Hats off to Minister of Sports for a great appointment

Gunasiri WANIGARATNE

Congratulations will usher from the ardent cricket lovers and enthusiasts from all over the world and Mother Lanka, following the appointment of Dandeniyage Somachandra De Silva as Chairman of Sri Lanka Cricket in addition to D.S.’ current role as Presidential Advisor on Cricket.

D.S. represented both All Ceylon and Sri Lanka in cricket and is the scion of a famous family of cricket, who hails from Galle where his two elder brothers, D. Hemachandra and D. Premachandra excelled in the forefront of All Ceylon Cricket with breathtaking and scintillating batting performances, especially D. H., who broke away from SSC and formed NOMADS and made them champions of Ceylon Cricket becoming a born leader and a great administrator of our cricket during that era.

Hence, D.S. undoubtedly possesses that proven pedigree for this challenging post in contrast to the most recent gentlemen, who hailed this post likes of Thilanga Sumathipala, Jayantha Dharmadasa and indomitable Arjuna Ranatunga.

Sadly for Sri Lanka cricket in spite of their meagre contribution were not totally focussed and their energy and interests lay elsewhere.

A Crystal clear example of this is Jayantha Dharmadasa’s reign, where he was appointed as supremo of SLC having obtained the Presidency of Galle CC by hook or by crook and advertised his business empire. Nawaloka on the frontage of Galle CC, whereas his contributions to Galle Cricket became practically non-existent and sadly today Galle CC got no team representing in the Premier Division of Sri Lanka Cricket. To add insult to injury, with the advent of Galle international stadium, now almost a white elephant, the then administrators of SL and Galle had the audacity to dislodge the historical Galle CC to the sidelines from its original prime positions. Thanks to these so called administrators, amidst a chorus of criticisms, today Galle cricket is no more!

Thus having hailed from Galle, first and foremost, I invite D.S. to inhale a breath of fresh air into Galle Cricket and reverse this sad saga and promote same, where it belonged and place the white elephant for better use in developing Galle cricket, especially at school level and put Galle cricket back on its halcyon days.

I’m sure D.S.’ approach, in enhancing the status of Sri Lanka Cricket and developing the game across the length and breadth of country will certainly not be pusillanimous but with ever present ubiquitousness, see things with strength and passion.

D.S. needs no introduction to foreign soil, having achieved the `double’ in Central Lancashire League and represented English Minor Counties, Lanchashire and Shropshire with distinction, while later achieving his coaching badges in the State of Victoria in Australia.

Yet in spite of his all round ability and credentials at this juncture, I wish to enlighten `D.S.’ with some food for thought on putting SLC on a pinnacle and narrowing the gap between rhetoric and reality, where previous boards and committees ominously failed.

Slowly but surely D.S. should give priority to dilute the domination of Sri Lanka Cricket solely by Colombo with likes of SSC and NCC, reigns supreme in this scenario, where in order to get into the limelight of cricket the outstation cricketers will have to travel far to Colombo.

In the recent past as one English cricket writer wrote in the “Daily Telegraph” within an hour’s taxi ride one can almost cover six Test grounds in Colombo”. This surely makes it a great hinderance in promoting and developing the game in our outstations. I personally feel and quite opinionated about moving HQ of cricket away from Colombo, sooner than later.

Further the former cricketers, who hang around the corridors of cricket headquarters, reincarnating themselves in various roles assuming various shapes every now and then should be removed and filled with persona of budding enthusiasts, who like to generate vigour and dynamism towards betterment of the game with regular appraisals of their performances.

SLC needs a healthy budget, which the previous regimes sadly failed in their account, so much so the exorbitant sums absorbed into the construction of Galle International Stadium are apparently yet under-investigation, surely every cricket lover wish to know the appropriation of these funds.

So it’s paramount that D.S. will be instrumental from the very beginning to take steps in influencing healthy accounting practices, cutting down on unnecessary expenditure and keeping a clean sheet.

All-round coaching teams should be established and logistics provided to take the game to the outstations and deep into the provinces and coaching camps established.

As every budding cricketer should be an all round athlete, the appointed coaching teams should be encompassed with nutritionists, psychologists, fitness coaches, and teachers in spoken English.

These teams should be a part and parcel of the infrastructure and should be travelling to all corners of the provinces, spotting the young talent via schools who could be absorbed into our under 16, 18, 19, 20 years levels on a regular basis, an ongoing process.

Further develop practice pitches in Radella, or even a Test ground, where conditions I’m sure will be similar to English morning conditions mostly alien to Sri Lankan cricket and the above teams/squads selected given the opportunity to practise techniques suspect against swing and seam, how to play late and off the pitch and teach not to go after flashy drives.

I’m certain D.S. will embark on a great long journeys of life in this capacity and with his infectious enthusiasm and gumption and together with new Captain Kumar Sangakkara will pour a new lease of life into our cricket and we all look forward with buoyant optimism about a fabulous future of Sri Lanka Cricket.