Shame! Shame!!

Australian has never been a happy hunting venue for Sri Lanka cricketers ever since ‘home’ umpire Darrell Hair called our champion spinner Muttiah Muralitharan for throwing in that unceremonious Boxing Day Test way back in 1995.

Since then, the Lankan cricketers, especially Muralitharan, have been at the receiving end from the majority of Aussie spectators and local media there.

As a result, the celebrated bowler was even compelled to skip a tour there as the ‘unofficial’ battle took a new turn after Sri Lanka thrashed Australia at the 1996 World Cup final.

The Australian media has been looking for sensational news whenever possible in a mind game. Most of then tried to make a controversial story out of nothing to put the Lankan team under pressure even before the first ball was bowled.

Veteran Sri Lanka cricketer Marvan Atapattu picked the very same destination to wash the dirty linen in public. He was a good newsmaker for Australian media which has been looking for something ‘spicy’ before Muralitharan goes past Shane Warne’s world record for the most number of Test wickets. Unfortunately, Atapattu got into the trap.

He dropped his biggest bombshell on chairman of selectors Ashantha de Mel, the former Sri Lanka Test fast bowler, and his committee, accusing them of making Sri Lanka’s cricket an international laughing stock. Perhaps, Atapattu would have thought it’s the best chance to take ‘revenge’ and hit at whom he considers ‘opponents’, after becoming the top scorer in Sri Lanka’s first innings in the first Test against Australia in Melbourne.

True that was a psychological boost for Atapattu who has been in the wilderness ever since a back injury forced him out and was succeeded by Mahela Jayewardena as captain.

But what a costly exercise that was? An emotional Atapattu would have thought he would become an instant hero as he fired all over the press conference room in a scathing attack his own country’s selectors.

“Sri Lanka’s cricket at this moment of time is not going in the direction it should go especially with a set of muppets headed by a joker. If they (selectors) had handled things properly we should have a good back up team.

For some reason we don’t have and at the age of 37 and 38 people have to come and play for Sri Lanka when it comes to tough tours like this”, he was quoted as saying.

Obviously, the ‘joker’ he referred to was De Mel, the man who captured the first Test wicket for Sri Lanka by removing England opener Geoff Cook in the inaugural Test, while the other selectors he called ‘muppets’.

Mister Atapattu, it’s a shame for a person like you.

As a sports journalist, I have followed your career right from the days you played for Ananda and even when you toured England with the Sri Lanka Under-19 led by Suchitra Alexander.

All what I knew was Lankans world over had high regard and respect for you until last Saturday. You are one of the most technically sound batsman that Sri Lanka has ever produced.

You have played for Sri Lanka for 17 long years and even captained the Sri Lanka team with distinction. We can not and do not expect such an irresponsible statement of that nature from a player of your calibre. No one would pardon you for that irresponsible and shameless act.

We are not in any way trying to defend the selectors.

How perfect the role played by the selectors or how fair they have been to Atapattu is a secondary issue.

What matters is the timing and the place of Atapattu’s shameless statement, which has done great damage to Sri Lanka cricket.

In my opinion, Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) should have immediately recalled Atapattu home for an immediate disciplinary hearing. Irrespective of the outcome, he should be heavily fined - at least 100% of his earning on tour.

The damage he has done to the sport and Sri Lanka as a country is immense. One could be the most vital ingredient of a team but if that person is not disciplined character, there is no point in playing him. Well, if Atapattu had a genuine problem with the selectors, that was definitely not the place to take up the issue.

He should have taken those problems at a different forum back home, definitely not in a country like Australia. It won’t be a surprise if someone compares Atapattu’s action with an act by a terrorist because the ultimate damage is the same - discredit to our Motherland.

On the other hand, if De Mel had anything personal with Atapattu, he wouldn’t have sent him for the World Cup.

True he did not get an opportunity to play but as a member of that World Cup squad, he too got millions of rupees as any other member of the tour party. Then one should accuse De Mel of making way for Atapattu to get a rich wallet without sweating. Atapattu has said cricketers are forced to play at the age of 37 or 38 since there is no good feeder pool.

Then why did Atapattu make a big hue and cry when he was omitted from the team as selectors gave opportunities to some of the young and talented top order batsmen? Who tried to influence the selectors?

Who tried to creep into the team when the selectors have overlooked him in order to give a place to a budding cricketer?

But when the selectors play neutral and don’t take notice of those influences, the very same people hit back at the selectors. The selectors may not be 100% perfect at all times but we have to remember that they do a thankless job.