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| Saturday, 3 January 2004 |
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Barking up the wrong tree Who is this so-called high-ranking official in Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) questioning the views expressed by one of Sri Lanka's foremost cricketers Aravinda de Silva on the issue of captaincy which came up for discussion at a television program recently? As a member of the national selection committee De Silva is entitled to his own views on selection. What he says does not mean that the selection committee is going to agree wholeheartedly. There are three other members in the committee who will also have different views on who should lead Sri Lanka in the upcoming series against Australia. At the appropriate time these gentlemen will meet and form a consensus and announce their choice. The level of cricket De Silva has played no one can question. As a vice-president and selector he is trying to give back something in return to the game that he made a name universally for himself. It is due to his efforts that we see a provincial tournament being played almost at international level. SLC has identified that De Silva with his vast knowledge of the game is the best person to handle cricketing affairs and given him a responsible area to handle. For this so-called high-ranking official to question De Silva's views on cricket, he must be very much more qualified than him? Or is it that he is not happy with the slice of the cake he is getting from SLC? Much is being said about the batting form of the present Test captain, but his deputy also had a lean run with the bat during the England series. In today's context of the game, it is not only the captain who runs the show, but he has the assistance of the coach and several others in the dressing room. Thus it is wrong to entirely blame the captain if the team doesn't perform to expectations. It seems this so-called official is barking up the wrong tree by trying to question a view expressed by a national selector who is answerable not to the SLC but to the Minister of Sport who appointed him to the post. Is this official qualified enough to question on selection matters? Such utterances, totally out of context are damaging to Sri Lanka Cricket especially when it comes from a member within. The SLC should make it a point not to tolerate such 'quacks' within their ranks. The sole intention of these disruptive elements is to put a spoke in the wheel when things are going smoothly or moving in the right direction. Hats off to SLIC The Sri Lanka Insurance Corporation (SLIC) has been in the forefront of insurance in Sri Lanka since 1961. Over the years they have set up a trend that have made them the leader amongst insurance companies in the country. The SLIC have seldom been in the limelight where the game of cricket is concerned or for that matter any sport. Apart from the insurance they do with the various sports bodies, mainly cricket, they seldom figure in sports sponsorship in a big way. The year 2004 sees them breaking new ground. They have to be complimented for bringing out a wonderful calendar where four of Sri Lanka's leading cricket grounds are featured in colour on quality art paper (17 inches x 22 inches). The Asgiriya Stadium, Kandy adorns the first three months of the year, followed by the Saravanamuttu Stadium, Dambulla Stadium and the R. Premadasa Stadium (Khettarama). The cover of the calendar has the picture of the Galle Stadium with the Galle Fort as the backdrop and the following words: 'Collector's Souvenir' imprinted on it. With cricket being the no. 1 sport in the country, it is rather surprising that no one has even thought of bringing out a calendar connected with the game. The SLIC has set the ball rolling by bringing out this magnificent calendar. Other leading business organizations should take the cue from them. The saddest part is this calendar is not available for sale to the public, but only made available as a complimentary of the SLIC to their customers, agents, organizations and employees. The SLIC should give serious thought of making it available to the public at a nominal price. It sure will be snapped up like hot cakes. Bearing fruit One of the few major decisions the present elected body of Sri Lanka Cricket took after it assumed office on June 6 last year, was to draw up a clearly defined international tour format for the development of upcoming cricketers. A busy schedule involving 14 top grade tours was planned for three years till February 2005. The tours commenced in October with the 'A' side touring South Africa and Kenya and followed by a tour to India. At the same time SLC achieved a first by getting the Asian Cricket Foundation to organize a rotational Emerging team trophy (academy) series featuring the three Asian giants India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka with Bangladesh also roped in for some of the tournaments. The results of such tours is starting to bear fruit with the Sri Lanka 'A' team performing exceptionally well in India in both forms of the game and several players making use of the opportunity to reveal their hidden talents which would never have surfaced if not for such tours. Sri Lanka 'A's recent success in winning the Kenstar tri-nation one-day tournament in Calcutta in front of a crowd of 60,000 spectators is commendable. It is not easy winning tournaments in India, but the 'A' team quite recently have beaten India in their own backyard in both forms of the game - unofficial test and limited overs under two different captains - Naveed Nawaz and Russel Arnold. These tours are not only helping the national selectors immensely, but also giving opportunities to those discarded for poor form to make a return. |
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