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Sports

To stem the rot, a cricket transformation is needed
There are 21 district cricket associations and five provincial associations attached to the Cricket Board. Are they serving the game to develop and promote at grassroots level asks Bernie Wijesekera.

What have the District Associations done to stem the dropping standards of cricket? Have they taken any remedial measures with a vision to the future? Some of the officials holding office, apparently do not possess the know-how or the administrative skills to run its affairs. However, they still continue to hold office. Could this be tolerated?

There are 21 district cricket associations, plus five provincial associations attached to the Cricket Board (BCCSL). Are they serving the game for the development and promotion at grassroot level? They enjoy the voting rights with two votes each for the year end general meeting.

In other countries these officials serve for the right reasons and men that matter hold office. They help the underprivileged to go places. A country like S. Africa was in the cricketing wilderness due to their apartheid policy. But after 1991 they bounced back in just ten years to hold their own in the international arena. Thanks to their vision for the future.

The BCCSL must be helping these district associations with a yearly donation to promote the game and to run its affairs. What sort of planning have they mapped out barring a couple of cement pitches which are apparently not properly maintained?

Here again, if any official who has the game at heart does not join the correct camp he is barred from coming to the mainstream. Some of the officials don't have the administrative skills - including financial management, to handle funds prudently.

At least they must try to organise an Under-11, 13 and 15, "cricket week" as done in S. Africa giving the less privileged an opportunity to assess and harness talent. Are there any permanent coaches attached to some of these difficult areas? Just going there for a few days is not the remedy. That, too, with people with paper certificates, mainly for material gains. Do some of these coaches have the practical knowledge to impart skills?

It will be interesting reading to know the 21 district associations: Ampara, Badulla, Batticaloa, Polonnaruwa, Colombo, Galle, Gampaha, Hambantota, Jaffna, Kalutara, Kandy, Kegalle, Kurunegala, Matale, Moneragala, Matara, N'Eliya, Puttalam, Ratnapura, Trincomalee and Vavuniya. How many of them have held their own tournaments at district club level? How many clubs have men and materials - a clubhouse and a playing field to train? Your guess is as good as mine.
There are five Provincial Associations. They are: Central Province, North Central, Southern, Uva and Western.

Schools are the academies without doubt. Central, Southern and Western Provinces have qualified and knowledgeable coaches to harness talent or their old boys - national cricketers of yesteryear to help them. What about the rural schools with natural talent? Tuition masters can't be cricket coaches to correct a bent-arm action.
Sri Lanka emerged as leader of world cricket after our effort in winning the World Cup at the 1996 final in Lahore. Since then where have we gone but only downwards? All due to a power struggle to hold office at the expense of the game.

It was during Ana Punchihewa's tenure that the Lankans won the World Cup. He had a plan sans strings, "practical three-year business plan" as enunciated by the S. African United Cricket Board headed by Dr. Ali Bacher. Ana was thrown out due to greed and political machinations. Since then everything fell on the wayside. The game too suffered, as a result.

Imagine a country like S. Africa, after segregation (apartheid) in 1991. UCBSA based on principles of equality took its rightful place in the international arena with a development programme to promote cricket as a game for all races. Ali Bacher, whom this scribe met whilst on a Lankan tour last year at the Centurian Park was in the driving seat. Ali sans race, school or club loyalties got on course.

Despite S. Africa making vast strides forward - still there were growing concerns about its shortcomings - pertaining to administration and playing levels. Dr. Bacher had the strategy to overcome it. He had a common vision to make cricket a game for all races. He wrote the transformation charter - to cover many areas for the future betterment with a professional team.

A Transformation Monetary Committee (TMC) to implement the new vision, a three-year business plan as envisaged by Punchihewa. Dr. Bacher held the National Development Conference in May 1999 - the broad target of 50-50 representation at all levels of cricket in his 3-year programme for all to join the scrum for the progress of the game. Here it's the other way round. Winners take all.

In S. Africa (UCBSA) Dr. Ali Bacher, the then president wanted power to be shared with people with professional backgrounds. He paid special emphasis on development among the less privileged (coloured or otherwise), to uplift the game, Cricket, a sport for all races.

To overcome this, the Sports Law needs an overall change to meet the present day requirements. The Sports Law was enacted in 1973 by the then Minister of Sports K.B. Ratnayake. A senior official of the Ministry of Sports when contacted by The Sunday Times agreed that since its inception (1973) other than for some amendments it has not served the present day requirements.

All these unwarranted abuse could be overcome with stringent measures. There should be a proper voting system for clubs to qualify. This has been a recurring headache for the Sports Ministry as well. They were helpless under the present system, he said.

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