It may not seem so on face value, but I feel Sri Lanka’s cricket is at a critical juncture in its evolution right now. For a moment I do not envy the job delegated to Ranjit Fernando and co. They are entrusted with the task of deciding between home grown hero Marvan Atapattu and South African born Mark Davis, a member of the Sussex coaching staff to replace the incumbent coach Graham Ford.

In reality the choice is not between either of these cricketers. Whether the choice is good or bad, the Sri Lankans will know much later.

They say the smiles in a household are sealed inside the pay packet. I believe this is true. Some may say that we could not lure

As a veteran who has played 90 Test matches and scored runs at will in the international arena, Marvan would know how to handle the Lankan next-in-line. - File pic

the big names in the world circuit because of the way the Lankan authorities got rid of their former coach Geoff Marsh. To most even in the close circles the real reason is a mystery, but, in reality it shouldn’t have been so. Still for all in the corporate world that we presently live in, incidents of this nature come by the dozens and any coach who is worth a pinch of salt would know it. I think if the price is right and the packet is big, big names are bound to stand in the queue.

For instance, India had a mismatched marriage with Australian legend Greg Chappell; the divorce case hit the world headlines, but India is not short of quality people to look after its cricket.

Probing into to Graham Ford’s tenure there was a certain view of a person who knew the Lankan coach very well and it gripped my interest. He said Ford is not a flamboyant character. He is a family oriented person who took his job seriously and gave his best whenever his expertise was required. Likewise the Lankan cricket hierarchy would have hoped that he would hold his reins at least till the 2015 Cricket World cup in Australia, but, he decided otherwise.

Why? There came an offer from the English county Surrey. Ford, though a god-fearing man, is a thorough professional. The job in Sri Lanka is a 365-day one, but, the job at Surrey is seasonal. During the winter you cannot play cricket in England. Besides any county job entails remuneration pack of around 1500 pounds upwards a week and Ford being a coach who has already handled a Test playing nation and a mid-range one at it, the packet automatically moves to the higher end. Then a man who has been in the sub-continent and especially Sri Lanka the IPL bosses also may come up with an offer to the guy during the English winter. This also may yield an additional income of US$ 40,000-70,000 just for 45 days’ work. So, no wonder Ford politely refused the Lankan renewal in just one year. Now he has the right CV to produce to any prospective employer.

As we mentioned in our Page 27 article last Sunday, since the IPL came into being the going rate for coaches has increased. The jump is also a significant one. From the going rate of US$ 12,000-15,000 a month, it has gone up double to US$ 25,000-30,000 a month. This we suppose is a bit out of reach for Sri Lanka which is still trying to come out of a three billion rupee rut. Then when the Lankan authorities received Ford’s notice, they looked around. Likewise some big names showed initial interest — coaching a side like Sri Lanka which is brimming with raw talent along with some unorthodox mysteries is an interesting proposition, but, when they learned what was on offer, they merely said that it is not worth their while.

Now the winding road has hit the straight run — Mark Davis or Marvan Atapattu.

For Davis who is only a member of the coaching staff of the English county Sussex, this may be the break of a life time. In England or South Africa he may not get the same opportunity, but for Sri Lanka he may just fit in. Yet, in an Indian sub-continent nation it is not only coaching. There is a cultural and language difference too. If Davis is given the job to handle the main Test side, he may run into unforeseen problems. Given the job he will have to handle cricketers in the calibre of Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardena, T.M. Dilshan and Lasith Malinga – a set of world class cricketers. Then at the same time how he is going to handle the local political culture is also a question. These are some of the imminent pressures that he is bound to encounter. Like we discussed last week, if he is a strong personality who could absorb shocks he may last for a while. But if he cannot handle the pressure, he will run for cover and hide behind the whims of the local who could take him through his tenure. Then he will count the days till he compiles his right CV and jump to his desired destination. The person who will leave Sri Lanka would be a person with a complete CV and Mark Davis would be a top hat in the coaching rung, but Sri Lanka would not have gathered any moss during his tenure.

If the job is given to Marvan, he will also have to encounter the four heavyweights that I mentioned before. His problem now would be – they played along with him. They saw him staying out with injury while being the captain of the country. They saw him staying out of the entire 2007 Cricket World Cup. The differences are bound to surface again. Marvan is fully aware of the Lankan political culture. But, the man who once called the Lankan selectors a band of Muppets, too much pressure from unwarranted angles may become too much. Some even say he may get involved in cricket politics. But, as a man who knows the ground situation he should know how to keep his nose out of smelly pointers.

However, his advantages are the language, the culture and the stint that he already has completed with the national team as batting coach. He knows how the Lankan machine works. As a veteran who has played 90 Test matches and scored runs at will in the international arena, he would know how to handle the Lankan next-in-line.

At the same time if Marvan is successful at the job, what is the guarantee that he will not be swallowed up by the global demand? Like any big name Marvan has the credentials and now he would be given the right CV to go by. Right now US$ 12900 + 2000 would look big to young Atapattu. But, once there at the pinnacle he would think like other big guns.

Like I stated at the beginning, this is a critical period where a Lankan coach is concerned. There are some stubborn facts that have surfaced. Hereafter one may not see any established foreign coaches donning the Lankan jersey. Lankans cannot afford them. Career builders would look at a CV building destination, but what guarantee that you have to get a good product.
Lastly, how long would the Lankans be able to hold on to their Lankan coaches? Once they get to the pinnacle, they too would begin to fly. Just believe. The Lankans did not think much of Chandika Hathurusinghe, but ask any cricketer in New South Wales, they will tell you the true side of it.

This is a good platform to gauge the resolve of the Lankan cricket management. The problem has nothing to do with the two individuals in question; it is much bigger than that.