Amazing President

President Mahinda Rajapaksa will certainly earn the gratitude of the Sri Lanka cricketers for the clever manner in which he solved their problems and to their benefit.

Realising that the President is the only one who could solve their grievances, the cricketers who nearly had some ridiculous conditions slapped on them by the Interim Committee who refused or did not want to see sense, took them to the sports loving President who listened to them intently and promptly solved the problems in favour of the cricketers.

Every cricketer left the ceremony that was organised for them for winning the Asia Cup at President’s House singing hosannas to the President.

We too say ‘well done Mr. President’, because the men who matter most are the cricketers who with their sweat and toil bring pride and honour to the game and country with their deeds at home and abroad and they must not be second best.

It is amazing how President Rajapaksa who has so many pressing problems yet finds the time to listen to the woes of the cricketers and promptly solve them.

The cricketers cocked a snook at their detractors by beating the best that Asia could offer in Bangladesh, India and Pakistan and flying back with Magnificent Mahela Jayawardena hugging the Asia Cup.

A decision had also been made to tour England next year without consulting the cricketers. If this tour materialises it would clash with the next round of the Indian Premier League which is a money making one for some of the cricketers.

True that a lot of money would have accrued to the Cricket Board if that tour took place. But here again the President who was proud of the achievement of the cricketers ordered that the tour dates be changed so that it would not clash with the IPL or be cancelled.

If at all the tour goes ahead, then it will be a second string Sri Lanka team that will tour and there is no way that the England and Wales Cricket Board would want to entertain a second string team.

True that the Interim Committee is there to direct the cricketers and the game. While acknowledging that, the IC must not try to ride roughshod on the cricketers.

Ridiculous condition

While the cricketers contract problems have been solved, one among the conditions that were signed, sealed and to be delivered to the cricketers for their signatures was this:

In case they lose a match 50 per cent of their match fees to be deducted. Now to simply put if isn’t that conditon Ridiculous? Can the IC tell us of a team that would want to lose a match. Every team wants to win. No team takes the field with the intention of losing.

If the cricketers take the field with an intention of losing then they must be tagged as cricketing lepers and must be banned and cursed from the face of this earth. The IC must understand that winning and losing is part and parcel of the game.

A team would want to lose only if there is match fixing. Now that style of cricket, thankfully is not in the repertoire of our cricketers. We should be proud of not being tainted with that ugly side of the game.

President Mushraff overjoyed

Pakistani President Pervez Mushraff seemed overjoyed to be a part of the presentation awards ceremony and while congratulating the winners especially and the Pakistan Cricket Board for a tournament well conducted, he hoped that more cricket would come to Pakistan, meaning the ICC champions trophy.

When the President presented the Asia Cup to Sri Lanka amidst thundering applause from the crowd who stayed back to cheer the Lankans, it would have been a good gesture had the Lankans taken the trophy to the Chairman of the IC Arjuna Ranatunga who was on the dais. But surprisingly that did not materialise.

ICC keep blundering

The International Cricket Council must take the blame for the problems that are confronting the players and the Cricket Boards.

They still seem to live with that toothless tiger image and don’t seem to have any bite in the things they are doing.

Not satisfied by bungling by supporting the Indian Premier League and no balling the Indian Cricket League, the ICC at its recent meeting in Dubai, bungled where Zimbabwe’s survival in Test cricket is concerned, and then became the laughing stock when they agreed to side with Pakistan and turn the result of a forfeit of a win to England into a draw.

This was the sequel to umpire Darrel Hair alleging along with his colleague Billy Doctrove to ball tampering by the Pakistanis led by Inzamum Ul-Haq. The Pakistanis refused to take the field, thereby forfeiting the Test.

But in a surprise turn of events, the ICC revoked the earlier decision and changed the result. Ian Chappell the former stormy petrel of a Australian captain lambasted the ICC for their unacceptable act. It also forced former West Indian speed ace Michael Holding to quit an ICC committee. When will the ICC ever learn!

Good on Ranatunga

Good that the ICC honoured IC Chairman Arjuna Ranatunga by appointing him to a sub committee along with Dr. Julian Hunte of the West Indies. The twosome will function in an advisory capacity for all matters related to Zimbabwe cricket including its full return to international cricket. Congrats Ranatunga!