Cardiff Disaster
Posted on June 3rd, 2011
S. Senanayake
What we witnessed in Cardiff was abject surrender and total humiliation.Much worse, in a way is the realisation of the fact that such disaster was expected and was written on the wall to happen on the day SLC limply cowed down to IPL.The three most senior players,Sanga,Mahela and Dilshan should take the blame exploiting a loophole in the system or conniving with some officials in the SLC to play in the IPL in spite of knowing the England tour was round the corner.These sameƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ players were behind the move to cancel previous English tour to play for the IPL to fatten their wallets.
DilharaƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ and Pradeep Nuwan were used as practice bowlers extensively in the IPL therfore no surprise in their injuriesƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ either.It is disappointing that there is no system in place in SLCƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ to account for the malpractice committed.It is a little short of lunacy to expect players,however experienced and brilliant they are, to come from the midst of a T20 competition and toƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ land in alien conditions,just before a gruelling Test match and to perform .They lacked the mental toughness and tecnical adjustments without proper training.
The only good that could come out of this faux pa is to impose a clause,if already not there,that selected players for a tour party in futureƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ shouldƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ gather together for six weeks training before departure.The whole country is nowƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ waiting to hear fromƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ the SLC about theirƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ policy on players on future tours coming close to IPL to prevent such a scandal again.
June 3rd, 2011 at 6:48 pm
But they did not learn.
Why choose Mahroof instead of Perera who scored highest in the failed innings ?
This is pure injustice to a young player who did his best.
June 4th, 2011 at 10:55 pm
Sena good that you bring this topic. Money ruined our most loved sport in Sri Lanka. These cricketers are greedy for money.How much our countrymen do bodhi pujas and blessed them these money hungry cricketers dont paly for the country’s sake but to fill their own pockets. They buy real estates in all parts of the world and have playboy life styles and take us to a ride.
We should get rid of all senior players and find talented young cricketers from all over the country as the Minister have said. We need the best of best not politicians favourites. Politics should not mixed up with any sports. The minister who is in charge now trying to focus on every corner of the land to find best sportsman and sportswomen to represent our Motherland in every major sports in the world. It’s a good sign and I hope he will make the best out of it and select without any discrimination. Training is very important and the player who do consistantly good should be given a place not to count seniority. They should first serve the country before they go in search of other adventures for big bucks. IPL is not important for our country except for them individually therefore stop any player who has been selected to play for the country joining or playing for others for money. It should be the law for every sports person. Clean the cricket board and the team if you need the support and blessing of the citizens.
June 5th, 2011 at 5:42 pm
When Sanga and Mahela resigned from the team captaincy and v captaincy many of us believed it was because of the continuous interference of our politicians in team selection. But it is now obvious they had already planed to play in the IPL. When they refused to come back and joined the team, the board should have dropped them from the team and selected promising young players like Tharanga and Banuka Rajapaksa. Sanga and Mahela are the highest paid and most experience players and they should have put the national team before the IPL. The reason for their resignation is obvious. Greed.
June 6th, 2011 at 3:44 am
Sri Lanka’s second innings at Cardiff was nothing short of a disaster but the writer is brave to say “The three most senior players, Sanga, Mahela and Dilshan should take the blame exploiting a loophole in the system or conniving with some officials in the SLC to play in the IPL in spite of knowing the England tour was round the corner” and that “These same players were behind the move to cancel previous English tour to play for the IPL to fatten their wallets”. I hope the writer has good grounds for making these assertions.
Sarath W,
I should be more careful than rush to say that Sanga and Mahela should have put the national team before the IPL. Have you proof they have not? Also, I think you are rushing to rash judgment when you say the obvious reason for their resignations as captain and vice captain is greed. Again, have you proof to support that assertion?
Sanga and Mahela may be the highest paid of the SL cricketers. So, what? What I say is ‘Well done and congratulations’. They are both professional cricketers. They earn very good money – a lot more than I ever have – but I would not begrudge them any of it because they have earned it through honest toil, legitimately and by putting to good use their skills and their talents. They deserve the fruits of their hard work. It isn’t as if they have earned their money illegally or by raiding the public purse.
You say ‘when they refused to come back and join the team’. Did they in fact REFUSE to come back?. My recollection is that neither of them did anything of that sort.
It surprised me when the Sports Minister asked the SL players participating in the IPL to return by 5th May, because it seemed it was of a sudden that the Minister (and the cricket authorities) realized the need for the players to come back by that date. Overseas tour schedules are not drawn up overnight; they are planned well in advance. The SL cricket authorities could not have been unaware of the tour dates. And surely they should have known when they released the players to play in the IPL that they would be needed back before the IPL season ended? If so, why were the players not told at the time? All of this smacks of sheer incompetence.
In being asked to return before the end of the IPL season, the SL players were in fact placed in a most unenviable position. They were contracted to play beyond the return date the Minister stated, and in effect the players were being asked to default on legally binding contracts. In the end, of course, it is the Minister who had to make a humiliating back down and end up looking quite silly.
June 6th, 2011 at 3:52 am
Cassandra,
Please answer the following.
1. DiIlhara and Nuwan Pradeep used as practice bowlers in IPL but never given chance to play in a single match. Isn´t this a good reason not allow such exploitation in the future.
2. Malinga can play for so many days bowling at 140+ all the time. Why cant he play test matches ?
IPL ( Indian Paga League ) should be banned or risk our cricket sliding down in a spiral.
June 6th, 2011 at 4:59 am
Dham,
Malinga was never interested in test cricket. He played it to get into the side and get exposure. He prefers the shorter versions. I think we should not disturb that. SL cricket should not depend on a few individuals.
Sanga is a totally useless cricketer since March 2011. He should improve or get the sack.
June 6th, 2011 at 6:17 am
Dham,
1. I am afraid I cannot answer for the IPL. I don’t know how the teams decide on whom to play in the actual matches. I would imagine they consider pitch conditions, the make-up of the opposition and other relevant factors in making their decisions. Those who sign up with the IPL are no doubt aware that a contract does not necessarily guarantee a player a game, and maybe there are other players apart from Dilhara and Pradeep who have missed out similarly. Certainly, it is not all that unusual for touring Test squads to have players who return home without having played a single Test. Anyway, so long as the players are paid their contracted payments, can you complain of exploitation?
2. The demands of 5 day Tests and T20 are vastly different and a bowler, especially a fast bowler will find playing Tests a lot harder than the short T20 game. I have also read that Malinga’s action takes a lot out of him when he bowls. And if you recall, the last time he played in a Test he was struggling to get through the five days. Akhtar had similar problems. And now, with so much of cricket being played you find many international cricketers giving up the longer version to prolong their international careers.
By the way, I am not a great fan of IPL or of T20 for that matter. The format does not appeal to me. I am rather old-fashioned and don’t equate a slog-fest to a real game of cricket. But clearly the T20 format is popular and is a money spinner and that seems to be what counts today.
June 7th, 2011 at 5:24 am
Cassandra,
I agree.
Apart from money they get there is no benefit at all to SriLanka cricket. They learn to play our bowlers, toil them and discard them.
In the end SriLankan cricket will loose.
Must ban the Paga League.