Great of the Lankan cricketers

‘It is not the winning or losing that matters, but how one played the game.

. . .and when the one great scorer comes, to write against your name, he writes not that you won or lost, but how you played the game.’ - Henry Newbolt

The Sri Lanka cricketers led by that master tactician Mahela Jayawardena, seem to have played the game according to the above axioms and this is what would have led the adjudicators to label the Lankan team with the ‘Spirit of Cricket’ award at the International Cricket Council’s award ceremony in Dubai on Wednesday.

What is great is that the Lankans have won this award for the second time running, which speaks volumes for their approach and attitude to the game and not falling victim to the sledging and teasing which other teams seem to be very clever at.

Jayawardena and his cricketers have proved wonderful ambassadors for the country and for this they need to be further honoured and rewarded.

It is said that a prophet is not without honour, save in his own country. We hope the same fate will not befall the cricketers who have with their exemplary behaviour brought honour that money can’t buy.

Today with money being the root of all evil, teams hit the rules for six in their attempt to win and take home the money bags that are offered in the modern game.

But our cricketers, knowing full well that winning is everything today, have played up and played the game as it was invented to be played, keeping it clean and not infringing the spirit or the law.

That is why this award should be celebrated and treasured and be flagged as an example to other cricketing nations, who are hell bent on infringing the laws and the spirit and winning, which seems to be everything to them.

While winners of the other awards must be appreciated, the winning of the ‘Spirit of Cricket’ is not the thing, but the thing.

In today’s game a lot of filthy lucre is being thrown around, that it has gone to produce not sportsmen and women, but scoundrels and cheats who will bend and denigrate the rules so as to pocket the lucre and sing their way to the banks.

I would like to quote that famous author Henrick Ibsen when he said - ‘Money may be the husk of many things, but not the kernel. It brings you food, but not appetite, medicure but not health, acquaintances but not friends, servants but not faithfulness, days of joy, but not peace or happiness’.

During our time as cricketers at St. Benedict’s College adages like - to play a straight bat, not to hit below the belt, not to hit a man when he is down and such other cliches and our master-in-charge of cricket. A. Gnanapragasam who will have no equal, after each practice session would read and explain to us not only Henry Newbolt, but also Rudyard Kipling’s ‘IF’.

How many masters-in-charge of cricket in schools, do this today? With the English language suffering step-motherly treatment, there would not be many masters in charge of cricket or coaches who would be able to read and explain the values and niceities of these treasured poems.

England tour next year

That the cricket tour of England is still on hold with no definite decision made is sad.

What is unacceptable and inexplicable is that the decision-making seems to be like a game of musical chairs, with the responsibility being passed from one to another and with no one daring to bell the cat and solving this problem and most likely forcing the England and Wales Cricket Board to cancel the tour.

Arjuna Ranatunge, signed the Memorandum of Understanding with the EWCB. So as chairman of Sri Lanka Cricket it is his right to put his foot down and get the cricketers to dance to his tune.

By his not being able to do this and passing the buck to the Minister of Sport and Recreation only shows his weakness. It is not done to put the onus on Lokuge. Lokuge has been doing his best to keep sport clean and see it prosper and progress.

So this is a matter that the chairman has to solve. Surely the chairman can have a pow wow with the cricketers who matter, what with him having played with some and come to a conclusion and understanding beneficial to both.

What somebody must do is to get the chairman and the players to front up to each other and indulge in consultation, compromise and consensus. Sportsmen are taught to face and not duck.

Now the ball has been passed to the court of former Sri Lanka captain and now Chief Executive of Sri Lanka Cricket Duleep Mendis to bring about a settlement of this stalemate and get things moving to see to the reality of the tour next year.

In a conversation with former Sri Lankan off spinning allround sensation Abu Fuard, he told me that it is the right of Sri Lanka Cricket to arrange tours and for the cricketers to oblige.

Having said that, he stressed that it would have been better and not soured relations had the cricketers who matter been consulted before singing on the dotted line.

And Fuard knows what he is talking about, because not only did he excel in the game, but also showed and proved his prowess as an administrator and he is one of those who cleared the road that was strewn with obstacles and showed the way for Sri Lanka to enter the promised land of cricket as full member of the then preserve of the chosen few - International Cricket Council.

Ranatunge has the ability to get under the skins of opponents and get them to do his bidding. But where the tour of England is concerned, he seems to have lost that ability, which is proved by his passing the buck.

Face them Ranatunga, like you did the Aussies and umpire Ross Emerson.

Symonds will be missed

As world champions of both forms of cricket, the Aussies may not be popular, because they stretch the rules to the maximum and the tactics they use to win. But their governing body, Cricket Australia must be appreciated and applauded for the disciplinary action they took against allrounder Andrew Symonds.

Symonds may be the best allrounder in the game today, but CA has shown that however brilliant or indispensable he may be he is of absolutely no value if he is not disciplined.

The big money that he is earning and his excellent ability as a cricket may have made him think that he is bigger than the game which prompted him to say ‘go to hell with team meetings, or practice. I am going on a fishing trip’. That irresponsible act has cost him his place in the Australian team for that all important tour of India next month.

One of the highlights of the tour would have been to watch how he and Harbhajan Singh would go. Would they review their verbals which hugged the headlines when the Indians last toured Australia would burn again or the flame has been extinguished. But ‘fuel’ Symonds will not be there to add ‘fire’ to Harbhajan and get their blaze raging as usual.