Its National Selectors should resign, Mathews neither should resign nor be axed!

Its National Selectors should resign, Mathews neither should resign nor be axed!

A Reminder to Sri Lanka Cricket

As soon as the Zimbabwe tour to Sri Lanka is over in 2017, Angelo Mathews the skipper was asked to resign and he obliged with no hesitation – this obedience is seen as a weakness of Angelo, by the Sri Lanka cricket and identified him as scapegoat for all their whims born out of the entire crisis within Sri Lanka Cricket in order to buffer the external pressure. As soon as Chandika Hathrusinge was appointed the Sri Lanka national coach called on the selectors, that Angelo be reinstated as Captain and Chandika persuaded Angelo Mathews to accept the captaincy, though Mathews was reluctant, the National Coach made promised to stay with his word, and Angelo Mathews was made the captain until 2019, it was reported; never it was an interim appointment. In this context It will be interesting to make a close scrutiny of Dinesh Chandimal’s performance against Zimbabwe, before and after succeeding as Skipper in West Indies, - Sri Lanka cricket shall understand that win or lose should not be attributed to one persona whoever it may be.

The present problem with Sri Lanka Cricket is, Dinesh Chandimal is too heavily masqueraded as saviour of all weaknesses Sri Lanka’s Cricket Team and to uphold that theory Angelo Mathews has been masqueraded as an ill person and this trend is continued (despite change of office) by the Selection Committee as well as by the National Coach betraying his own words, succumbing to masquerading Dinesh Chandimal who himself thrive by blaming lack of captaincy for his failures and inconsistency. Chandimal in dictating terms over Sri Lanka cricket refused to play under reappointed Angelo Mathew's as captain is a very conspicuous history, this was how Anjelo returned from West Indies halfway through, though it was said "family affairs"! Anyhow this time Anjelo Mathews has turned back and had challenged the selectors why all these U-turn dramas without subjecting him to a fitness test, A fair call by an experienced versatile player for the team.

As for the complete U-turn of events within a year, How The National Selection Committee along with Chandika Hathrusinge, (an ill convened member of that Selection Committee being National Coach) against the regulations of the Sri Lanka Cricket – subject a most experienced reliable player to spirit breaking episodes and for whose benefit? Therefore all the members of present Selection Committee shall resign with immediate effect if they cannot retain Angelo Mathews as skipper and as a playing member, who holds the iron grip for team spirit along with, few others including the newcomers but Sri Lanka Cricket has spoiled the others by splitting into camps!

What National Coach and National Selectors saying by whimsy axing, Angelo Mathews from the team is, they have succumbed to the pressure of Chandimal and (portraying to be their saviour or for all the failures of all Sri Lanka, Cricketers' in the one-day format, and mind you all these will be contagious to other individuals and will be the peril to the Team Spirit. If the National Coach and National Selectors could not withstand the pressure of public or of otherwise, despite knowing the reasons for debacles, ie the absolute indiscipline within the Sri Lanka Cricket, especially the team in the middle, how can the players in the middle withstand the pressure? How Chandimal will fulfill their expectation through "Ball Tampering"! Even this has not changed the Chandi's Attitude still in dictating terms. The former regime has given in to Dinesh Chandimal more than any other and had spoiled the team spirit making camps within the team.

In these context skipper involving along with National Coach in selecting the final XI from the fifteen as per the regulation of Sri Lanka Cricket also questionable since too many changes too quick and could lead to division within the Sri Lanka team - a characteristic phenomenon of Sri Lankans

Sri Lanka Cricket Laden with Absolute Mischievous Manipulation and Frequent Interventions

To the Cricket Management Committee 

 Sri Lanka Cricket Laden with Absolute Mischievous Manipulation and Frequent Interventions 

The game of Cricket is most passionate for all Sri Lankan’s irrespective of poor or rich, but the recent happenings in Cricket had made the public to feel nauseating of their own cricketers, its’ administrators and on the game cricket itself. Sri Lankan public love the brand of cricket they played irrespective of winning and losing a game, this brand of game had been very well adored and respected much Internationally as well and that is what had indulged me to give priority to the discrepancies within the Sri Lanka Cricket and address both leaders of the Unity Government of Sri Lanka.

“Sri Lanka Cricket” after all is a public entertaining body that manages a popular sport of Cricket for Sri Lankan public according to the International laws for cricket laid by International Cricket Committee (ICC) - that doesn’t or cannot anyway mean that an elected Government of a Sovereign State just sit and watch the discrepancies, mismanagement, undue delaying of fulfilling the ICC basic requirements, all that scathingly blushing and has become “order of day” within "Sri Lanka Cricket". As long as the club cricket and hence the few individuals dominate the General Body of Sri Lanka Cricket the pattern will prevail unrestrained and overpowering by the name of “maintaining the Standard of Cricket”

One of the long overdue requirement that has to be full-filled by Sri Lanka Cricket is that, replacing the Colombo concentrated Club-Cricket as First Class Fixture, by an Island-wide fixture that will promote more rural participation, public interest and need not say the spectator turnover and as such, its contribution towards the National Reconciliation. It is well understood that such a change cannot take place overnight or fast because it may risk the standard of cricket, if not properly done, but it has now 37 years since we gained Test status, and ICC may suddenly come hard on this issue, so as to Sri Lanka can turn around nowhere but to relinquish the ICC Test status, nevertheless, it is a duty of the Government to see a popular game is being decentralized, to overpower the confinement within of certain individuals.  The Colombo Concentrated Clubs and certain individual wanted to continue the monopoly over the National Cricket and the Election for Sri Lanka Cricket Executive Committee has become a mere game of musical chair, and certain individuals with vested interest, occupy the Chair on their merry way alternatively instead of a farsighted  National integrity and  game improvement plan– these individuals also at large portray that they have personal influence at the ICC level, without foreseeing that ICC is an organization target and ready to jump their guns on low profile countries – “proving the impartiality for so-called friendliness”.

When these matters are voiced up, these individuals organize cricket games among the “side divided sides” within some pick of players and use the names of places and portray it as inter-provincial tournament; and these organizers, goes one step ahead and stage drama to portray a spectator interest, send "bookie-coy" to playing arena and evacuate them for proof of “cleanness”! International bookies will not spend resources on unpopular games or virtually nil spectator games since there cannot be even a penny as turnover for them. Local bookie owners are well versed in it and they knew how to turn things in favour of themselves.  Does the ICC want to implant mischievous people locally as heads of Cricket and achieve its target, using their criteria of "intolerance to political interference"? What now taking place is local crooks using the ICC intolerance of political nature - to their personal advantage and delaying the actual authentic provincial competitions so they could be elected continuously only through certain clubs.    Who is fooling whom? 

Everybody cannot be fooled all the times, things have to be straightened up then and there, all the discrepancies have to be addressed swiftly to annihilate unwanted situations precipitate.  A few years ago scandalous match-fixing was swiftly swept under carpet, what will happen is somebody will pull the dirt out for their convenience.  ICC penalized national captain for Ball Tampering, and that is all, Does the Government of Sri Lanka approves the ICC conduct over a national player or skipper who claims he is innocent, or Sri Lankan authorities responsibly had had to act show some authentication of Sovereignty.  Attorney General had paved way for just and fair election of Sri Lanka cricket at the Court of Justice, (for the time being) - 

A Good Governance Government shall intervene strongly to establish its authority in sports as well for just and fair administration, because the sports interact with cross-section of public to bring them to gather as a Nation, for the respect of the public and with respect to the opinion and demand by the ex-cricketers for fresh constitution in this regard and cannot continue to ignore things happening in the sports bodies because “it is just sports”.

Action Plan to establish competitive Provincial Cricket without compromising the Club Cricket as the primary competition

Although Sri Lanka has been elevated to Test Status, competitive cricket has been stagnated more or less within centrally, for more than 37 years, and now the International Cricket Council (ICC) has given an ultimatum of fewer than 173 days to elect a proper Executive Committee for Sri Lanka Cricket. All those who involved in the Sri Lankan cricket game shall realize that this is a blessing in disguise, opportunity to put the House of Cricket complete order once and for all.

1.     Within the next 37 days, Provincial Cricket Association (PCA) be established or confirmed off with established conformity for all nine provinces, using the relevant stakeholders for the General Members. For initial easy management, PCA may be reduced to 5 or 6,

2.     All the cricket clubs irrespective of their divisions (I, II, or III) they represented in the last concluded season, be divided into number of provinces preferably (9 or 8), and be affiliated to those Provincial Cricket Associations (PCAs) confirmed of well established, each PCA shall be affiliated with minimum of one major Club that plays in the current premier Division I tournament, and that experienced Major Club will be virtually controlling the respective PCA cricket related affairs initially, a set up may prolong for a period if needed for; e.g. NCC – Central Province, SSC- Western Province, a high merit among the clubs affiliated will confer managing of PCA.     

3.      The above 1, and 2, can be taken place simultaneously so that it ensures the smooth transition and all the PCAs carries a working experience, and the expertise of the distinguished past cricketers, who would virtually carry a voting capacity to elect an or be part of the centrally administrating Sri Lanka Cricket, this may take another 37 days or less if past cricketers and the Clubs are made to cooperate.  

4.     Present Division I tournament among the clubs can go on as long as It is needed, but the Division II tournament may be adjusted to accommodate adequate fixtures for Provincial Tournament, which will be initially a 2^nd line screening for National selection, using all the affiliated club players.    

Competent Authority of Cricket, blessed as one of the four-member committee ICC recommended to be formed, shall use his powers to implement this action plan in consultation with Distinguished Past Cricketers, Club Stalwarts who are longing for a meaning full farsighted constitutional changes for Sri Lanka Cricket. It is notable that Sri Lanka Cricket is laden with frequent political intervening and such contemptuous practice once and for all be annihilated by an appropriate democratic process that ensures wider participation.