Mark or Marvan: Coach decision on cliffhanger
The toss-up between Marvan Atapattu and South African born Sussex coach Mark Davis for the position of Sri Lanka’s
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| Mark Davis (left) and Marvan Atapattu, the two finalists picked by SLC | |
national cricket coach in January has posed a dilemma for cricket authorities.
At the presentation held at the SLC headquarters on Wednesday, Davis and Atapattu impressed over the other two Sri Lankans – Romesh Kaluwitharana and Ruwan Kalpage while former Australian Steve Rixon who was supposed be the fifth candidate dropped out at the last moment.
The two candidates in contention at present — Atapattu and Davis – are at par level where the preference is concerned. A section of the hierarchy thinks that Atapattu is ready to accept the position; there is another school of thought which thinks the ideal time for Atapattu would come forth two years hence. If not, they point out he may not be able carry on with his duties without pressures.
Though Davis was professional and prompt on Wednesday, his credentials do not talk of handling big sides and at present he is one of the seniors in the coaching staff at the English County Sussex.
One of the insiders spoke of where Sri Lanka has fallen short. He said that prior to the IPL the going rate for a top class coach was in the region of US$ 12,000-15,000 a month, but since the Indian cavalcade came into being, the going rate has shot up to somewhere between US$ 20,000-30,000 and that was the reason why some big names in the scene drove back after
showing initial interest. He pointed out only a person who is in the process of career building would agree to the sum of US$15,000 that the Lankans could afford.
However, Sri Lanka’s cricket administration could gain financially if Atapattu, the current national batting coach and a person who has played 90 Test matches and also captained a Test team, is given the coveted position, even if he is recruited with a hundred per cent salary increase.
The coach-selecting committee is scheduled to meet this week to take a final decision. An early decision would enable the new coach to work with the outgoing coach Graham Ford till the end of January.