Chief Selector Sanath Jayasuriya helps avert crisis
 It
was akin to a storm in a tea cup, the confrontation between Sri Lanka
Cricket and the 23 contracted players. It was played out during the
week. Both teams flexed their muscles and power like in a World Muscular
title bout. It promised to be a no quarter asked nor any given contest.
Both teams were sticking to their pride and showing muscle. While the
protagonists were flexing their muscles, the cricket selectors were
stranded mid-pitch unable to name a squad to play Bangladesh in the
First of Two Test matches.
But what finally unfolded was that the players lacked muscle, showing
only nerve sand sinew, giving way to the SLC— the SLC proving the more
muscular. The bone of contention was the cricketers refusing to sign
their annual contracts because some of the perks they were enjoying had
been withdrawn by cash strapped Sri Lanka Cricket.
Cross batted strokes
The cricketers stood their ground and playing cross batted strokes
threatened Sri Lankan Cricket that unless the governing body relents and
let them have their own way, they were not going to ink the contracts.
Now we have nothing against the cricketers and their earnings.
Being adamant and refusing to sign on the dotted line would most
likely have been sponsored by the backroom boys who are too well known
and don’t warrant mention. The stalemate between the Sri Lankan
cricketers, Sri Lankan
Cricket and the Minister of Sport Mahindananda Aluthgamage could well
have been settled amicably instead of making news to the cricket world.
Remaining unbowed and unafraid the Sports Minister told the Cricket
Selection Committee headed by former Sri Lankan Captain Sanath
Jayasuriya not to pick any player against Bangladesh who has not signed
the contract.
Refused to change their stance
Sri Lanka Cricket too refused to change their stance. The Minister
and SLC reckoned that the players were earning enough and more and with
the Cricket Board cash strapped, the cricketers should be ready to make
some sacrifices.
With the SLC and the Minister saying there would be no further
discussions on the matter, came the man of the hour and the man to solve
the problem like he did with bat in hand when playing for country,
SANATH TERAN JAYASURIYA.
Like in a round table conference, Jayasuriya who has some of his team
mates in the squad that was refusing to budge, and the cricketers met
Captain Angelo Mathews and Vice Captain Dinesh Chandimal at the Cricket
Headquarters and after a lengthy discussion, the problem was solved. It
looked as though the cricketers liked to meet Jayasuriya and discuss
their grievances with him. Jayasuriya and the warring cricketers
obviously indulged in the very important CONSULTATION, COMPROMISE and
CONSENSUS process in solving a crisis that should not have been.
Cricketers sign contracts
After the cricketers signed their contracts, the selectors were able
to pick the squad from which the final eleven was to be picked to play
Bangladesh in the first of Two Tests at the Galle International Cricket
Stadium. Jayasuriya in using his persuasive powers has shown that he has
a larger role to play in the administration of the game both locally and
internationally. After his illustrious cricketing career where he made
ripples in every world cricketing venue where he carried his bat to,
Jayasuriya in his first innings as a chief selector in Sri Lanka Cricket
has shown his prowess has as an administrator by using his persuasive
and fair play methods to bring and end to the crisis SLC – Player
crisis.
Those who put him into bat as Chief Selector have played the most
admirable of strokes. This is his first innings with Sri Lanka Cricket
and he will have many more such innings to play in taking the game, to
use a biblical term to the promised land.
When Jayasuriya was chosen as Chief Selector, his critics queried the
pitch. But he has shown that cricket and politicians are two games apart
and in selecting the squad that did not smack of politics and by now
solving the present crisis, that he will play a straight bat and
continue to play a straight bat. Now its up to the cricketers when they
take the field in Galle to perform and win both Tests against Bangladesh
and put the issues behind them.
Jayasuriya who has developed a good rapport with the players, because
he knows how the players’ minds work and their needs, will if he
continues the good work stake a strong claim to be the Chairman of Sri
Lanka Cricket. Tell me what he hasn’t got that others have? Jayasuriya
has now hit his critics into a cocked hat and we hope they will from now
on join him in his daunting task to keep the game, the administration
and the player clean.
Why blame former SLC head ‘DS’
In this comedy played out by the actors, it was silly to hear some
blaming former Chairman of the Interim Committee D.Somachandra de Silva
for precipitating this crisis? A former captain of the national team and
one of the best leg spinning all rounders produced by the country, ‘DS’
as he was popularly called, realizing the needs of the players gave them
that extra remuneration.
It is showing one’s cowardice to blame ‘DS’, when others too who were
serving under him supported his idea to help the players. ’DS’ did
wonders for the game in seeing to the completion of the Hambantota and
Pallekele Stadiums which stand sentinel today as monuments for the game.
Now that the dust on that cricketing pitch has settled, it is hoped
that the cricketers will have the peace of mind to take on the
Bangladeshis in the series and win, which if they lose can be a
calamity.
Dav Whatmore on the blocks
Sri Lankan born Australian reared cricketer and coach Dav Whatmore’s
neck as coach of the Pakistan team is on the block after the Pakistan
team was whitewashed in the Three Test series against South Africa in
SA. The Pakistanis succumbed without showing resistance and as usual it
becomes anathema to the cricket fans and to their former Cricket greats
to whom winning is not the thing, but everything. One former Pakistan
cricketer and captain who showed his dislike and hit out strongly at
Whatmore was wicket-keeper batsman Moin Khan demanding the sacking of
Whatmore, saying a local coach should replace him.
According to Khan, Whatmore is not up to the job. The former wicket
keeper/batsman says that Whatmore is overrated and that there is a
concept in Pakistan that a foreigner will not get involved in players’
politics, but Whatmore is now fighting for survival. Speaking to AFP he
says that Sri Lanka’s triumph in the 1996 World Cup in Lahore, Pakistan
against Australia in the final, owed more to its players than Whatmore.
‘Ask any player of that team and he will tell you that in 1996 Sri Lanka
had world class players and their success was due to their players and
not because of the coach’. Having been close to that team and especially
skipper Arjuna Ranatunga,I cannot but agree with what Khan has said.
That was a Sri Lankan dream team with every member of the team knowing
his job directed by Arjuna Ranatunga who was General Douglas McArthur
like.
Fighting for survival
Khan did not spare Test and one-day captain Misbah-ul Haq too. ’Both
coach and captain are fighting for survival. They should have a plan and
a vision with which they should leave the team on a firm footing but I
can’t see any plan. Instead they keep their interests before the team’.
Khan as also convinced that a foreign coach cannot properly
communicate with the players. ‘When a foreigner is our coach, our
players have a communication problem and the coach is also unable to
brief the players on their mistakes and it’s a big problem’ said Khan
who was a member of the 1992 Pakistan World Cup winning team under the
great Imran Khan. When former opening batsman Mohsin Khan was coach of
the Pakistan team, the team performed and seemed to be getting back to
its former glory. But after his quitting, the game has slipped
alarmingly.
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