Sampath's successful recipe for Trinity cricket

In Sampath Perera's dictionary the word 'Cricket' starts with a capital 'D' - whatever way one may spell or pronounce it. And D -stands for Discipline. Two incidents bring this to life.

Sampath was coaching a school team - Trinity in this case - and dress code and demeanour were aspects that he drilled into the youngsters. But the guy with the pony-tail would not relent: the youngster believed it was 'cool' and had pleaded that his parents too were 'cool' with it! Not long afterwards as the team sat in a circle on the grass doing their stretches, Sampath comes over and clips off the pony tail using grass clippers! Message delivered; end of story!!

The Asgiriya pavilion's frontage opens out to the picturesque grounds from where one can see the verdant hills of Kandy. Anyone entering the pavilion could be seen and be ushered into an appointed place. But at the rear end of the pavilion is a door that leads into the dressing rooms of players from either side.

Self appointed cricket pundits and parents would make their way in through the rear door and dispense homilies, often to a sickening degree, to the players. A cricket fan who frequently used this pathway to get access to the teams once found that the door was locked during a match.

On inquiry, he was told that coach Sampath had ordered the closure and a by-stander who overheard the conversation quipped "ah! that's Sampath's success"; that's how he keeps the wolves away!

No nonsense

Sampath Perera does not entertain interference. He minds his business and does not allow others to make their business his business! He follows a strict and structured regime in the way he prepares, chooses his squads and selects teams. If this smacks of arrogance to some parents it's only because of his desire to give a fair and transparent chance to all interested players.

It is commonplace in school cricket in any part of the country that some parents, especially those with influence, would try their best to make a case for the inclusion of their kids in teams: 'Aney! Mage putha hari hondai' (my son is very good) is the usual refrain as coaches are hounded.

Sampath works through a team: led by himself, the assistant coaches, the master in charge and the captain and vice-captain.

They collectively make decisions which stick. While this seems a 'no-brainer' and an obvious thing to do, it's not as simple as it seems. The pressures on coaches and school authorities are intense and sometimes laced with veiled threats and subtleties.

With the terrific success, high profile and lucrative nature that cricket in Sri Lanka has attained, these intrusions have gained momentum. And it needs a person with confidence, knowledge of his vocation, and guts to hold his own.

In Sampath's case he follows his 'system' religiously and his decisions are totally defensible. As Sampath himself once put it so colorfully, in home grown Sinhala "Eheng Meheng Panela team ekakata ringanda baneh" (they cannot use devious ways to work their way into the team)!

Parents kept at bay

While parents are kept at bay, the system that coach Sampath uses also helps the players to know where they stand. All players are required to maintain a record of what they did at practices; what they learnt; what they did well and the areas for improvement. These logs and self assessments are then reviewed and discussed with individual the players, and sometimes in group and peer review sessions, which turn out to be mutually reinforcing.

Trinity - triple crown

No wonder then that this year Sampath Perera, who set his eyes in 2008 to build a winning team in 2012, was able as Trinity's coach to help win the Triple Crown: League (two-day) champs: 50 over champs and T20 champs!

Yet such trappings did not make him toot his own horn. Rather, in his typical understated way: "weday karala, mung nikan paththakata wela hitiya" -- did my job and just waited on the side! Instead, he creates the space for his teams to take a bow! But the story and achievements of Sampath Perera as a cricketer and a coach transcends the whole spectrum of Sri Lanka cricket -school, club and national.

To contact Mohamed Muhsin: e-mail [email protected]
Or visit http://pavilionparade.com/