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| Sunday, 24 October 2004 |
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Straight talk by Lal Gunesekera Players dictate to selectors ! Some stunning revelations were made by chief selector. Asantha de Mel, on the Sri Lanka team management in an interview last week where he stated that they were not willing to play youngsters picked by the selectors. Yes, this is true. It has been happening over the years and it's nothing new. The seniors in the team have get themselves into one group and seems to dictate terms on whom to play and not. This has got to end and it is high time that the hierarchy of Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) and the selectors themselves put their feet down and not allow these seniors to dictate terms to them. After the recent Paktel One-Day series final between Sri Lanka and Pakistan at Lahore, which the Sri Lanka won convincingly, the captain Marvan Atapattu was reported to have said that the comments made by De Mel in Colombo had spurred them to win the final. He had said: "It was a big motivation factor for us to show everyone what we are capable of." Do the selectors have to reprimand the team for them to be motivated ? What would have been the result if De Mel had not made these comments ? Would Sri Lanka have lost ? As captain of a Test side, Atapattu, must be careful about what he utters, where and when. No one plays to lose, but being motivated after being critical is another. How many seniors in the present side will be able to go on and on. There comes a day when you have to call it a day - if you like it or not.; This is one of the main reasons that the selectors are making in an effort to give youngsters an opportunity of proving themselves, but the team management seems to be a stumbling block. This system has to be broken if Sri Lanka cricket is to prosper and do well on the international scene. Three players from Sri Lanka's One-Day team were brought down to Colombo to be replaced by five others. Those sent back were Tillekeratne Dilshan, Avishka Gunawardene and Saman Jayantha, while those sent for the two Tests were Jehan Mubarak, Thilan Samaraweera, Ian Daniel, Lasith Malinga and Romesh Kaluwitharana. The latter is a surprise selection. He has been "in and out" of the national sides (both One-Day and Tests) for sometime now, and perhaps the selectors felt to give him another chance to prove himself and relieve Sangakkara. If the selectors were pinning on youth, why Kaluwitharana and not Prasanna Jayawardene. He is good behind the sticks, but has not come good with the bat. There have been certain other young cricketers that have got a raw deal from the selectors in the past. Michael Van Dort, Indika de Saram, Chamara Silva, Muthumudalige Pushpakumara, Nimesh Perera, Prabah Nissanka, Charitha Buddhika and even Suresh Perera comes to my mind. Van Dort has the height and reach and is not a bad fielder, but the selectors seem to be keeping him under raps on false excuses. De Saram could not even find a berth in the Sri Lanka 'A' side and this too after helping his side (Bloomfield) to win both the 50-over and three-day versions of the game. It was the previous lot of selectors headed by Lalith Kaluperuma who gave him hope and then kicked him out. Australia's Bruce Yardley (who coached Sri Lanka a few years back) said that Nimesh Perera has to be groomed, but he has been ignored. Prabath Nissanka was sent to Australia for treatment for a leg ailment, but where is he now ? Where is Charitha Buddhika, who is a fine swing bowler ? What has happened to Suresh Perera ? He was not rehabilitated after his action was questioned by the International Cricket Council (ICC). Mind you, this was a paceman highly thought of by former South African "great" Barry Richards. But SLC has let him down. There are many more, but these cricketers come to my mind. Chief selector Asantha de Mel, has gone on record saying that he has tried his best to persuade Atapattu and team management to give the youngsters they (the selectors) pick, an opportunity to gain experience and prove themselves, but it just won't happen. Who is to blame ? The selectors must come down hard and not permit Atapattu to dictate terms and take final decisions. If the youngsters are not given an opportunity to show their capabilities, how will the selectors find out whether they can cope at a higher level. This has to be settled once and for all. It has been happening for far too long. Atapattu must realise that he too got many chances after he failed in his first six Test innings. If the selectors did not have faith with him at that stage and persisted, where would he be now ? Atapattu must realise this and allow the youngsters to prove themselves. No evidence The allegations levelled against two Sri Lanka cricketers (Avishka Gunawardene and Kaushal Lokuaratchchi) going on a "drinking spree" on the night before the rain interrupted ICC Champions Trophy in England is "unfounded". So says the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of SLC, Duleep Mendis, who told me that there is no evidence at all to prove the allegations. He said that even the tour management does not know anything about this incident, and that he is prepared to send a return air ticket (London-Colombo-London) to any person who is prepared to come and give evidence, if there is any. Mendis says that a statement from SLC will be made after the team's arrival from Pakistan. Selectors views ignored The controlling body of a racquet sport that I wrote about last week has "done it". The selectors wanted some seniors included, but they (the controlling body) decided against it and have now sent a few to attend a training camp and then play in a ranking tournament. Two are to travel later to compete. All this, without the approval of the selectors and the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports. They say that they are private entries not required to get approval of the selectors and Ministry. This type of arrogant behaviour of officials must not be tolerated. If they were to send players terming it "private entries", why go to the selectors in the first instance ? I suggest that the Minister Jeevan Kumaratunga inquire into this matter and get the version of both the controlling body and selectors too. After all, there are two sides to a story. |
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