By Revatha S. Silva
[caption id="attachment_130027" align="alignleft" width="406"]
Bangladesh cricket team arrived in Sri Lanka amid tight security on Saturday (10). The two-match Test series between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh will begin on 21 April in Pallekele, Kandy[/caption]
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Of cricket’s “boozing partners”
“I heard that one of the drinking partners of a member of the new administrative committee --the drinking partner is a former national player-- has already requested that official to appoint him as the next Sri Lanka cricket team Manager,” a source privy to those developments, told the Morning Sports.
The Sports Ministry appointed a five-member Cricket Administrative Committee on 2 April to look into the country’s cricket affairs until Sri Lanka Cricket's (SLC) next AGM, scheduled to be held on 20 May. The Committee comprises Prof. Arjuna de Silva (Chairman), Ashley de Silva (Secretary), Sujeewa Mudalige, Uchitha Wickremesinghe, and Amal Edirisooriya (Sports Ministry Director General).
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Not even a week has passed since the new national cricket selectors were appointed, the Player Manager menace has already emerged wielding its influence on the national selections, the Morning Sports learnt yesterday (12).
Has Sri Lanka national cricket team become a prostitute at the hands of some individualistic businessmen?
“I just came to know that there is a hell of a nuisance already from these Player Managers since the very day the new selectors started their work (last Thursday). Those Player Managers are so influential that they seek to force their clients through certain players who are holding high positions in the current national team,” revealed a former national selector, on the condition of anonymity, to the Morning Sports yesterday.
“The focus of everybody should be to bring victory to our country. Therefore I don’t think the present selectors will give in to such individualist demands,” he added.
He also added that the tendency had been a troublesome proposition even during the days when they were the national selectors.
“They (the selectors) are apparently facing the same problem which we had during our time. Some players are already being forced in to be considered for selections (for the forthcoming Bangladesh Test series) by various parties. If their demands are not to be accommodated, they will tend to influence through certain senior players,” he further explained.
There had been an instance when a certain player had conducted a bogus Facebook campaign saying that he had been picked in place of an injured spin bowler who currently holds a permanent place in the national side.
“That’s the kind of influence that those Player Managers wield. Some of those Managers manage about dozen top national cricketers at the same time,” he added.
It was only last Thursday (8) that the national cricket selection committee was officially announced by Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC). The committee comprises Pramodya Wickramasinghe (Chairman), Hemantha Wickramaratne, Romesh Kaluwitharana, Uvais Karnain, Waruna Waragoda, and Thilaka Gunaratne.
“I also heard that those Player Managers have already contacted the newly-appointed selectors asking for ‘a chance’ (for their players). It has become a great nuisance for them. That was the same experience that we too had then,” the source remarked.