Lewke, Fernando score for rugby

Special Task Force DIG and President Sri Lanka Rugby Football Union Nimal Lewke and Chief Executive Dilroy Fernando scrummed down forcefully to breach the defence of the International Rugby Board and the Asian Rugby Football Union and score for the game and country.

The score they totted up was that they finally got the IRB and the ARU to allow Sri Lanka to hold the next Rugby Asiad here in November. Rightfully the IRB and the ARU expressed security concerns and were a bit reluctant to grant Sri Lanka's request.

But Lewke and Fernando who have been excellent players, knew how to manoeuvre and convince the two governing bodies to finally relent and grant Sri Lanka's request.

Lewke who has his ear to the ground and Fernando convinced the IRB and ARU that they need not have any fears and that everything would be tickety boo come November when Sri Lanka would proudly conduct the Asiad and that the best of security would be provided to the players and officials visiting the country. Lewke's one goal when he took over as the head of the SLRFU was to breach whatever the defence put up by the IRB and the ARU and score the winning try - holding the Asiad here. And that he achieved it, is great.

The twosome Lewke and Fernando took on their detractors and cleverly making their presentation convinced them that they need not harbour security concerns, but come and play the game and enjoy the best of hospitality that the Lankans are renowned for.

Sometime back a visiting cricket team was provided with Presidential style security. But they chickened out for fear of losing and as an excuse cited security concerns.

Lewke who heads the Special Task Force is a taskmaster and he will provide watertight security come Asiad Rugby time in November.

Lewke and Fernando could well have played with the IRB and ARU and agreed like some officials of the past did. That of accepting security lapses and wishing to play a game abroad so that they could make it a shopping spree too.

The rugby fraternity are sure to join in the scrum push and support Lewke and Fernando to make the Asian Rugby tournament a resounding success. Our best wishes to Lewke and his team.

Dream team of commentators

The ongoing Test cricket series between England and India sees an almost complete commentary dream team, but for the absence of Tony Greig.

Sunil Gavaskar, Ravi Sahstri and Harsha Bhogale along with Ian Chappell are doing a fantastic job keeping their viewers and listeners glued to 'Star Cricket' with their superb describing of happenings on and off the field.

As usual they are second to none and at times are putting to second best the England team of commentators. Only Navjot Singh Sidhu was missing. Incidentally the former Australian captain Ian Chappell who has the knack of getting embroiled in controversy must be feeling uneasy when Sachin Tendulkar gets going and having to describe the champions batting.

During the World Cup in the Caribbean, Chappell wanted Tendulkar to quit the game, before someone else does it for him. That criticism by Chappell we thought was unfair and said our piece from the Caribbean.

Chappell who always wages war with the establishment is known to have dropped his pants and exposed his bum to the selectors. But what was admirable in Chappell was that he stood by his team and they did similarly.

He was one of the finest and successful skippers produced by Australia. During his reign Aussie cricket was tops. Chappell's criticism would have made Tendulkar to prove the former Aussie skipper wrong, get among the runs and show that there is a lot more cricket left in him. Tendulkar along with Ganguly suffered dubious decisions in the ongoing Second Test against England.

Tony Greig

Tony Greig and the former South African and England captain and one of the best TV commentators has done it again.

He was one of the lead players who batted for Kerry Packer and turned the establishment upside down by signing on the best Test players for Packer's circus and he has done it again.

This time round he has joined hands with a TV Company in India and is in the process of creating a split in the establishment and luring in some of the best players for a rebel Twenty20 series in India.

Big money is being dangled and the coming days will see those just retired and some of the Test players falling prey for this big money.

Although Packer's move was condemned, it went to shake the establishment who had to bow and immediately up the payments of players to stall more players from performing for Packer. Today's night cricket is credited to Packer.

When secret talks were on and signing of players were going on, Greig was the captain of the England team that played here. He was batting at the Colombo Oval when suddenly a message went out to him that there was an important call for him.

Greig threw protocol and rushed to answer the call which was from his boss Kerry Packer when talks were secretly on and his leaving the crease was a pointer that the establishment was close to suffer a life threatening attack by Packer and his secret service.

Packer took revenge on the establishment, because Cricket Australia refused his Channel Nine the right to telecast. Something similar is being enacted in India. More interesting signings should filter through in the coming weeks. Greig would have canvassed some of the Sri Lanka players when he was doing commentary here.