Why this servile attitude
With reference to our last week Page 27 story, Sri Lanka Cricket has sent us the following letter.
This is with reference to the article which was published in the Sunday Times Newspaper on the 15th of June with the title “Giles Reports Mathews to ICC”.
SLC wishes to express its surprise and disappointment at your accusation levelled against Mr. Giles Clarke who is the Chairman of the England and Wales Cricket Board.
Mr. Clarke, who has been a great friend of SLC and Sri Lanka, has been a pillar of strength to the Cricket in Sri Lanka and its growth unconditionally.
According to the protocols of Cricket governance any reporting of a player or Player Support Personnel by an International Cricket governing body is to be undertaken by the respective operational staff (Secretary/CEO, Team Manager and Match Officials) of the relevant body.
On this instance Mr. Giles Clarke as the Chairman of ECB is heading the policy making body and does not get involved with any operational aspects of such matters.
At this time we sincerely request you to carry forward the clarification and sentiments expressed by SLC and provide the same volume of exposure for same at your earliest.
- Sri Lanka Cricket
Sports Editor Notes: When an institution takes a decision as important as reporting a statement made by a visiting cricket captain of a country, it is the respective home board which reports such an incident.
It may be the Secretary/CEO, team Manager and Match Officials who carries out the physical part of the act, but, always the onus of such reporting an act rests upon the shoulders of the head of the institution. In this instance, it is Giles Clarke. However, we stand by the story and note that the SLC has not contradicted it.
What we cannot understand is the servile attitude of the SLC officials who are trying to bend backwards yet again to please Cricket’s new imperial masters who have now formed an exclusive club of their own – the Big Three.
If Mr. Giles was Sri Lanka’s friend, the complaint against Mathews would not have reached the shores of the ICC. The two boards could have discussed the matter and taken appropriate corrective measures.
Our sister newspaper the Daily Mirror says the ECB and the ICC were jointly working on the issue. Shouldn’t it have been that the ICC and the SLC or only the ICC working on the matter. If the ECB made the complaint the matter should have been taken over by the ICC.
The SLC, the players and the management know well that Sri Lanka is getting a raw deal in England in more than one way. What the SLC must do is to guide team Manager Michael Zoysa to take all such instances into account and include them in the Manager’s report.
At the same time Sri Lanka has Kumar Sangakkara who is a players’ member in the ICC Cricket Committee and Ranjan Madugalle in his capacity as the head of the Match Referees panel of the ICC. Leaving Madugalle alone, the SLC could ask Sangakkara to take up such instances (with back-ups) at that forum.
The Big Three are not friends of Lankan cricket. Being servile will not pay. The only way that one could make them heed our side of the story is by beating them repeatedly home and away. Then they cannot cast us out. For the simple reason being we are on top.