Sri Lanka’s tour to Pakistan: Who helped whom?
View(s):Cricket is the pride and joy of all Sri Lankans regardless of gender, age, race or any other considerations. Cricket dominates.
But Sri Lanka cricket is also often in the news for the wrong reasons. With the dominance of social media, the general public became an important cog in the whole machinery. Unlike a decade ago, the fans today are “experts” and “critics” on their own terms. Most of them have not played the game, even at the lowest level but feel they have the right to look into all matters. At times, before an international tour or series, they create social media forums to pick their squad. Before the final team is officially announced, they argue more heavily perhaps than even the National Cricket Selectors.
Up until the recent series against Pakistan, these fans were vociferously critical against Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), National Selectors, team management and coaching staff. They even bashed certain cricketers and officials with social media memes. When the teams were announced for the Pakistan series, the fans took sides. Some supported those who pulled out citing security concerns; some stood by Pakistan; and some vehemently opposed Sri Lanka’s travel to the neighbouring nation.
But when ten of our most senior cricketers told the National Selectors they are pulling out of the tour due to security fears, the fans–mostly unaware of strategic logistics and no technical knowledge of how a bilateral series is made possible–also seemed shellshocked. They went mum. Perhaps for the first time in the recent years, they waited for the Ashantha de Mel-led National Selection Committee to name the squads. Even after officially announcing the two teams–the ODI under Lahiru Thirimanne and the T20 under Dasun Shanaka–the fans remained loyal.
Perhaps they had understood how a group of former national and first class cricketers, now in a panel of National Selectors, face pressure to pick the best of the lot based on various perspectives. They may have realised the consequences for de Mel, as panel leader, should their choices be wrong.
De Mel’s past record as Chief Selector is a mixed bag. But it was an era where there were world class players dominating the national stream, with someone new knocking the door just once in a blue moon. When de Mel was reappointed in 2018, after six years after last holding the same position, he entered the fray with better timing.
He was criticised on many occasions, notably when Angelo Mathews was kept out during a series, when Dinesh Chandimal was axed from his captaincy and from the team and even when Dimuth Karunaratne was appointed ODI captain for the ICC World Cup 2019. Each time, de Mel had choices before him.
When the ten seniors decided on September 9 to pull out of the Pakistan tour, everyone kept their fingers crossed. De Mel and his panel of Selectors took the risk, even gambling with their reputation in the team they put together. They kept their fingers crossed. On October 2, the Thirimanne-led side almost had the third ODI in a series which ended 2-0 in favour of Pakistan.
Then, the Sri Lankans started the steamrolling. A win in the first T20 on October 5; a win again two days later; and a final win that sealed a series whitewash against the world’s top T20 team. Today, it is difficult to find anyone criticising de Mel and his panel for the gamble they took.
The series has one lesson: be tolerant, all the way. Sri Lanka has a lot more to offer. The whole episode involved a side with just one or two experienced players, visiting a venue where their successful and more commanding team of predecessors were attacked by gunmen, causing injuries to some. A decade later, they risked their lives to help a nation that hasn’t seen international cricket played there ever since the attack.
The million dollar question is this: Did Sri Lanka help revive cricket in Pakistan? Or did Pakistan and its security status help Sri Lanka revive its cricket?