Understanding cricket administration

Sports

I guess that this is one of the most common fables that have come down the line, but in today’s context it is very important that we repeat it as we at this end tend to think that some cricketing VIPs in our society have forgotten or else conveniently ignored this.

The story is about the greedy dog that runs to the stream with a bone in his mouth and when he sees his shadow charges it and loses both -- the bone and his life.

The latest in this episode is that now the hierarchy of the appointed Interim Committee of Sri Lanka Cricket seems not to believe in the word relegation and have taken upon the entire work load upon themselves and at the same time it seems that they have also brushed away the niceties in employer-employee relations and the protocols that they must follow.

Then most importantly, they also must realize that they are ONLY TEMPORARY CUSTODIANS of cricket administration in the country who are members of an ‘INTERIM’ committee.

According to the Oxford Dictionary word interim means “intended to last for only a short time until a more permanent solution is found”.

I agree that the gentry who are at the top of cricket today is another phase of the prolonged political misadventure that cricket in this country has experienced during the past decade or so. They also must remember that they have no given mandate by the general cricketing community of this country.

The behaviour of one of the top interim committee members against one of the senior employees of the institution on Wednesday was quite deplorable. Does the fourth estate have to remind the cricket hierarchy of this land that if there was some dissatisfaction about the professional conduct of an employee there is a given norm of inquiry and not admonishing and banishing people in the presence of outsiders?

Then there was this other incident where the same person hijacked a trip to Dubai to attend the ICC Future Tours Programme meeting – a place generally attended by the Chief Executive Officers of the given boards.

This all began with the induction of the Arjuna Ranatunga regime which practically took the Sri Lanka Cricket backwards rather than on a forward march and up to date the repercussions of those deeds are evident in Lankan cricket. A glaring example is the departure of the Lankan bowling coaches Champaka Ramanayake and Ruwan Kalpage. Unhappy with the treatment meted out to them by the Ranatunga regime, Ramanayake and Kalpage took up positions with the Bangladeshi Cricket as overseas employees. However today we hear that the Lankan authorities are making certain overtures for their return.

Another misquotation made by the former SLC Interim Committee chairman upon his ascendancy to the cricket hot seat was that he intended working along with cricketers of yore towards the development of the game. But, what occurred in reality was its complete reverse. Eminent cricketers in the calibre of Bandula Warnapura, Champaka Ramanayake and Ruwan Kalpage who were employees of SLC suddenly made their departure. One may bring along an argument saying that they left in search of greener pastures, but the people who know the truth would know what occurred in reality. The list certainly does not end there. The only prominent figure who survived the Ranatunga wrath was SLC’s CEO Duleep Mendis who lived through the entire three hundred odd days, but not unscathed.
Besides Mendis, another Ranatunga team mate Sidath Wettimuny who also happened to share the appointed interim committee with the former was a much disillusioned man as we know.

Come the new committee headed by D. Somachandra de Silva the first piece of news that came through the grapevine was that the new management also would be after Duleep Mendis. Then at the ensuing press conference to introduce the New IC Committee one senior journalist asked the chair if there were any differences between him and the Chief Executive Officer of Sri Lanka Cricket and if his job was on line. The answer was negative. But, it was not so many moons that went by when the appointed Lankan management employed an additional CEO. Even at that time the assurance was given that it was only the arduous administrative work was being taken away from Mendis and matters pertaining to cricket would be his duty line. Ironically, now it is a member of the appointed Interim Committee who attends the ICC Future Tours Programme meeting that is generally meant for the CEOs.

Have the appointed Interim Committees served its purpose?

As we see Cricket administration in this country has been bewitched by so many evils down the line. First it were the unscrupulous ego maniacs who oiled the palms of the low down club officials to get the back door votes. Had this voting system gone on even keel, Sri Lanka cricket would have been a nicer place to walk in today? Ironically as a result of the bad status quo that prevailed during time that members were elected in un democratic manner the respective governments had to step in to stem the rot.

However what actually happened was that it became akin to another government institution where the people of means were given a small warped gift packs by making them members of the government appointed interim committee of Sri Lanka Cricket.

Nevertheless both these cricket administrations had respect for the past players who had contributed towards the development of cricket in the country and now were employed by the SLC – serving the game of cricket. But since the advent of the Arjuna Ranatunga administration it is the cricketer who is trying to run the cricket administration. Sadly this ploy has not worked. Now not only cricket, even the cricketers are suffering. The old on-the-field tiffs are resurfacing. The buddies who carried the bags now get their compensation and the cricketers who happened to drop one from the playing Xl goes out of the window.

Think to yourself what is it the best system.

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