 |
sIn every poser in the present context, you only have to delve a few moments into your mind archive and you can pull out the fitting adage thought out by our forefathers so long ago.
In this instance what came to my mind is the story on the killing the goose who laid the ‘golden eggs’.
A few days ago while attending the press conference to hail the new Interim Committee at the Cricket Board Auditorium the senior electronic media journalist seated next to me fired a question to the IC chairman D. Somachandra de Silva, a leg spinner during his professional cricketing career to the effect “Now that it is known that you have planned to replace the incumbent Chief Executive Officer, what have you planned out next”. Though being leg spinner himself the new IC chairman never expected to face a googly that turned sharp so early in his inning. After a dreaded moment of silence he passed the ball on to the hands of CEO Duleep Mendis who promptly negated such a move and saved the day and a host of other complications for the new IC. Nevertheless sometimes words don’t give expressions but do give a good weather report.
 |
| |
May be a day later after the first incident Ajith Jayasekera whose name was surfacing to take over the reins from Mendis was observed just outside the precincts of the SLC and a few hours later a morning daily carried banner head lines with a story claiming that there were moves to oust Mendis.
However the good-old ship is still sailing and all the rats are still on board.
We at this end kept looking for developments. As we learned, the anti-Duleep move began with the advent of the Arjuna Ranatunga regime at the beginning of 2008. Though Ranatunga preached that he was hoping to work along with the cricket community what practically was done was the opposite and in that melee Mendis was also to be a victim, while some others really felt the wrath of the sword.
At any time one may ask if anyone has contributed to the game of cricket in Sri Lanka in the manner that Duleep Mendis has done. His contributions have come both on and off the field.
As a schoolboy he captained both St. Sebastian’s and S. Thomas’ first XI teams before just walking into the national team as a player. Mendis’ 184 at the Royal Thomian and a century in either innings against India on Indian soil when Sri Lanka was at its infancy in international cricket still remains a corner-stone.
After elevation to the post of national captain, it was under him that Sri Lanka registered their first Test win over India in 1985. After his innings at the crease Mendis moved on as the national coach and by 1996 Mendis had become the Chairman of the National Selection Committee as well as the Manager of the National team. At this juncture Sri Lanka won the major plum – the World Cup.
By the turn of the millennium he was offered his first working position at SLC as Director Cricket Development and in 2004 moved in as the Chief Executive Officer replacing his colleague Anura Tennekoon and has performed in that capacity to date. That narration was to say that Mendis has got involved in the game of cricket in almost every possible capacity.
Once while talking to Mendis at a function not so long ago Mendis explained his modus operandi to The Sunday Times. He explained “My job here is a very professional one where I am answerable to a lot of people and I always try to do my work without getting into politics or any camps. If a job is entrusted to me I try to complete it without any hindrance to anyone and that is why I have been able to perform with so many IC heads counting from Thilanga Sumathipala, Hemaka Amarasuriya, Mohan de Silva, Jayantha Dharmadasa and Arjuna Ranatunga.”
At the same time even at the highest realms of the ICC Mendis’ contribution towards cricket is taken seriously. A recent letter sent by ICC Chief Haroon Logart to this effect bears testimony.
On our meeting with Mendis he said that he cherishes two of his deeds more than the others while performing his duties as CEO. The first he said “I must say Sri Lanka’s 2011 World Cup bid document was done in this room by me and thereafter we presented it to India and Pakistan and the other was the handling of the recent Indian tour which I almost single handedly managed with support only from a handful of people. The entire tour ran smoothly without a hiccup. I always feel that these are landmark achievements”.
“Besides that I have managed to keep a very good rapport with our Indian counterparts. For any country in the present context a tour from India is a very important date in the diary. We have managed to invite India or play against them almost every year. In 2008 they were here. In 2009 they visited us and even in 2010 there is a scheduled Indian tour to Sri Lanka. These are the factors that have kept the Sri Lanka bank roll on the healthy side so far.”
On our part our contention is that it is Sri Lanka cricket that matters and it has to stay healthy under any circumstances.
At present the IC is still feeling their way about and the majority of the persons who hold the high posts are oblivious to the machinations of World Cricket politics and ICC work patterns. Here sits a man who now has nine years experience with the SLC and knows which way the wind blows.
Cricket administrators should not come in with preconceived notions. They very well know what generally the result is of premeditated hitting, while at the crease. First find your way through and then do what should be done. |
E-mail