No more ‘lovely’ cricket
On and off the field, Sri Lanka cricket is in shambles. A team that enjoyed rousing success across all formats for years after winning the 1996 World Cup is now a global farce. If the performance in the current England series didn’t expose the depths cricket has fallen to, last Sunday’s incident in Durham shows that team discipline too has eroded worse than on-field performance.
There had been little hope of victory when an inexperienced Sri Lanka side left for England on a chartered flight (Rs 69mn for passage alone) but they were at least expected to play with positive intent and discipline. Even that escaped them.
The T20 series was a disaster. Only Oshada Fernando can explain why he batted as he did in Southampton, trying to hit every ball as if he were playing street cricket. Others were no different. It was excruciatingly painful to watch this abject display from batsmen although bowlers did reasonably well in all three matches.
With scores of 111 for 7, 129 for 7 and 91 all out, Sri Lanka’s batters looked increasingly impotent in the series. Going forward, this may force cricket selectors and the team’s think-tank to revise their new ‘youth’ strategy. None of them have used the opportunity so far and all positions, including that of skipper, are up for grabs.
With time running out ahead of the T20 World Cup qualifiers, it’s best to bring in Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal and maybe even Lahiru Thirimanne back into the T20 side to provide the stability and experience that is now glaringly lacking and to build a team around them. After all, they have won matches for Sri Lanka. In the short term, their services will be vital to earning a spot in this year’s T20 World Cup.
However, given the current contract stand-off between the board and the players, and the new selectors having little confidence in the seniors, there’s little likelihood of them being recalled anytime soon. The selectors seem to justify their youth-centred policy on grounds that Sri Lanka is in its current state despite their presence during the last few years.
Winning and losing is part of the game but the manner of these defeats are shocking with even former Sri Lanka greats taking to social media to question player commitment.
“Looks like they have never played cricket before,” tweeted bowling legend Muttiah Muralidaran, who is a member of the cricket’s technical advisory committee, adding that “nation’s pride has been tarnished”.
Sanath Jayasuriya, Sri Lanka’s second-highest run-getter in ODI cricket, tweeted “Very sad day for Sri Lanka cricket. The situation is critical. We need immediate measures to save cricket.”
Weak cricket structure
Kumar Sangakkara, who is playing an important role as a member of the National Sports Council, as well as the Aravinda de Silva-led cricket technical advisory committee, doesn’t blame the cricketers but the flawed cricketing and administrative structure.
“I think they (players) have been held back by administrative upheaval and archaic systems where everyone is extremely resistant to change. That is from a very selfish perspective and nothing to do with improving Sri Lanka cricket,” he added.
During the last decade or so, there were many attempts to introduce a more robust and competitive first-class tournament to bridge the ever-widening gap but little has been done to change the 26-club tournament. The cricket committee has now come up with a fresh proposal, with their focus firmly placed on a five-team National Cricket League while retaining the club tournament. If SLC gives the green light, the proposed tournament will provide a clear pathway for cricketers to become a finished product when they graduate to the international fold.
However, there are other issues, like the coaching structure. Does it ensure that players at all age levels are developed in a holistic manner so that the transition to the international stage is as smooth as possible?
Have the slew of foreign coaches involved at various levels from national team to high performance centre contributed to the development of cricketers? It’s time that Sri Lanka Cricket critically evaluates their performance and weigh the pros and cons of hiring foreign coaches over home grown ones.
As recently as last week, Rangana Herath, arguably the best left-arm spinner world has seen, joined the Bangladesh coaching set-up after he was cold-shouldered by his own Board when his services would have been critical for molding local talent.
Also another issue Sri Lanka cricket must look at is the role of player managers. Sri Lanka has seen a mushrooming of player managers in recent years with their only interest being to make money without supporting the holistic development of their clients.
Former Sri Lanka skipper TM Dilshan recently asked SLC to take over the process saying that player managers are wielding their power over team selections and other player-related issues.
FIFA, the world body for football, has an accreditation system for player managers that help them do background checks. In 2015, the Board of Control for Cricket in India introduced a code of conduct for managers and warned its players not to deal with anyone not accredited with the BCCI. Sri Lanka needs a similar process.
A regulatory framework and code of conduct for managers was discussed some time ago, but the Board is yet to put pen to paper.
Erosion of team discipline
What’s more disheartening is the lack of passion, commitment and discipline. After such a horrendous performance, it was expected of them to regroup for the remainder of the series that includes three ODI matches. What transpired on Sunday was beyond comprehension given the magnitude of the damage it would have caused had it gone unnoticed. Strict bio-secure bubbles are maintained for player safety to avoid possible cancellation of games due to infections and Cricket Boards around the globe spend several millions of dollars, in addition to usual expenditure, to maintain foolproof safety nets.
The players are now facing prolonged suspension for risking the lives of those involved in the tournament. Many believe strict sanctions are the only way to instill discipline. On the other hand, SLC should also investigate the reasons behind the night out. Was it only a casual walk in the city to pick some food or were they up for something bigger? Match-fixing is prevalent in the world today and players are being tempted by the bookmakers who lure them with dinners, women and even gifts like watches and mobile phones. The corrupters prey on the weak and vulnerable.
Their behaviour is also a reflection of the toxic culture that we have lately seen in the team. Divisions within are well documented. There were others who used their social media platforms to vilify teammates and sometimes even their close relatives. This was why Ashantha de Mel appointed Dimuth Karunaratne as ODI skipper–to defuse tension and unite them.
Fame and fortune seem to have destroyed these players to an extent that there’s no remorse even after being responsible for the death of a person. They seem to think they have a licence to do what they want and get away with it. Only a year ago, Kusal Mendis was involved in a hit and run accident, killing a 64-year-old cyclist. He thinks paying a fine of Rs.1 million, his day’s salary for an ODI game, will absolve him. The Board, too, has treated him with kids gloves. The same Board that suspended fast-bowler Shehan Madushanka almost immediately after his arrest over an alleged drugs case, didn’t bat an eyelid over Kusal’s incident.
Danushka Gunathilaka has several incidents of misconduct (from alleged sexual assault to brawls in public places) to his name but does not appear to have learned a lesson. Such behaviour should not be tolerated.
If Sri Lanka could ban some of its finest cricketers for going on a tour to South Africa during the apartheid, they can easily do without these “spoilt brats” whose heads have turned owing to fame and fortune.