5th Column

My dear Dimuth,

I thought I must write to you when I heard that you had been appointed as captain of our cricket team for the World Cup, however unexpected that announcement was. After all, you were not in the team for the past four years but here you are today, leading it at no less an event than the World Cup!

It is not that we think that you are not good enough or that someone else is better suited than you for the job, Dimuth. Still, it comes as somewhat of a surprise to find that the top job has been given to someone who was thought to be not good enough to even be in the team for so long.

However, what you have demonstrated so far is that you have an abundance of good luck. We saw that in South Africa when you led a team with little hope to a historic victory. So, you deserve your appointment by all means and it looks as if you are the ‘common candidate’ to be skipper!

Why I say so is because there were so many candidates to be skipper — you, Angie, Chandimal, Lasith, and Thisara. Six months ago, no one would have imagined that you would have the top job in the game. Yet, here you are today — and that is similar to Aiyo Sirisena becoming the ‘common’ candidate.

First among the other contenders, there was Angie. He is so similar to the Green Man. He had held the top job before. He had been in the game for as long as we can remember. He was groomed by his predecessors to take over the reins. Many believed that he had the talent, the brains and the vision.

Yet, when he was finally put in charge of the team, he didn’t perform well. Neither did the team. We went from one disaster to another until we hit rock bottom. And while he was in charge, scandals have erupted all around him, tarnishing the team’s image, even though he was not directly involved.

Just like the Green Man, as long as Angie is still in the team, everyone thinks he is the front runner. Now, his best days are over and he has to be content playing under someone else. I suppose that will give the team a better chance. That is what Angie — and the Green Man, too — must realise.

Chandimal is different — and quite like Karu. He was popular, talented and a chap who always gave his best. He was also honest and true to his word. The opportunities given to him were limited. Although he did reasonably well when he was given the chance, people always doubted his ability to lead.

Besides, the team never gave Chandimal their full support. As it was with Karu, there was always someone in the team, plotting and planning his downfall and making sure that he didn’t succeed. Some think that he could still be back as leader, but time is running out for him — as it is for Karu.

Lasith, meanwhile, is quite like Mahinda maama. He is one of a kind, someone with a special talent who comes along once in a generation. Just like Mahinda maama, he is a crowd favourite, too, and he has led our country to famous victories when the rest of the world thought it was impossible.

Lasith was out of favour for some time and despite his advancing years he was given a chance to lead the team again last year — just as Mahinda maama was. That turned out to be a disaster and he was left with a lot of explaining to do after that. Now his future is in doubt — just like Mahinda maama’s.

The problem now is that Lasith wants to be captain again, just like Mahinda maama does, and he is not willing to play under anyone else. He has been told that he cannot be captain again. He doesn’t like it — just like Mahinda maama -- and everyone is watching to see what he will do next-.

Then there is also Thisara who, from the looks of it, is quite like Sajith. He seems like a man in a hurry, wanting to win the game in the next over. No one doubts his potential and he has been given enough chances where he has threatened with an exceptional performance every now and then.

Unfortunately, he hasn’t lived up to his expectations although he seems to have mellowed recently — just like Sajith. The hope is that his best is yet to come and it is not quite his time just yet. Thrusting him to the leadership too soon will cause him to flop — and that could be true for Sajith, too.

Because of all this, Dimuth, you are the lucky one who has got the nod for the top job. We wish you well and all the luck you can get — because you will need a lot of it. You can relax, knowing that no one is seriously expecting you to win the World Cup — it is enough if you and your boys do their best!

Yours truly,

Punchi Putha

PS: I said you were like Aiyo Sirisena because you got the top job when you were not even a serious contender only a few months ago and no one ever dreamed you would be leading the team. I hope the comparison ends there. For everyone’s sake, we hope that you won’t do to our cricket, what Aiyo Sirisena has done to our country!