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| Sunday, 8 January 2006 |
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Sports |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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Complaining
to politicians is not cricket, Mr. Jayasuriya!
Straight Talk by Lal Gunesekera Sanath Jayasuriya's shoulder seems to be a hoodoo. First it was against India at the Dambulu Rangiri International Cricket Stadium. Then it was at a resort on the Southern coast while engaging in a game of waterpolo with other members of the Sri Lanka team. The latest episode was during the One-Day series with the Black Caps in New Zealand where he is supposed to have slipped whilst reaching out for a bottle of shampoo in the bathroom. Did I hear it correctly? Yes, he was reaching out for the Shampoo. I wonder whether it was some kind of a medicated shampoo or some other variety? He had dislocated his shoulder before the One-Day tour of India, but was selected. He had a poor run and was dropped for the subsequent Test series. He made a big fuss about his omission and even complained about it to none other than President Mahinda Rajapakse, who in turn wanted an inquiry and report from the former Chairman of the National Sports Council (NSC), Saman Amarasinghe, a close confidant of Youth Affairs and Sports Minister Jeevan Kumaratunga. What did this report contain? Cricket is a team game and there is no room for individual brilliance. If you are not fully fit and out of form, you cannot expect to be selected and play. If you do and fail, it affects the entire team. This was what exactly happened across the Palk Strait in the One-Day series. Jayasuriya flopped, and flopped badly too. The results are now history. Complaining to politicians is just not cricket Mr. Jayasuriya! Being a very senior member of the side and contracted for a six figure salary, what were you thinking of? Were you thinking of the team or was it the money you were interested in? What a childish attitude you adopted for a cricketer of 36 years of age and a veteran of over 100 Tests and 350 ODI's. I for one, certainly do not think that Mr. Jayasuriya could survive upto the 2007 World Cup. If he does, its going to be a 'miracle.' Many knowledgable persons are of the same opinion, but seem not to say so openly for reasons we all know about. Think about retirement when you are on top, instead of being dropped again due to poor form or injury. We certainly do not need a "flash-in-the-pan" knock from you. Australia's Steve Waugh retired gracefully. On the other hand, India's Saurav Ganguly is "fighting" to keep his place. Talking of cricket, it was really pleasing to see opener Upul Tharanga in beautiful form in the third One-Day International with New Zealand. I hope that the selectors will persist with him. How come the selectors continue to have faith in Avishka Gunawardene, who is not only inconsistent, but not made a big innings? He is also a slow-mover on the field. Strange selections indeed. How about trying out Kalavitigoda? **** Any bets? The Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports has wanted annual general meeting held in every controlling body which is now run by Interim Committees, and this includes Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC). But, is there any person willing to accept a Rs. 100 million bet that the elections to SLC will be held or not before the scheduled date of February 28? I understand that the Chairman of SLC's Interim Committee, Jayantha Dharmadasa, at a meeting of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) last week had remarked to certain representatives of other countries in the region that there will not be any changes for quite sometime. Also, members of the Interim Committee had been told to lobby Minister Kumaratunga and even President Mahinda Rajapakse in a bid to continue with the IC for SLC, up to the World Cup next year (2007) saying that it's too immature to conduct an AGM. Now is the time that President Rajapakse must, put his foot down and give a directive to Sports Minister Jeevan Kumaratunga to conduct the AGM of SLC on schedule, if justice and fair play is to prevail and for the game of cricket to improve. *** Cricket minus spectators The SSC were staging a dinner-dance at its premises to usher in the New Year. There was also the SSC vs Sebastianites game going on. Media personnel and even spectators were not permitted to enter the SSC premises by its security personnel after 2 p.m. on December 31. However, our representative managed to get in after much persuasion. What a shame! *** Hambantota to go international? Hambantota is to get an international cricket stadium, which is a project worth Rs. 400 million. Last Tuesday, two committee members of Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) travelled down south with two sons of President Rajapakse. Who were these two SLC officials? One was the famous member of the Development Committee and the other from a club in the Kalutara District who has clout with the present administration of the SLC Interim Committee. President Rajapakse must advice his sons with whom to move around. It's certainly poor administration at SLC. Fifteen employees from management level downward saw their contracts expiring on December 31. They kept away from work and it was only then that SLC hierarchy discovered it, called each individual and told to report to work on January 2 and that the contracts will be renewed. Thats administration! SLC are putting up a Secretariat in view of the Youth World Cup and with the money pumped in by the International Cricket Council (ICC), they are very generous. US Dollars 15 per day is being doled out to every worker involved in the Secretariat building. *** Man of many seasons Cmdr (rtd) H. U. Silva, the controversial Director of the Sugathadasa National Sports Complex Authority (SNSCA) and Secretary of the National Olympic Committee (NOC) of Sri Lanka, seems to be a man of many seasons. I understand that he is a potato cultivator too in Nuwara-Eliya. He travels up and down to Nuwara Eliya in his Pajero (65 - 0936). He carries seed potatoes and fertiliser nearly every weekend to Nuwara Eliya and returns to Colombo with a full load of potatoes. All very good, but this Pajero is given for his official use in his capacity of the Director of SNSCA. For the last three years, the SNSCA has spent nearly Rs. 1 1/2 lakhs per year for repairs at United Motors at an average and it was only just before the New Year dawned that there was a bill for Rs. 2 1/2 lakhs to get his Pajero on the road. Will the Secretary of Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Wirithamulla, approve payment? Wait, there is more on Cmdr H. U. Silva. Soon after my column appeared last Sunday (January 1), the Secretary of the Ministry, Wirithamulla, had called for and taken into custody the tender file on the electronic scoreboard to be put up at the Sugathadasa Stadium. There has been 'hanky-panky' going on with this particular tender with a difference of nearly Rs. 6 million from the lowest tender and the tender selected by the Tender Board. I understand that two members of the Technical Evaluation Committee were forced to sign the report inside the Director's office room. The Director had not shown them the tender file or any other documents pertaining to it. They are now worried that they will have to face an inquiry. The Press Box at the Sugathadasa Stadium built sometime ago, too is under investigation for not following proper procedure. The former Chairman of the SNSCA, Gamini Netticumara, paid a bonus for the employees in 2004. But no bonus was paid last year (2005), and the employees were up in arms. Now what is happening? Director, Cmdr Silva, wants to withdraw the fixed deposits given to the SNSCA by the Football Federation of Sri Lanka (FFSL) as security (refundable at any time) and call deposits given by the Treasury for the purchase of sports equipment in order to pay the bonus. How can the Director go ahead on this matter without the approval of the Board of Management? Cmdr Silva has also approached the Treasury for Rs. 20 million to purchase various electronic items for the SNSCA. My question is whether the Treasury could release the monies without the recommendation of the Secretary to the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports? I also understand that at a recent staff meeting, Secretary Wirithamulla, had lambasted Director Cmdr Silva for bad management at the SNSCA for the unlimited OT payments made to the employees. He (Cmdr Silva) had been told to cut down on OT payments and that the Ministry will not approve of it. *** Why now? The President of the NOC, Hemasiri Fernando, has accused former President Chandrika Kumaratunga, of being responsible for postponing the South Asian Games which were to have been staged in Sri Lanka on no less than three occasions. He (Fernando) has also accused her of "doing nothing" after the former President took over as Chairperson of the Organising Committee and says that the cost of the Games has now shot up to Rs. 700 million from the previous Rs. 500 million. Why do you make this accusations now Mr. Fernando? Why did you wait till President Kumaratunga relinquished office to do so? **** Chef-de-Mission to Melbourne I reliably understand that Maxwell de Silva, who is a Vice-President of the NOC, has been made the Chef-de-Mission of the Sri Lanka Contingent for the Commonwealth Games to be staged in Melbourne, Australia in March. De Silva is the Secretary of the Sri Lanka Tennis Association (SLTA) and a close buddy of the NOC duo of Hemasiri Fernando and Cmdr H. U. Silva. Officials seems to be picked ahead of the competitors. *** Not Golf The Burdett Trophy competition between the Nuwara Eliya Golf Club (NEGC) and the Royal Colombo Golf Club (RCGC) was worked off at Nuwara Eliya with victory being snatched by the latter. However, an unsavoury incident had taken place with many arguments with play even starting late. A bad taste was when the RCGC team boycotted the party and cocktails arranged by the hosts by returning to Colombo in the bus which took them to Nuwara Eliya. *** How come? Of the three brothers now in the shuttle game, the second,who has not been playing for the last three months due to hepatitis, has been selected for the squad in view of March's Commonwealth Games in Australia. How come? Also, why have the selectors kept out a player by the name of John? Another interesting development is that only the Chairman of the selectors (Tony Perera) has signed the letter approving the names of the players for both the Commonwealth Games and Thomas Cup. Where are the other four selectors and how come the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports accept any squad/team where all the selectors have not signed? Is badminton becoming a family affair?
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