Apostles in other lands
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It was well past midnight and the IPL final had just finished, with the Mumbai Indians just managing to take custody of the title for the third time — this time beating the fighting Pune Giants. Of course, the mood was ecstatic, as there was a fair share of Mumbai supporters huddled in Hyderabad. Yet, to be frank, I doubt even the most ardent Mumbai supporter would say that 129 runs were a match-winning total, at the end.
It was the time that the mic-jockeys were taking stock of the situation and hauling up the celebrities for their views. In the forum were Mumbai Indian mentor Sachin Tendulkar, Mumbai Coach Mahela Jayawardena and another. The mic-jockey latched on to the biggest non-playing celebrity of the eveniang — Tendulkar — to get his views. During that conversation, at one point, Tendulkar with admiration in his eyes, said, “During the break, Mahela spoke to the team and said something of immense value, I am not going to divulge what he said. But I guess it had an impact.”
This is the respect that a world great has for a Sri Lankan, while discussing something that occurred about Indian cricket in India.
Arguably, former Sri Lanka Cricket Captain Mahela Jayawardena possesses one of the most astute cricketing brains going, and his skills are sought by many.
At the same time, the other half of this particular episode, Kumar Sangakkara, who is now taking English County Surrey by storm, has decided to call it quits while he is ahead. He was quoted as saying, “You try to fight the inevitable, but you need to get out while you’re ahead”.
Last week, the news agencies around the globe were screaming about the retirement of Kumar Sangakkara from first class cricket. AFP said, “Sri Lanka cricketing legend Kumar Sangakkara said Monday that he will retire from first-class cricket at the end of the present English County Championship season in September.
“The 39-year-old — 5th in the list of all-time Test run scorers, averaging more than 57 runs from 134 Tests, with 11 double centuries — is still in prime form, having scored twin centuries for Surrey, in their match against Middlesex, which ended on Monday. However, Sangakkara — also one of the all-time great Limited-Overs batsmen and a member of the Sri Lanka side that reached both the 2007 and 2011 World Cup finals (losing to Australia and India respectively) — said he could sense the time was right to retire.”
The Sanga-Mahela legend does not stop there. It was just the other day that portraits of the two Lankan legends went on display at the Lord’s hallways, courtesy, artist Antony Williams.
The day the portraits went public was the opening day of the County Championship match between Middlesex and Surrey, and Kumar Sangakkara had the rare distinction of walking through the Pavilion and onto the outfield, past his own portrait. The scores of the match read: Surrey 313 (Sangakkara 114, Sibley 54, Franklin 4-40) and 339 (Sangakkara 120, Foakes 67*, S Curran 51, Roland-Jones 4-76) drew with Middlesex 411 (Malan 115, Franklin 112, Meaker 4-92) and 92 for 2. Thus, he cut another niche. He completed the rare feat of completing 20,000 first class runs.
Adam Chadwick, MCC Curator of Collections, said, “MCC regularly commissions portraits of players who have captivated a generation of cricket fans in all forms of the game, all around the world, and both Kumar and Mahela fit the bill perfectly.
“I am delighted with these additions to the MCC Collection and am sure, they will be enjoyed by visitors to Lord’s for years to come.  
“When they talk about the best players’ — the very best players’ — achievements, accolades and statistics only go so far. Kumar Sangakkara, scorer of 38 Test hundreds for Sri Lanka, an impressive humanitarian for good measure, finally has his hook.
“Some have statues, others have busts but the only fitting Sangakkara tribute could come via a brush rather than a hammer and chisel. And on the day that a portrait of the 39-year-old was unveiled in the Lord’s Pavilion, he treated Lord’s to the strokes of a genius.”
There is no purpose in harping on the achievements of the two cricketers in their 15 years of international cricket or, thereafter. Those are already recognised and placed at fitting echelons. But, the irony is they are like the apostles who are not recognised in their own lands.
During the last Wettimuny Interim Committee, Mahela Jayawardena worked in cohesion with the then cricket regime and, so much so, he even penned down a future tournament structure that would have put our cricket on to the right track. But, as soon as the Interim Committee’s term was over, the proposal was thrown out of the window, to use the words of a haughty committee member. Yet, the repercussions are more than evident. During the current season, as much as four local tournaments had to be abandoned. Then, there was a tournament arranged and played as a provincial entity but, designed and conducted by the Sri Lanka Cricket tournament committee. Then, another club match was reportedly fixed, yet, the investigation into the incident is perambulating and dragging.
Through their careers, both Sangakkara and Jayawardena lived beyond fault. They lived by what they believed in, and acted accordingly.
Yes, there have been other greats who adorned the Lankan Cricket arena but, most could not live by the accepted norms. For instance, on July 11, 2011, Sangakkara, while still a player, was invited to present at Lord’s the Colin Cowdrey lecture titled, “The Spirit of Sri Lanka’s Cricket – A celebration of our uniqueness”. For one whole hour, cricketing greats and the other distinguished guests who thronged the hallowed hall, were held in awe by this Lankan’s eloquence. But, the plain truth did not go down well with the Lankan pundits who held the sword of Cricket power or, political power, in our own land.
Yet, they kept on proving that it is the cricketer who brings home the bread, and not the haughty official. When Sri Lanka won the 2011 ICC T-20 Cricket championship, once again, both Mahela Jayawardena and Kumar Sangakkara sat on the Katunayake tarmac and gave a piece of their minds to the Cricket administrators. That preserved the dignity of Lankan Cricketers and Lankan Cricket.
Yes, they were fearless to speak their minds out and say what is right, but that does not mean they are rebels. At the same time, the cricket acumen they both carry, simply cannot be fathomed by any Simple Simon. Currently, they are in the game in the highest possible manner, on and off the field. But, like I said before, they are apostles only in foreign pavilions.
Certainly, they could be of use to the present crop of cricketers who need guidance. But, I wonder how they could bell the cats? If they can help cricket, even in a small way, with the Foundation of Goodness, I am sure, they would be more than happy to help even Sri Lanka Cricket. But, the question would be, at what cost? Could those who dwell upon the wrong notions think back and see what’s good for the goose?
Pix courtesy MCC