 Looking back now, we wonder the wisdom of the words of former Sports Minister C.B. Ratnayake who proclaimed that Sri Lanka Cricket was a den of thieves and described it as the third most corrupt institution in the country.
He had to retract his words and swallow the bitter pill at the end of it, but, when he uttered those words he must have had his own reasons to say it and also would have a plan at hand to address the situation.
Yet Sri Lanka is a unique nation where the kissing goes by favour and not real hard qualifications. Today, that statement has come to pass. We at this end do not know if this institution is number one, two or three on the corrupt list, but we now do know that the hierarchy of the institution has been hauled up before the Parliamentary Committee of Public Enterprise and that the institution is bankrupt right after a money-minting Cricket World Cup.
 SLC is seeking government grants and a soft loan to meet part of the amount it spent on co-hosting the 2011 World Cup, according to Sports Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage.
Sri Lanka Cricket ran aground soon after it co-hosted the 2011 version of the Cricket World Cup for which it built two new venues in Pallekelle and Hambantota and revamped the R. Premadasa Stadium.
Now the beleaguered institution is looking towards the government and seeking a Rs. 2 billion grant to settle some outstanding payments and a Rs 1.5 billion loan from the state-owned Bank of Ceylon.
We have no grouse about SLC building new facilities. However, whatever it does, it must have a financially viable plan to sustain the institution, pay back schemes and other allied plans to carry on with their projects.
Ironically what has happened is that SLC is in debt. Now a majority of the suppliers have stopped dealing with SLC until their bills are settled.
In another development, the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) is conducting probes into the ticket sales of the World Cup. At the same time reports also appeared about some hard disks that contained the facts and figures about the WC ticket sales have gone for a moonlight walk and now the investigations are in a wobble, it is suspected.
Then by August 6, SLC will be hosting the Australian National Team on another long drawn tour where the two teams will be engaged in a ten-match series comprising two T-20s, 5 ODIs, and three Tests. Is SLC ready with all the logistics and back-up support for this tour or is it still awaiting the government’s grant to jump this hurdle?
Affected badly by these crises are the poor employees who had to spend a few sleepless nights when their salaries did not reach their banks on the due date in May.
That is on the administrative front. Even the news about the playing field matters is also not so enthralling or encouraging either.
First, how come there is different treatment to Sanath Jayasuriya from the rest of the cricketing fraternity in Sri Lanka? We all agree he was a brilliant cricketer on his day and his achievements are incomparable. Yet, why bring him back just for a farewell match in the midst of a tour?
Then why forget Vaas? In reality Vaas also would have won as many matches for Sri Lanka as Jayasuriya, but was his folly that he did not choose the same off-the-field indulgence that Sanath did?
Then came the news that two more senior cricketers who are disillusioned by the present goings on in the cricketing citadel may not sign their yearly contracts with the governing body. If this comes to pass Sri Lanka Cricket will have three senior nomads whom it would have no control of. What good a situation of that nature would bring to struggling Sri Lanka which even cannot get a bowling combination to get batsmen out twice in a Test match?
Besides, Sri Lanka is playing this current Test match against England with a reluctant captain.
Then behind the curtain, another drama has unfolded with our Don Corleones at work. They are bringing in the prince-in-waiting. The rights of the promising Chilaw Marians Cricket Club are reported to have been sold for Rs 15 million to Carlton Sports. The man who ran the show at the club is now the manager of the team. The team which did not have a ground of their own will now have their headquarters at the Hambantota Stadium, but the hitch is the name has not changed owing to tournament rules. So metaphorically Chilaw has moved to Hambantota.
The Don who is right behind this move has thought beyond his nose. He did what it takes to be on the right side of the bench after he was roughed up several times while at the seat by another celebrity cricketer who chose the path of politics just to beat him at the post. Now with right pawns in the right places, the Don will have the Mafia back in his hands to run it the way he wants.
There is noting to stop that move from becoming a reality. The present hierarchy has floundered and brought the cricket machine almost to a halt. The only solace now is to call another election and try to put things right.
The Don has foreseen that. He has made the right moves. He has the right people at the right places and no one in his right mind would come out to oppose him. Besides, some of the cricketing celebrities are also down to sign with them at the right time. Now he only has to wait till the day arrives and he has all the time in the world.
Sadly, if the cricketing intelligentsia do not look out sharp enough the game in this country will slip from one bookie to another. |
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