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| Saturday, 16 October 2004 |
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A new breed of cricketers? Is there a new breed emerging from the younger generation of cricketers in Sri Lanka cultivating bad habits such as drunkenness on tours? The fact that Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has instigated an inquiry into the allegations of misconduct of two national cricketers is itself not a good sign for the future. The cricketers are alleged to have been involved in a late-night drinking binge midway through their rain-interrupted match against England in the recently concluded ICC Champions trophy tournament in England. This sort of behaviour is something new that has surfaced because in Sri Lanka's 22-year-old history as a Test-playing nation no senior cricketer of today when they were young had conducted himself in this manner. Their conduct on tours by and large has been exemplary. SLC should be complimented for taking steps to inquire into the alleged misbehaviour of these two national cricketers. Conduct of these players must be seriously looked into because in recent times those who have come to be implicated are from the younger generation of cricketers. Such behaviour coming from emerging cricketers is not a good sign for the future. Where is their commitment to the game? Drunkenness means your entire fitness dip to lower levels. Fitness today plays a key role in the making of a cricketer because of the amount of one-day cricket that is being played. It has assumed such proportions with countries concentrating on cricket academies, fitness programs etc because they want their players to be in top shape to meet the demands of the game today. One might ask where is the commitment of the two players at national level? As professional cricketers they should have acted with a sense of responsibility knowing very well that they are representing their country at an international tournament. Do they for one moment feel that they had let the entire side down by their irresponsible actions? All national teams have their own code of conduct with curfews being imposed on players to prevent them from having late night outs. But it is left to the individual to adhere to the guidelines imposed if he has the game and country at heart. The management cannot be asked to cast an eye upon the movements of each and every individual and wield the stick like a schoolmaster. There was a time when such acts took place with the national team. But no longer because with the passage of time the game has become so professional that the players are expected to behave and act like professionals. But in this instance the players' professionalism and lack of commitment is sadly lacking. Discipline is the key to success and Sri Lankan teams of the past have lived upto that image. Otherwise they cannot have won the World Cup and strung up a number of Test and one-day victories in their history. Whether the perpetrators are brought to book or not in this instance, SLC must ensure that such actions are nipped in the bud. They should come down hard on this sort of behaviour and the message given to all and sundry that SLC would brook no such nonsense in the future. A tribute to Keith Miller The most comprehensive book published on Australian cricket 'Australian Cricket - The Game and The Players' describes Keith Miller as: "A superbly co-ordinated all-rounder of classical style, with a matchless flair for exciting crowds, who could swing a game in a few overs of his right-arm fast bowling, right-hand batting or slips catching. His fame will endure as long as cricket, for when he took the field boundary fences or ropes disappeared and spectators virtually became part of the match, reacting to every switch of his mane of black hair. He was aggressive but casual, combining the aesthetic with red-blooded pleasure, proud of all the runs, wickets and catches he took, but disinterested in his averages or aggregates." Sri Lanka had the privilege of seeing this great cricketer in action on four occasions. He first came here in 1945 with the Australian Services team and in typical Miller fashion scored a century (132). Three years later he came with Don Bradman's invincible team on their way to England for the 'Ashes' Test series and made a dashing 46 in the one-day match played at the Colombo Oval (now Saravanamuttu Stadium). In 1952 Miller playing for a Commonwealth XI against MCC blasted the bowling for a century in partnership with C. Ivers Gunasekera who also made a hundred. Bertie Wijesinha in his book 'Love of a Lifetime' wrote: "The two went neck and neck until when each approached the century mark, Gunasekera beat Miller to the hundred with a six over mid-off. Miller responded with a like stroke. Both hits all but decapitated the commentator in his gantry by the old tennis court at the Southern end of the Oval...." His final visit was in 1953 with Lindsay Hassett's team on their way to England for the 'Ashes'. Perhaps one of the finest tributes paid to Miller was from John Arlott, the distinguished English cricket writer, commentator and lover of good wine. He said of Miller: "If I had my choice of a player to win a match off the last ball, whether it required a catch, a six or a wicket, I would pick one player, Keith Ross Miller." |
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