Unlikely proposition for Lankan coaches
Sri Lanka’s cricket management has already begun its quest to replace the South African born coach Graham Ford who opts out after his contract ends in January next year.
Last week, Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) came out with an official communiqué saying, “National Coach Graham Ford has indicated to SLC of his unavailability to continue with SLC after his contract expires in January 2014. He has taken this decision consequent to the discussions he had with his family on the options given by SLC.”
Graham Ford (R) and SLC fast bowling coach Champaka Ramanayake in an animated chat at a funchtion. - Pic by Amila Gamage
This means whoever takes over the job will have to get dusted right from the word go because Sri Lanka’s position as runners-up of the T-20 World Championships and the Cricket World Cup is at stake. The T-20 World Championships will be held in Bangladesh in 2014 and the Cricket World Cup in Australia and New Zealand in 2015.
Ford is favourite to be the new coach of Surrey. Ford, a former South Africa national coach who is an old and close confidant of Kevin Pietersen, is thought to have emerged as first choice for the vacancy at The Oval — a vacancy created by the sacking of Chris Adams in June.
Ford was hastily recruited in early 2012 after SLC sacked its Australian born coach Geoff Marsh. It was also said that a powerful former Lankan cricketer was behind that move. For a while the Lankan management has been toying with the idea of giving the national coach job to a Sri Lankan, though it has not appointed a local head coach, the exception being former bowler Rumesh Ratnayake who was rushed in for a short stint during last year’s Australian visit to Sri Lanka. Chandika Hathurusinghe who is now New South Wales’ coach acted as shadow coach for a while. In 2009, Hathurusinghe was named Shadow coach to Sri Lanka’s national coach, Trevor Bayliss, but he was fired in June 2010
On the replacement of Ford, SLC Secretary Nishantha Ranatunga said “We are already on the lookout. We have placed an advertisement in the Sunday newspapers (today) and anyone who is interested can apply.”
When asked if the SLC was looking at a Lankan coach, Ranatunga replied, “If anyone wants to take over the post, he will have to apply first,” and added “Yes, even the Sri Lankan coaches who feel fit to take over could apply.”
At present former Sri Lanka opening batsman Marvan Atapattu is the batting coach, while veteran fast bowler Chaminda Vaas is in charge of the Lankan fast bowlers.
However, according to reliable insiders, the Lankan management would still consider a foreign national, because both Marvan Atapattu and Chaminda Vaas spent the latter part of their careers with the Lankan seniors Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardena and T.M. Dilshan who would probably extend their international careers till the 2015 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. Having contemporaries on the two sides of the fence may bring the Lankan cricket management unforeseen problems.
Then on the controversy over Lankan spinner Rangana Herath’s name being rejected by the organisers of the Champions League T-20 Cricket tournament after he had travelled to India with the Kandurata team, Ranatunga said, “Though he was down to play for Uthura Yellows, he did not play any matches for them due to an injury and he was even replaced by another player. So he was not a part of the four-team tournament which we played. However the mistake we made was that we had failed to include Herath’s name in the original Kandurata list that we sent to the organisers. We thought as Herath is not busy right now and he even did not play in the tournament, he could get some match practice by travelling to India with the Kandurata team.”
When the Sunday Times asked Ranatunga about the pending tri-nation tournament involving India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka — a news item which got a lot of coverage in India — he said “That is all made up. There is no tri-nation tournament in the pipeline. During that period we will be busy playing Pakistan in Dubai.”
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