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| Sunday, 3 July 2005 |
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Sports |  |
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Cricket can
be a viable export commodity - Lalith Kotelawala
by Ranjan Anandappa Sri Lanka through cricket has one of the greatest national assets, it is like a blue saphire and the sport can be a viable export commodity if the growing local expertise is lent to other countries, said Lalith Kotelawala at the ceremonial opening of the Fingara International Cricket Academy. The Academy situated in the outskirts of Colombo at Old Kesbewa Road, Nugegoda is rated as one of the best cricket academies in Asia, possessing a swimming pool and gym with all the equipment to suit modern day training. Stressing that dreams are no good unless one makes them a reality, the Ceylinco boss, who confessed that he was no cricketer although his illustrious uncles - the late Sir John Kotelawala and Dudley Senanayake two former prime ministers of Sri Lanka did play the game, made the point that the million-rupee cricket academy was a dream come true. "I was at Royal, my father and my illustrious uncles Sir John Kotelawala and Dudley Senanayake and all my relatives seemed to have played cricket. There was not a day when they would ask me arn't you playing cricket for Royal?. I was too shy to say that I was an athlete who ran the 100 and the 200m sprints, to my father's utter dismay I was quite good at it. Until one day in desperation when he realised that I would not be in the Royal cricket team, he said 'O.K. you can run fast, and it will be useful for you to run away from your enemies, those were the elegant days of cricket ." said the Ceylinco Group Chairman. Today cricket has come a long way to be a good appetizer for the poor village lad or any child for that matter in Sri Lanka. "It is no longer the exclusive sport of Royal, S.Thomas' or any elite Colombo school and I am happy about it." he said. The Deputy Chairman of the Company Mervyn Jayasinghe, former Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Johnston Fernando, former Cricket Board President Thilanga Sumathipala also spoke. The Academy will also offer twelve scholarships for talented outstation cricketers. Among the local coaches are former Sri Lanka cricketers Anura Tennekoon, Hemantha Devapriya, Lanthra Fernando, Anusha Samaranayake, Roger Wijesuriya, Amal Silva, Nishantha Hennayake. Among the foreign coaches are former national coach John Dyson, Trevor Chappell, Terry Alderman, Geoff Lawson, Len Pascoe, Doug Walters and Pakistani ace left arm paceman Wasim Akram are expected to make their appearance shortly. |
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