The speech delivered by the chief guest Mr. Sidath Wettimuny at the Sunday Times-Bata Schoolboy cricketer of the year show 2011. “Ladies and gentlemen and young cricketers! May I begin by thanking you for inviting me for this very grand occasion. I can remember as a schoolboy I too was privileged to win one of these awards and it remain etched in my mind till my dying day, so I am sure it will be a very special occasion for these youngsters who are here to today to enjoy these glorious moments.
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| Sidath Wettimuny |
I look at these young cricketers for the want of another word for envy. When I think of the rewards and the incredible things ahead of them they must be utterly exited, looking forward to the next milestone in their lives. On the other hand I look at them with a little bit of concern thinking of the challenges that this game is brining about is so grueling, it is going to be a tough call.
Fellow cricketers, the modern cricketer is like a new mobile phone. You have to be more adaptable versatile and speedier as they call it 3G or whatever – athletic, because the game has changed so much in the last ten years you find the demands are different. I say adaptable because today you have a situation where in ten days you could be playing a T-20, a fifty over and Test match. That is hugely demanding on any cricketer. It is mentally demanding and physically demanding as well. So one would need to be able to adapt to these situations – believe me it is not going to be an easy task.
You will also need to be very versatile. In my day if I was a batsman and I could field. I had my place in the team. But as things stand today, you need to bat, you need to bowl and you need to field. In the next few years you need to be good at all three disciplines so, you need to be a very versatile cricketer. This will bring us athleticism. You will need to be a lot more athletic than in my time. Modern cricketer has to be strong, lean and mean. Demands on him are going to be huge. What more demands will come in the future I do not know. May be in lighter vein you will need to talk like Mr. Sangakkara. So please bear that in mind.
Down side again like a mobile phone that is burned out. You may find that your careers are shortening because there is too much demand on your mind and body. It’s going to be a case of pacing out and figuring out on how you play the game. What specialty you have and what you want to be. Do you want to be a limited overs player or do you want to be a Test player or do you want to be a combination of all three? Those decisions are going to be with you. So you will have a lot to do going forward.
One thing that I want to stress upon is that please don’t forget your technique. I look at the modern game – in fact you all would have been watching India playing cricket. They looked a little sad. They have neglected their technical skills and it showed. I think this is something that even our cricketers will face if you are not careful. Technical skills at your age have to be honed very carefully. The rest is a build up on that foundation. Technique in bowling batting or fielding is a necessity, if you want to sustain your place in the team that is going to be the cornerstone.
As a cricket administrator, there is something that I want to bring to your notice. I was quite alarmed a few days ago when I was told that there is too much interaction between the parents, old boys and the coach. This is something you have to be careful of. I would like to tell you that my mother in thirty years of cricket between three children – never watched a match. But when we went back home she was a rock. My father watched cricket under a tree and honed our technical skills back home.
He always said ‘if you are good enough nothing can hold you back’. So I would like to take this opportunity to advice some coaches, some old boys and some parents to leave a healthy gap between yourselves and the cricketer and the administration, because in the long run it brings more pressure on your children. Teach them everything at home and let them free – let them learn to play the game on their own. Let the spirit of cricket prevail even at home. Thank you”. |
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