Vote cart runs over miscalculated scorecard
View(s):In Sri Lanka, the scorecard is always wrong. However you mark it, the score tends to give a wrong total at the end of the day.
Galle, once described as the bastion of Lankan cricket, is a venue the Lankan team generally begins an inbound tour, win it and then go on to defend the rest of the series. Yet, since 2010, the coin has not turned so diligently in Sri Lankas favour.
Since 2010, the home team has only a 50 per cent success rate at this venue.
In 2010, the Lankans made a triple centurion out of the West Indian yo-yo opener Chris Gayle with the visitors going on to pile-up 580 for 9. Then the Lankans lost the next Test in Galle to Australia by 125 when off spinner Nathan Lyon’s ‘puss came out’.
In the next three Galle outings, the Lankans beat England, Pakistan and New Zealand, but mighty South Asian Mickey Mouse – Bangladesh produced a double centurion and two other centurions while scoring a whopping 638 in a drawn game. Now the South African pacemen did better on a true and so-called Lankan wicket to beat Sri Lanka by 153 runs.
If a noted venue does not provide the expected results, the Lankan authorities now could ponder if they could move the future Test matches to Pallekelle or Dambulla so that the people of those areas also would be fortunate enough to witness a Test match. This move may settle a score with the Galle Stadium. Then again, in Sri Lanka things do occur in a certain slanted manner. On most occasions it is not the venue or its success rate that matters, but, who runs the club and in whose camp that crucial vote would be balloted at the next Annual General Meeting of Sri Lanka Cricket — Galle CC is no different.
The next SLC, AGM is in the air now. Though it is nearly eight months away, the participants have already begun to wear their ‘Ambudes’ and place the crown on various henchmen’s head if they seem to run along with them during this crucial race.
Recently Sri Lanka Cricket vice president Mohan de Silva was talking about a scheme that they had launched to elevate the standard of the clubs, but with an understanding as to who the real providers to the national cause were.
It was a good move, at least on paper. For this, the SLC authorities programmed a scorecard. The scorecard contained all details of a club – the facilities that the club provides for the betterment of the game at local level and the club’s talent contribution to the national grid.
Obviously, clubs like SSC, NCC, Tamil Union and Colts stood to score heavily. These clubs have the basic facilities to enhance the skills of the players and at the same they are also the main providers to the national grid.
If the scorecard was implemented to its very word, it was a good step forwards for Sri Lanka’s cricket. Yet, how it finally sifted through the executive committee of the SLC is interesting, especially the timing.
Now we learn that some new clauses are being added to the scorecard to favour some clubs and institutions which do not fit the bill but are armed with votes. Why? The big wigs have understood that if the scorecard is to be implemented the way it should, they would end up minus a few votes next April when it comes to a crux.
An angry insider told the musings: “It is very difficult to do anything right here. Yes, the allocations would be provided according to the scorecard, but there are some basic differences from the original plan. Now allocations would be going to various parties and their score has come in a different manner into the card. It is rather complicated to explain, how it exactly works.”
At the same time how are they going to raise the necessary funds to this fantastic spectacle? We learn they are in the process of obtaining a Rs. 290 million loan from a bank. How are they going to pay it back to the bank after this very generous cash donation? We hear that they soon would be receiving 70 per cent of the money that would be given to Sri Lanka Cricket from the ICC towards their participation at the 2015 World Cup tournament and this would be used to settle the hungry throats of the bank sharks. Then just what about the interest that would have to be paid for obtaining a loan to the tune of Rs. 290 million?
What is the huge hurry to make this donation if the intention is not the vote in April? This is what we are against. Time and time again we at this end have pointed out that the Interim system was bad and politicised and as a result it yielded administrators who were bad to the administration, the game and themselves. But, in the same breath we also have pointed out that the more accepted voting system where clubs have the say has bigger pitfalls than the interim system.
In this system there are a lot of institutions that have valuable votes, but do sweet nothing towards the sustenance or the development of the game. But when it comes to a vote-driven exercise, especially a multi-million project like this, they are swarming all over. Like the old witch’s brew, this whole episode is spiced by toad’s legs and snake venom.
Now we tend to think this whole scorecard is a miscalculated affair and also ill-timed. One must not embark on any project that would end up others pointing fingers at you. Considering the stature of people who occupy those chairs at Maitland Place, we say it is very unethical.
However SLC secretary Nishantha Ranatunga sees the whole episode in a different perspective. He said: “This is an exercise to develop the levels of contribution to the game of our stake holders. This not a vote bearing gig. For instance, the biggest share of the 290 million will go towards the development of cricket in schools which runs into around Rs. 55 million. Schools are the biggest feeder to the national grid and that aspect of cricket should be nurtured.
“Even for the rest of the clubs the allocations would be channelled only on proposals. The club or the organisation must come up with a viable project and give us the estimates; only thereafter a committee appointed by the SLC would sift through given proposals and work along with the respective clubs to see if the monies allocated are put to good use.
“This is not a concept that was begun yesterday. It came down the line from President Upali Dharmadasa’s time. Thereafter, the present President Jayantha Dharmadasa is supporting it. At the same time we are very confident about our finances and our future. By early 2016, we should be able to clear all our debts and outstanding dues. Yet, at the same time the stake holders are important as they are ones who nurture game in the country.”