A Letter to Sports Editor: Upul Chandana deserves another shy

CRICKET: If ever there was a unlucky national cricketer amidst us, then that person will undoubtedly be Upul Chandana - a versatile product of Mahinda College, Galle who has performances to do the talking.

He has performed well in all three departments of the game, in both domestic cricket at club level and also at international level. He has been looked down on as a 'stop-gap player' due to the whims and fancies of various selection committees since 1996. If he had got a fair trail, he would certainly have gone far in international cricket and may well have matched the world's best fielder at a certain time - Jonty Rhodes.

There's no doubt that Chandana is one of the finest fielder and had he be given the chance of showing his capabilities, he certainly would have done Sri Lanka proud, like our own cricketing ambassadors Roshan Mahanama and Hashan Tillekeratne. But the million dollar question is "have we justified his position in international cricket? Unlike his contemporaries Sanath Jayasuriya, Marvan Atapattu, Chaminda Vaas and Muttiah Muralitharan, the ever trying Chandana can go ahead even until the next World Cup in 2011. He is a gutty player and there is enough cricket in his body.

A lot of injustice has been done to Chandana where his cricket is concerned. When selection time is around the corner, he has not been given a fair trial and he has been pushed from pillar to post and when selection time comes, he has been left out.

There should be a complete overall of the team after the World Cup 2007 and besides Chandana, there is also paceman Nuwan Soysa who deserves another chance of playing big cricket.

- Kasturiarachchi Warnakulasuriya.