Who sent whom to the market?
View(s):There are two Sinhala colloquial phrases which I think came into the usage about the last two decades and they are very meaningful. The first is ‘Kade Yanawa’ (Going to the market) – the real meaning is doing some menial work for someone with no particular profit for one’s self, though the victim thinks otherwise. The other is ‘Kade Arinawa’ (Sending someone to the market). This means using someone to do menial work knowing well that it is the sender who is benefitting, although the victim thinks otherwise.
I think this is the right forum to dig this up. The Proteas are now here for the cricket series and this narration also involves one of them. Exactly one year ago, on July 1, 2012, the former ICC CEO, South African-born Haroon Lorgat, was given a special room at the Sri Lanka Cricket headquarters. He was paid a colossal sum to do a logistical survey in local cricket and produce a report, giving his recommendations and observations on how to improve the overall game of cricket in Sri Lanka.
Former ICC CEO Haroon Lorgat was hired by the former SLC chief Upali Dharmadasa last year. After talking to number of local cricket experts, Lorgat produced a comprehensive report on the areas where Sri Lanka could improve further. But todate the ‘Lorgat Report’ remains an unimplemented document. - File pic
However, the backtrackers kept on screaming that there was a hidden agenda in his visit and the association with Sri Lanka Cricket. Yet, the aptly dressed and eloquent South African had a more impressive demeanor about him. I met him only for little more than one hour but he did impress me.
Before he took over the task, Lorgat commenting on his visit to Sri Lanka said: “Sri Lanka Cricket deserves and must engender a better reputation and image than it currently enjoys. In addition to other roles and responsibilities, the SLC Exco is duty bound to protect and enhance the reputation and image of the SLC.
“Even though the SLC presently boasts a reasonably successful national team and squad of players, it faces very challenging strategic, financial, administrative and operational issues. After once being among the top four teams in the ICC Reliance Test rankings table, the team is presently ranked 6th — and 5th on the ODI table and 1st on the T-20 table. Statistically, a rating less than 100 rating points is regarded as a weak standing…”
Lorgat went on to profess that at that time Sri Lanka Cricket was experiencing an acute cash shortage and that would aggravate further especially in 2013 according to the planned FTP structure, unless it dealt head on with this burden. He also said that as a result, the SLC would not be in a position to develop or exploit the undoubted talent and the potential of the national cricketers.
Duly the SLC recognised (or so to say) the challenges ahead of it and appointed Lorgat to produce a paper advising it how best to tackle the key challenges explained by him.
Thereafter, the former ICC CEO, cut through about forty direct stakeholders in the game and obtained their input before arriving at his own conclusions and thereafter released a ten-page document for the perusal of the executive committee of Sri Lanka Cricket.
The document contained nine key issues that he had recognised. Those were: 1 Poor reputation and image; 2 An outdated SLC constitution and governance model; 3 Weak financial position; 4 Lack of professional administration; 5 A non-existent organisational culture; 6. Poor media relations and no media protocols; 7 A domestic cricket structure that is not optimal nor sustainable and thus not developing excellence; 8. National selection committee and 9 Inadequate high performance facilities and scope for more input from renowned and experienced past players.
For these nine problem areas that he had observed Lorgat had given twenty four recommendations for the Exco’s perusal.
There was much fanfare and tom-tom beating in the following weeks, with even Sport Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage saying that these observations should be put into action.
But, what followed was as empty as an old white ant’s mound. The report still must be lying somewhere in SLC secretary Nishantha Ranatunga’s larder with the only action visibly taken is the appointment of former opening bowler Chaminda Vaas.
Speculatively what prompted that move was when New Zealand contracted him as their bowling advisor during their last tour to Sri Lanka. With Vaas’ assistance, they used their pace attack to beat the home team.
Now one year hence the Sri Lanka team which once was among the top four Test playing nations has plummeted further. At 99 ICC rating points last year Lorgat said that the Lankans were among the weaker lot at the 6th position. Ironically now they have achieved the seventh position out of nine with a magnificent tally of 88 points. This shows the great progress Sri Lanka’s cricket has made since Lorgat gave his report.
Of the points detailed by Lorgat we are concerned mainly about two sections: His views about the domestic cricket structure and the selection committee.
On the cricket structure, Lorgat said in his report: “Clear and urgent dialogue to restructure the domestic cricket setup is required to ensure the future system is optimal, equitable and supported so that it represents the best opportunity for talent to develop to its full potential. Designing healthy competition structures for the better players to the top is essential.
“The restructure of domestic cricket needs to create a decentralised and empowered provincial/regional/club structure. Developing responsibilities, supporting clubs with established infrastructure and the need to source funding at all levels will create potential to develop, sustain and grow the game over.”
On the selectors, Lorgat commented, “Constructive engagement with the minister is necessary to amend the sports law so as to comply with international norm and the new regulations of the ICC.
“The SLC needs to establish clear Terms of Reference for the Selection Committee that would, inter alia, secure the independence of the committee and details its composition, process and responsibilities. The need to appropriately resource the selection function, which may well include having full time selectors, needs careful consideration.”
Reading the above what has Sri Lanka done for the past 365 days? The SLC has carefully selected parts of the Lorgat report and implemented them when and where it suits it.
About the cricket structure sweet nothing has been done and still there are fourteen teams in the first class fray when one needs only about half that amount to have the cream of the talent taking part in a meaningful tournament.
Still the Minister holds the key to the national selectors and even now there are more political implications and interference in the selection committee in spite of having two former Sri Lanka Cricketers in Sanath Jayasuriya and Hashan Tillekeratne. In a composition of this nature there are decisions where the real cricketing interests get diluted, like the 35,000 foot affair.
Lorgat warned that Sri Lanka was rapidly going down in the Test cricket segment. But, the culprits are within the board walls. Even the South African tour was to be a full one that included three Test matches. But, in their haste to concoct the SLPL they managed to talk the Proteas to play the Tests later. Now there seems to be no SLPL. Now there seems to be no South African Test series included in this segment of the tour.
Now the readers could think who sent whom to the market. Was it Lorgat or the Merchants at Maitland Place…… or the poor cricket fanatics like you and me?
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