At one time the game played with sticks was considered THE sport to bring honour to the country as we were not far behind Pakistan and India. Since of late the game has slid so low that even Bangladesh has overtaken us.
Recently a team left to qualify for a big contest with high hopes. Now news has reached us that to reach their destination they had to board a long train journey and some players had to even stand the 6 to 8 hour journey.
To relive their aching legs some players had to even to rough it up by sitting on crates that the compartment was loaded with. Added to this misery the players had been housed at sub-standard accommodation where the sporting types had to share only one toilet. The players had even complained of their plight to the High Commission.
Is this the correct weight?
Cricket balls play a big part in matches and they have to meet certain requirements such as where weight is concerned.
Recently a large consignment of balls had been brought and to the utter dismay of all concerned they were far below the required weight. Now what will happen to the balls? We hear that they are to be dumped. The cost is somewhere in the range of Ten Lakhs! What a waste of funds when everyone is tightening their belts these days.
Please let us stay
The big shots at the Citadel has recently met the Big Wig of Sports and made a plea NOT to remove them from their present posts, if such a manoeuver is being planned. The Citadel guys have even assured the Sporting One that they are even willing to work overtime for him when the next polls come around .
Face lifts a big farce
A first class ground in Colombo is getting a face lift for the big cricket show next year. Soil is being dug up to be replaced in order to repair the venue.
A colossal amount is being spent for this project. Some even venture out to say that the cost to give this ground a face lift is much, much more than the monies that have been spent for outstation grounds such as Dambulla and Palleklle.
Could this be a possibility? It is also said that the earth that is being taken out for re-construction is re-cycled as new soil. A clear case of old wine is new bottles!
Standard rule ignored
A standard rule at the Citadel is that those who are involved in the game cannot get further involved in it as managers of players. But is this rule being observed? The talk doing the rounds is that a big shot at Citadel is now managing the affairs of some new players on the sly. How can this happen?
Major shake up expected
It is speculated that the leading types are not happy with the goings on at the Citadel and a major shake up is around the corner. One big change that is imminent is the appointment of a former Cinema Boss, who is also an expert on the game, as its Head. There is also another big change that is to take place but that change will have to be done by the governing body of the sport as the initial appointment has been made by them. |