held by persons of the calibre of Ranjan Madugalle, Roshan Mahanama and Asoka de Silva.

So, let us keep this revered aspect in sport in its rightful place and give it due respect. The degeneration of cricket in this country in the past fifteen months is despicable.

Poser for the ICC

The newly appointed Sri Lanka cricket Interim Committee chairman D.S. de Silva is married to gaming baron E.W. Balasuriya’s daughter for the past twenty four years and she along with her children live in England at present. At the same time through his own admittance de Silva revealed that he once was employed by the gaming industry. That is the past and at present he is employed by Sri Lanka Cricket as their School Cricket Development Manager raking in a monthly salary of Rs.300,000/-. The ICC is very clear in its stand on persons with connections with the gaming industry and it goes on to explain that he/she can not be directly or indirectly be involved in it or any of his close relatives can have any connections with the gaming industry. Nevertheless D.S. de Silva has assumed duties as the head of SLC and wouldn’t it be better for the ICC to come out and go through his credentials and declare that he is fit to continue as Sri Lanka’s cricket boss thus ending all speculation.