It is often said that if you want to gain an understanding of the present, you should look back towards the past. Today Sri Lanka cricket has gained international recognition thanks to the exploits of our cricketers, who match their skills against the world's best. However, let us not forget the greats of our cricketing past, who, with limited resources, used all their might to serve the game for the right reasons. Both players and administrators did everything for nothing.
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| Shelly Wickremasinghe |
In days past, the mantra of 'Country before self'’ prevailed, and players bore immense pride in wearing the Sri Lankan tie. Back then players journeyed to and from venues by public transport and were offered no five star accommodation during series. Their daily earnings lingered at the Rs. 15 mark.On the pitch, they faced the prospect of being battered and bruised without the safety of elaborate head gear and other protective mechanisms to provide reassurance. Total commitment was a quality deeply rooted in those who stepped onto the oval battlefield. They made a living with what they got, and a life with what they gave.
The current crop of cricketers is reaping what the players of old sowed. Although my vision is failing, my memory is still strong enough to revisit past glory, when I was blessed with the opportunity of watching the best local talent play at home and abroad; the likes of M. Sathasivam, Sargo Jayawickrema, C.I Gunasekera, Mahes Rodrigo, Malcolm Spittle, Hector Perera, Vernon Prins and Ben Navaratne to name a few.
The local game was also fortunate to be granted a set of selfless visionaries as administrators. Prominent among this group were P. Saravanamuttu, Robert Senanayake, B.R Heyn, Dr. N.M Perera and Gamini Dissanayake. It was Gamini Dissanayake who secured Test status for Sri Lanka with a speech in 1981 at Lord's, which brimmed with eloquence and sincerity.
At present a few of these cricketing heroes still survive, yet they suffer the indignity of being unrecognized and unaided by the sport they served so honourably. To date, no past cricketers association has been created and Sri Lanka Cricket should take notice of this grave injustice, and, moreover, provide assistance in the form of a monthly payment to those who are in need of help.
A few surviving local legends who deserve mention are Bertie Wijesinghe, one of the all-time greats who celebrated his 91st birthday on May 24; Terrence Perera, who gave his life for Bloomfield and at 100 is the oldest CR&FC rugby player; Shelley Wickremasinghe, the doyen of Bloomfield, who oftentimes single-handedly kept the club afloat, but now finds himself in a helpless position; Bonnie Wijesinghe, a champion for both Ananda College and Bloomfield who, sadly, is now bed-ridden; and Wicketkeeper Batsman Russell Harmer, who now finds himself in the wilderness in terms of his overall welfare.
All of the cricketers mentioned above are in dire straits financially and require some degree of support. The present Chairman of the Sri Lanka Cricket Interim Committee, D.S de Silva, when informed of the plight of several past cricketers, replied that he was aware of the sacrifices these men had made and promised that he would "make a strong case of the subject" with his committee.
For the sake of these unheralded champions let us hope necessary action is taken, for in the words of the former Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir, "One cannot and must not try to erase the past merely because it does not fit the present." |
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