Whither Sri Lanka cricket?
Rev. Bro. Nimal Gurusinghe F.S.C.
Our series with Bangladesh was somewhat successful. Sri Lanka managed
to win the Test series and the T20 Match. Then the One Day series ended
in a tie.
It is good for our two new captains, Angelo Matthews and Dinesh
Chandimal, to start on a winning note.
I am sure this would boost their morale. I congratulate both of them
and wish them good luck in their future endeavours as skippers of Sri
Lanka cricket teams.
As honest cricket fans, can we be satisfied with our performance? Our
players had the home advantage while, on the other hand, Bangladesh is a
very mediocre team.
As well as this, in the world rankings it is always at the bottom.
So, when we look back at things from that angle, we cannot be happy with
our country's performance.
In 2015 Sri Lanka has to play the World Cup. It will be played on
alien soil which is not familiar to our players.
If we do not show our class in England then we may have to face great
humiliation when we play in the most prestigious tournament in the world
in another two years time.
Are we going to continue with Mahela Jayawardane, Kumar Sangakkara,
Tilakaratne Dilshan and Rangana Herath? Undoubtedly, they are
world-class cricketers. But will they be in the same form in 2015? Will
their foot work be quick enough to give their best to the team? These
are the facts that need to be considered for the next world cricket
plum.
Personally, I feel it is better that Sri Lanka should form a fairly
young side for the next World Cup.
This would be an investment. It would be nice if our four 'old
horses,' namely, Mahela, Sangakkara, Dilshan and Herath, were to make
way for newcomers to set into their shoes for the 2015 World Cup. In
1996 we won the World Cup and most of the veterans who played then were
on the 1999 World Cup Team.
All of us know what happened at that time. After having so many
experienced players in the squad we were eliminated in the very first
round itself.
If our senior players keep on playing then the same thing may happen
in the next World Cup too.
I suggest that Sri Lanka form a team that could play in 2015 and in
2019 as well.
Then it will become a mature and experienced outfit that can deliver
the goods. I hope our selectors think of the future of Sri Lanka
cricket.
IPL Cricket
It is indeed sad to hear that our cricketers are not welcome in Tamil
Nadu. Also, if they play there they are not safe.
What guarantee do we have that our national players are safe in other
Indian states? Isn't it entirely possible that a group of players from
Tamil Nadu could go to another state and disturb our players? If our
cricketers play in the IPL Tournament then they should be able to play
anywhere in India.
In the future we may have to play a World Cup Final in Tamil Nadu.
What will our position be then? Will we automatically give a 'walkover'
to our opponents in such a situation?
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