Overstaying one’s welcome
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The Sunday Times has decided to dedicate this column to its readers so that they can comment about contents in our sports columns and features and also write their own thoughts on various sports with letters to the editor.Their views however are not necessarily those of the newspaper.
Selectors of Sri Lankan Cricket (SLC), under the able guidance of the Minister of Sports Faiszer Musthapha, with the assistance and support of new Coach Hathurusinghe have, after much hard work and deliberations, striven to mould into shape a permanent National Cricket outfit comprising mainly of players representing the majority community. This mode of selection will certainly have an adverse impact, unpleasantness and unrest amongst members of the other minority communities which too possess outstanding and promising young schoolboy cricketers with much latent talents. They also have a yearning and a great desire to be granted an opportunity of representing their motherland with honour and prestige, which certainly is a cherished dream of every schoolboy cricketer.
In leading Cricket playing nations such as England, Nasser Hussain was afforded the opportunity of successfully leading his National side. Even in our neighbouring Hindu dominated India, Mohamed Azharuddin skippered their national side. In South Africa too, one of their outstanding players is Hashim Amla. This only goes to prove that, in Sports, racial discrimination and favoritism should be overlooked, with the most deserving player afforded the opportunity to represent his/her country.
I, invariably, had a great admiration and estimation of Angelo Mathews, in the past. But, after his poor showing in the recent Test series and ODIs, my impression of him has been on the wane. On many occasions he has been a patient on the field. It is high time that he decided to call it a day and bid adieu to Cricket, like his colleagues Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene, and maintain his dignity, prestige and fame in the cricketing annals of our country. His performance in the present Asian Cup Tournament has contributed towards his dismal failure. This could certainly decide his fate and his future in the local cricketing arena. He would certainly prove to be an ideal aspirant for a Chewing Gum Commercial, which he is, invariably, seen chewing on the field!
Yours Sincerely,
Rowan Aniff