5th Column

My dear Wanindu and team,

I thought of writing to you at a time when you have been knocked out of the T20 World Cup with such certainty when there is still a game to be played. Once again questions are being asked about what is wrong with our cricket. Whose fault is it – you, as players, or is it all the fault of the administrators?

We heard some cruel jokes about you. Some said there would have been more merit in spending the money spent on you to take a group of elderly people on a pilgrimage to ‘Dambadiva’. Others said we should have got you down early saying your homes were flooded to avoid those embarrassing defeats.

You did miss out on one game due to bad weather, and you did complain of having to travel thousands of miles in between games (which some teams didn’t have to do) but I hope you don’t use these as excuses. Our favourite rivals, Bangladesh, had to travel more than you did – and they still beat you.

Some see the problem as being with you, the players. They say there is too much money in the game now. Those coming into the team as youngsters literally go from rags to riches overnight. They do not know how to handle this and start to feel they are bigger than the game or the country they play for.

Others say the fault lies with the administrators. There must be a problem there if you can change the Constitution of the country, can force a President to resign, but can’t get rid of a small group of people who think that SLC stands for Shammi’s Limited Company or Sumathipala’s Limited Company.

The real reason, we feel, is a combination of the two. The game’s administration answers to no one except maybe to the Indian Board. Elections are manipulated. Millions are donated to certain people. As a minister, Roshan tried to make changes, even if it was for his own political agenda. He got sacked.

We stooped so low that Shammi wrote to the ICC saying there was political interference in the game and to do whatever possible to stop that. The ICC suspended us. Shammi was so keen to save his job when Parliament had unanimously wanted him sacked, even if it came at the cost of our ICC status.

Wanindu and the team, we know all this is beyond your control, but as players you haven’t been the best either. There seems to be more emphasis on your hairstyles, designer sunglasses, tattoos, your theatrical gestures on the field and your presence on social media than on your performance.

What most people have noticed is that you have taken the game – and your places in the team – for granted, knowing that even if you perform poorly you can still do the rounds in the T20 leagues around the world and earn enough to maintain a luxury lifestyle, because they pay you good money.

No one grudges you that. You are a few dozen players who have come up the hard way among 22 million people. So, you deserve that. Yet, in return, your country expects you to play with pride, passion and a little common sense too, not with arrogance and senseless incompetence.

Comparisons with 1996 are inevitable. You may say the game is played differently now. Yes, it is. Then there wasn’t a fraction of the money that is available to you today. Yet, we had players who played the game not for the money but for the pride and honour of representing their country.

Cricketers such as Arjuna, Aravinda, Sanath, Murali, Mahela, Kumar and Malinga became legends. They did have the talent but also put in a lot of hard work and maintained the discipline that is needed to succeed at the highest level. Most importantly, they didn’t think they were greater than the game.

The people who still run Sri Lanka Cricket, first crept into its administration soon after our World Cup win. Despite that, our cricket maintained its standard, reaching two World Cup finals and winning a T20 World Cup over the next 18 years. That was because of the players, not the administrators.

During most of that time, our country was in the throes of a war and terrorist attacks. Cricket was the only reason that made us smile. It was the one factor that brought the entire country, divided on racial lines, together. It was also possibly the only achievement in which we were world beaters.

That is why cricket is a religion to many. It hurts them when you lose. It is not so much the fact that you lost that hurts, it is the way you did so. It felt as if you didn’t care, repeating the same mistakes. Some of you appeared to be there not to play for your country, but to be tourists in the United States.

Your records are many. Among the first eight test playing nations team, you were the first to be knocked out. For the first time, we are out of a T20 World Cup in the group stage. Bangladesh and Afghanistan who got test status 18 and 36 years after us respectively, are still in.

Wanindu, after the defeat against Bangladesh, you kept away from the press and sent a youngster to face the media. As captain, you should lead from the front, not hide behind your minions. If you do, you are not fit enough to lead. That is like Sajith shying away from that debate with Anura Kumara.

Speaking of politicians, we heard Harin telling us not to worry and assuring us that all will be well again. Knowing what happened to Roshan, he doesn’t have the backbone to stand up to Shammi and spoil his political career, so we shouldn’t expect much from him. That is also why people are so angry.

You may not know, Wanindu and the team, but we host the next T20 World Cup, jointly with India. You should get your act together by then. Remember, the people chased away politicians who failed them repeatedly. They can do the same to you – and Shammi or Harin won’t be able to save you then.

Yours truly,

Punchi Putha

PS- Since Shammi’s letters to the ICC got us suspended, he has some clout there. He could have done us a favour and asked them whether we could field our Women’s Team instead. Chamari would have scored more than the zero runs you scored, Wanindu, and our girls would have put up a better fight!