Galle Cricket Stadium - some hope?

BY SA'ADI Thawfeeq

THREE months ago the destiny of Galle International Stadium as a Test cricket venue looked gloomy with Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) having plans to build a new cricket stadium at Habaraduwa.

The excuse given for that change was 'in the event of another tsunami' which was a farsighted one and came for much criticism from the cricket-loving public.

Jayananda Warnaweera, the long time curator and ground secretary of the Galle International Stadium expressed confidence that the stadium will be restored to its former pristine glory in time to come.

"Basically we are waiting for a Government green light. Still the Government has not finalised whether they are going to shift the Galle town from its present location. Anyway we are going to rebuild the grounds. There is no doubt about that," said Warnaweera.

"It will be rebuilt to international standards because there is no big cost involved in putting it back to what it was before the tsunami. There hasn't been much damage done to the press box, but there is some work to be done with regard to the club pavilion, the dressing rooms and the ground," he said.

Warnaweera said that three to four inches of the top soil on the centre pitches will have to be taken off and relaid and, also the entire ground and the drainage system. He said the cost for the entire operation would be between Rs. 100-400 million.

When questioned why work has still not commenced on the stadium, Warnaweera said: "Why there is a delay in the restoration process of the ground is because there are still a lot of unsettled people in Galle. They are still on the roads, in schools and in tents. So it is not fair by them to start reconstruction right now. Maybe within another six-seven months time we may be able to start work."

"If the stadium is not restored and international cricket played here again, the entire Galle public will go against us. They are already asking questions and pointing accusing fingers at me for not starting work on the ground," said Warnaweera.

"There is a lot of pressure coming from the schools in Galle who use this stadium for their 'Big Matches'. The spectators who frequently come and watch Test matches are also keen to see it restored."

"Even the Galle Municipal Council is dead against shifting this ground elsewhere. If you play a Test match here they make huge profits from the gate collections," he said.

Warnaweera, a former cricketing stalwart from Galle who represented his country in 10 Tests said that he had spoken to SLC officials and they had assured him that work would start on the stadium at the appropriate time.

"I have been given the assurance by Sri Lanka Cricket that they will rebuild the ground to international standards although they are also planning to construct a new ground in Habarana," said Warnaweera.

The grounds of the Galle International Stadium belong to SLC, which they have taken on a 33-year period of lease from 1999. The buildings at the stadium belong to the Galle CC and the Southern Province Cricket Association.

Whether the Galle International Stadium would host future Test matches Warnaweera was not certain. "We'll have to wait and see," he said.

Fortunately for Galle there is only a short series of two Tests each against the West Indies and Bangladesh taking place this year.

In all probability they will be played in Colombo and in Kandy. The West Indies Tests are scheduled for July and the Bangladesh Tests for September. Since being converted into an international Test venue in 1998, Galle International Stadium has hosted 12 Tests of which Sri Lanka has won seven.

Against the splendid backdrop of the historic Galle Fort, the stadium has become one of the most attractive and picturesque venues in international cricket. Cricketing legends like Australian Shane Warne and former England all-rounder Ian Botham have visited the venue and pledged their support to rebuild it to its former status.

Such is the standing that the Galle International Stadium enjoys internationally that it even figures in the 2005 edition of the Wisden Cricketers' Almanack (widely regarded as the "Cricketers' Bible"), which devotes two of its most valuable 16 coloured art plate pages to depict the venue before and after the tsunami.