The ruination of our cricket

SRI LANKA'S loss in both forms of the game to Pakistan at home is a further indication of a sinking ship that urgently needs to be attended to before it capsizes to destruction.

Sri Lanka's continued fall from grace which sees them occupying their lowest ever position in the ICC Test and One-day International rankings (seventh out of tenth) is a matter of grave concern.

What this ranking tells you is that the country's cricket which at one time was riding high and was on par with the top countries in the world has sunk to its lowest levels and needs to be urgently addressed before we start losing to Zimbabwe which is the only nation in recent times has not beaten us.

The worrying factor of our cricket is the alarming frequency with which Bangladesh, the minnows of Test cricket has been beating our teams at all levels of competition from under 15 right through to the senior.

On the recent tour of Bangladesh the national side suffered their first ever defeat at their hands in a one-day international and early this week the Sri Lanka 'A' team lost to Bangladesh 'A' in a one-day international.

Even our under 19 team was thrashed by Bangladesh in the recently concluded ICC under 19 World Cup hosted by us.

We all know that our overseas record is not all that healthy, but what excuse can you give when the national teams loses under home conditions. Seldom has Sri Lanka suffered such a reversal of form since they won the World Cup in 1996 or even prior to that.

Petty politics

The reason for it is the petty politics that exists within two camps which are trying to wrest control of running the affairs of Sri Lanka cricket.

Their individual greed to run the richest sports body in the country has resulted in the destruction of our cricket today with the Ministry of Sports also being responsible for taking sides and allowing them to be used as a puppet to suit the whims and fancies of the individuals.

As a result of this petty politics we've had four interim bodies and as many elected bodies administering Sri Lanka cricket in the past seven years. Can any long term plans be drawn for the betterment of our cricket if there is going to be such a constant change of administration?

The most of what has been happening is mud slinging and trying to prove that one administration has performed better than the other something similar to a change of governments.

The result is that no firm commitment or plans have been put into motion (or if they have been they have not being given sufficient time to implement it) to develop the level of our cricket so that today we find that our cupboard is bare with hardly any quality cricketers to suitably take over from those who are about to retire or when they are injured.

What happened to Sri Lanka in the recently concluded series against Pakistan without the services of Sanath Jayasuriya (for the one-dayers), Marvan Atapattu and Chaminda Vaas (both injured) is a clear reflection of where our cricket is heading without players of that caliber.

Act of Brutus

Why Sri Lanka cricket is suffering today is for the Brutus like act that took place soon after we won the World Cup in 1996.

Ana Punchihewa who was then president of the Cricket Board was ensured a second term in office following the series of successes the national team had culminating with the winning of the World Cup.

But he was rudely stabbed in the back at the Board elections by a plot hatched by no less a persons than the two factions who are trying to gain control of the cricket administration today. Sri Lanka cricket administration is paying a heavy price for its past sins.

We have been playing around with cricket politics for too long to realize the consequences of where our cricket is heading for. It may be too late but a start must be made somewhere to pull the side out of troubled waters.

There is no better a person to do that than the country's President. Being a sports loving person with three of his sons being outstanding on the field of rugby and he himself being a former president of the Sri Lanka Athletics Association, the cricket loving public looks upto the President to resolve the crisis that has beset the game of cricket in the country and to resurrect it so that it goes back to its former glory days.