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The cricketing circles were a buzz when the announcement of the new committee of national selectors was made. The expectations of the media were quite high when the Hon. Minister of Sports and the Chairman of the Interim Committee of Cricket in Sri Lanka met to introduce the new committee to them.
I am sure it was not just the media that was keen to know the thoughts and the direction of the new committee but the millions of cricket fans as well as the players themselves, as there have been many rumblings in the past with regards to various issues connected to the subject. It was no secret that the media wasn’t impressed with the previous committee’s work during the last one year. There were glaring omissions from time to time in the selection of teams and the impression given by then committee wasn’t inspiring much confidence in any soul either.
Aravinda De Silva |
However I believe that the newly appointed committee is quite alive to these facts, though one must spare a thought for all selectors before that is despite the criticism leveled at them! Back with the new committee, Aravinda De Silva the Chairman wasted no time in impressing the media with his thoughts with the stand out comment being “You can criticize me but don’t do it to the players” A very strong statement if at all there was one! And to me it bordered on a no nonsense approach! In short he was sending out a strong message to all and sundry that he and his committee means business and will take the bull by the horns! It may appear and sound to be dictatorial but if the intentions are sincere and the interest is only Sri Lanka cricket, the country and the players will be willing to tolerate such a character without an iota of doubt!
Listening to De Silva speak one felt that he had matured as a person, as he did present very well thought out answers which was reminiscent of the way he batted taking on the best of the bowlers in his hay day as a world class batsman! His aggressiveness as a cricketer seem to have been replaced by a more calm and a collected as well as a “willing to listen approach” which is bound to come in handy when the committee comprising Amal Silva an excellent wicket keeper batsman in the decade of the eighties, Shabbir Asgerali another hard hitting batsman who has played representative cricket in the seventies and of course Ranjit Fernando a highly amenable personality acceptable to all who besides his vast cricketing knowledge is bound to bring in a great deal of stability and expertise in the field of man management, meets to make their choices.
Besides all these strengths and the pluses and the buzz, it is commonly known that it takes just one game or a series for the opinion to differ or change! In the case of the previous committee comprising Ashantha De Mel, Don Anurasiri, Vinothan John and Chaminda Mendis too, it is no secret that they were as hard working and sincere as one could imagine. And when the going was good everybody were ready to applaud them and give them the required support but in the same breath changed their tune when things went bad. The slightest mistake was pounced upon and more it happened one felt they appeared to crack under pressure with the issues that confronted them.
This despite the fact that the said committee did have some great moments together with their choice of players! As such a thought should be speared for persons who are in the unenviable position of a national selector despite the authority it carries, irrespective of whether it is Aravinda De Silva, Ranjit Fernando or even Ashantha De Mel! It is human nature to be unreliable and unjust and change positions or tunes when it matters or when they are in your favor! In short the glory one embarks in such a scenario is basically borrowed.
Hence don’t be surprised if the opinion which is overwhelmingly positive for the current selectors, change to a negative as it had happened to many a committee before them.
And that is precisely what they should guard against! What I mean by guarding against is not to be bothered too much about opinion in literal sense as it will vary. But to be alive to the facts and have good reasons to support your choices and decisions.It is also imperative to remember that a selection policy could either make or break a player! Sadly we have more broken players amongst us today rather than one’s who have been made.
Therefore consistency in policy is the key. I am sure there will always be the unfortunate player despite everything going for him, not making the grade for pure cricketing reasons. My contention is not about them but about the majority who perform day in and day out in whatever opportunity they are given. A cricketer’s career has a huge limitation in the form of time! And the intention of every cricketer is to make the most of it during that time. The selector’s job will be to ensure that he becomes the bridge for the player to cross on to the other side. This to me this is the biggest challenge faced by a selector! As picking the right man to get to the other side will be a specialty a good selector will posses. Though this group surely appears to have the said specialty in them, whether one would see the fulfilling of it is a completely different matter
altogether.
Roshan Abeysinghe is a leading cricket promoter and an international cricket commentator |
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