Sports
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The
long and winding road Please do not misunderstand me. Sri Lanka does possess the necessary ingredients to chalk up a set of world beaters. However the way that the present wagon wheel is turning the above statement may well end up as a day dream. Once again Sri Lanka does possess the ingredients and so, do many other Test playing nations who are in the fray, but there is one glaring difference. The other nations are working on a set plan and some of them have already mooted their plans like India and Pakistan. Ironically Sri Lanka still seems to be groping in the dark. If one takes the whole scenario point by point one may understand the version of the Lankan episode of the x-files. At present the cricket administration has gone from the hands of Don Corleone to Norman Wisdom. The general degeneration began nearly a decade ago, once Sri Lanka brought home the world’s biggest cricketing plum – the World Cup. With that achievement some were genuinely happy and wanted to work towards the dream of becoming the “best cricketing Nation by the year 2000”. At the same time Sri Lanka Cricket rapidly changed from the status of being one of the poor relations among the upper class to another in the higher echelons. This transformation saw the Cricket board kitty also growing more muscles in its belly. At this point there was another group who saw this as an opportunity for image building and other fringe benefits that came along with it. The result was Sri Lankan cricket became top heavy and brittle. But, still Lankan cricket kept blooming. While cricket became more and more attractive ironically those who ganged up together to hunt the cricketing deer fell apart halfway and the hunter became the hunted. The result….. Some went into oblivion and the others became sworn enemies. Then the degeneration came step by step. The administrators who came on to occupy the hot seat, were more interested in satisfying the whims and fancies of their ‘yes men’ and building up a vote bank so that they too could go on to achieve their own personal goals. On the surface everything was hunky-dory. But, administrations kept on changing hands. Then at the same time the incumbent sports ministers down the line started flexing their muscles with the weight of the sports law which is still under their belt. Uncertainty crept into every nook and cranny of the hallowed halls of the cricketing citadel. That was the past and now we could gradually step into what is lacking in cricket in the present context. The present cricket administration too was air dropped into power by the minister of sports under varying circumstances. When this administration took over the reins many a pretty picture was painted and the prettiest among them was the Cricket Committee which comprised a host of past stalwarts. The message given …..The administrators would administer the game while the cricket committee would look into matters concerning cricket. No sane cricketer who loved the game could have asked for more. It was the most promising scenario that came upon at the helm of the most popular game since the time Sri Lanka brought home the World Cup. But, sadly it was only in theory. Practically the administration fumbled. First it was the tournament committee that was appointed to replace the one that sat upon (maybe with certain changes) for the past decade or over were lost in the wilderness. They came in with a certain agenda and they tuned the entire club cricket structure topsy-turvy to achieve their goal. However these manoeuvers also caused delay after delay and now the administration is faced with a court case on another issue. Meanwhile the Cricket Committee who came onto the stage with a lot of promises and some very constructive theories also ran foul with the administration. The main issue was the Penny-Ratnayake case. The simple question is why can’t Siripala be treated in the same vein as Jack. One thing led to the other and finally the Cricket Committee chairman Arjuna Ranatunge and Sidath Wettimuny walked out of the Maitland Place doorway at least for the present times. When things of this nature were taking place behind the curtains at the headquarters, the actors there in the middle too felt uncertain about their own future. Rumours started floating around and in the midst unwarranted or untimely changes were brought in and the cricketers too started running for shelter. The results were a spate of defeats that have dropped the Lankans from a very high pedestal to a lowly gauge in the Word Rankings. The talent still remains. The wins against Australia, South Africa, India and New Zealand prove this. When Sri Lanka did win these games they won them handsomely. But in general does the Lankan dressing room look the same confident forum that was there a few years ago? Didn’t the very same faces which looked epitomes of confidence with nine straight wins under their belts or the side that thrashed the daylights out of the South Africans not very many moons ago? The
only way out that many see is that local cricket must come under
a private administration that is answerable to a group of shareholders
or whatever. It should be a result oriented independent organization
that the government has no authority whatsoever. There should be
no volunteer administrators. Everyone who is involved should be
there on a fixed pay and should be result oriented. This must run
down to the very roots of the game. Till then Lankan cricket will
have talent but it will be turbulent.
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