2/1, Robert Gunawardena Mawatha,
Battaramulla

A strange new Cricket Imperialism raises its ugly head

The Editor,

The Sunday Observer.

The International Cricket Council’s attempt to create a Super-power coterie is a virtual bombshell that has given the jitters to the cricketing world.

But the remaining six first line countries S. Africa, West Indies, Pakistan, Zimbabwe, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka counting N. Zealand out, need not panic. There are several other cricket playing countries strongly contending to enter the world stage. The Netherlands, Ireland, Scotland, Nambia, Kenya, UAE, Canada, Nepal, Afghanistan and even Hong Kong all engaged in competitive international cricket are capable of giving a run to any of the three ‘bullies’ in at least the shorter versions of the game.

Starved of the stars from these countries the leagues of India, Australia and England will certainly be less glamorous than domestic competitions. Strong policy decisions by the concerned countries without falling to bribes and kickbacks will ensure that players fall in line irrespective of the money bags on offer.

In today’s scenario one needs not emphasize that it is players of the caliber of Gayle, Samuels, Bravo, Sangakkara, Mahela, Malinda, De Villiers, Steyn, Morkel, Kallis, Misbah, Younis Khan and Sayed Ajmal that attract spectators, television bidders and may be even the cricket underworld!

It is the 15+ countries outside the proposed mafia of three and the Australian vassal N. Zealand that help to keep the cricket equipment industry based mainly in Australia, India and UK viable. These smaller countries can set-up joint ventures for the manufacture of all necessary cricketing gear, thereby throttling the cricket gear industries of Australia, UK and India. The industrial expertise of countries such as Korea, China and Japan will also be readily forthcoming. Tons of willow can be imported from China and the Scandinavian countries whilst Sri Lanka can provide all the rubber required and intelligent labour.

From a historical perspective imperialism and colonialism were considered dead and burier. But there appears to be a resurgence of these hated evils led by an anachronistic ICC struggling miserably to keep England afloat in the international arena. I am inclined to believe that the boorish colonial mentality displayed by Prime Minister Cameron at recent international for a is beginning to rub off particularly on the traditional conservative cricket establishment led by the Marylebourne Cricket Club (MCC) and the strange new alliance with the pukka Sahib descendants of the Maharajahs of Baroda, Gaekwed and Gwalior the pioneer cricket patrons of India the counterparts of the Duke of Norfolk and Leverson Gower of England. Shakespeare died several centuries ago. It was this die hard patriot who wrote, ‘This England never will or never shall, lye under the proud foot of a conqueror.” Bull Shit! It is today lying under the heavy bags of stinking Indian lucre. The bard must be turning in his grave!

The tragedy is that India the country that suffered most under British colonialism is today trying to sell its soul and be a sucker of her one time colonial master not for the love of cricket but more by the sudden power she has acquired through the money that cricket has brought to the BCCI.

It is unimaginable that a country with an admirable history treasuring Gandhian values has thought it fit to abandon its neighbours, Asia and African friends and team up with her colonial oppressor and the latters Botany Bay descendants. The imbecile Indian government has began to play second fiddle to the BCCI. Hazare and Kejrawal should focus their attention on the developing shady relations between the BCCI and the Indian government. Indeed this is a hot point of international corruption.

Sri Lanka must stand firm and not dilly-dally. The SLC beggars have shown time and again that they can fall easy prey to BCCI money. Thankfully we have a sports Minister with a backbone whom the nation can expect to keep the Sri Lanka flag flying and not yield to the emerging ICC Mafia. Sri Lanka can provide the lead. She has shown admirable resilience to powerful international pressures. We have great cricketing ambassadors in Arjuna and Murali who possess the fame recognition and dynamism to galvanize the justifiable opposition, of all the cricket playing countries, sans the ICC ‘super trio’ against this obnoxious decision of the ICC.

Edward Gunawardena