Light at the end of cricket tunnel
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Could this be the catalyst? Sports Minister Faiszer Musthapha, after much deliberation, on Monday announced the composition of Sri Lanka Cricket’s Cricket committee, and on its agenda will be taking the administration to the next election and preparing for Cricket World Cup 2019.Earlier, the speculation was that the sports minister was hoping to keep the cricketing brains of this country out of the equation and fill the Cricket Committee with a group of lawyers and business personalities who know zilch about the intricacies of the International game. Even for a short period, entertaining a dark thought of that nature could be detrimental. Creating precedence can always have repercussions which could not be fathomed in some instances; it just keeps going deeper. Anyway, this is a very good move by the Sports Minister – keeping the reins of the game within the peripheries of cricket and the cricket administration. Wish we could have an arrangement of this nature as a permanent solution.
We, at this corner say this because, we feel cricket belongs to cricketers and cricket administrators — and not to politicians or non-cricket personalities, who take this as a prime motive to stay in power and woo the wrong end of cricket’s brethren. When that takes place, short term measures become the order of the day. For instance, the Provincial concept was a thing touted by many a learned cricketing figure in this country. For almost two decades nothing concrete has been done, other than some administrators taking the opportunity to wangle some votes into the SLC voting larder in the meantime. However, the provincial cricket tournament is still the dwarf that it was, after that many years. Yet, the seeming pitfall is that the very same administrators are attempting to phase out the club cricket tournament that has sustained and nurtured our cricket for the past one hundred years and more.
The best example is the Premier ‘A’ Division. It is loaded heavy with twenty four teams. As a result, the tournament has become noncompetitive. Now it fails to ensure the necessary competitive edge and thus is fast degenerating into a damp squib. Then, at the same time, the much touted Provincial tournament is also visionless and serves no real purpose: A group of club cricketers being drawn into several groups and playing a series of matches that have no sense of belonging and nothing to play for. This is the current situation of the game and it does not cater to the international requirements of competitiveness.
That is why people such as Michael de Zoysa, who loves the game more than a petty vote, saw through the impending vacuum that was being created, united the stakeholders, and brought them to the table. Now that he is on board, it is up to him to see they educate the stakeholders on what is expected from their vote, whenever they agree to have the SLC’s annual general meeting.
Just for argument’s sake, imagine a state of affairs where, instead of the typical band wagon that has plagued our cricket for the past quarter century, we descend upon an administration where the SLC CEO and its top brass run the affairs with the help of a member representing the stakeholders and a member from the Players Association, in a committee to propel the game in the country. Once a year the stakeholders could have a shootout to see if their side of the bargain is looked after, while the Players Association will be responsible for the cricketing aspects. The Players Association member, too, will be chosen once-a-year. Then, like in any other blue chip, the CEO and the rest of the management runs the company professionally. The binding factor is the Sports Law that allows the minister to control the administrators as it is now, if and when necessary.
In reality, after a lapse of several years, we see that the Players Association is back in the passage to recognition, with the appointment of its Secretary Ken de Alwis as a member of the SLC’s Cricket Committee. De Alwis is only the tip of the iceberg. The Players Association possesses men and material required to cater to the needs of cricket and its vision. That itself could act as the professional canopy that our cricket lacks today.
In reality, the Players Association right now is well on its path to recovery. Yes, at one point of time the Players Association played a vital role in the welfare of the current players and ironically, that input was misinterpreted by some in the high echelons of local cricket at that time.
But, with the game plunging into new lows, on and off the field, past cricketers who have served the country diligently, are uniting to think with one vision, to steady the Lankan cricket ship and set it on course.
Some of the past players are now airing their thoughts about the good things that are being done for cricket, with the inclusion of Players Association Secretary Ken de Alwis. A past player said, “Players like de Alwis are good. I am very happy if we could always operate from a committee like this. If they can get the right thing done, that is what is required. May be they could travel in the right direction. Talking about the Players Association, it is a very encouraging thing. But, to bring back the Players Association on to the mainstream, we need a real governing body, nevertheless this is good start. I feel that the sports minister has done a lot of soul searching and thought how to do the right thing by cricket.”
As far as the Musings is concerned, Minister Musthapha now has made a very bold move by naming these committees, so that, cricket’s wagon would keep moving till the next election. Through this move, the minister has made it an easy passage to arrive at the elections committee, which will be elected at tomorrow’s Special General Meeting.
May be now, cricket is headed in the right direction, after a hectic battle for justice for cricket. Hope, finally, they all arrive at the right destination.