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Letter To Sri Lanka Cricket

Suni Perera Top Spin By Suni
October9th 2007

Dear Sri Lanka Cricket,
As an independent free-lance sports writer and a dedicated follower of Sri Lankan Cricket I would like to add to the following attached media bulletin under the caption "Minister summons cricket selectors."

I'm sure you agree that a majority of cricket boards in the world are in a shambles today because of incorrect and unfair decision making by officials not properly equipped for the task of team selection at the highest level and this seems to be happening in Sri Lanka as well according to a general consensus amongst many analysts and observers with particular reference to what's going on in Sri Lanka Cricket currently.

This did not seem to be the case in the not too distant past but very recently the integrities towards player selection based on merit and performance seems to have gone by the boards and as the item below points out many deserving players have been overlooked for selection and a few mediocre players have been offered their place.The latest victim of this unfortunate scenario seems to be one of Sri lanka's most versatile players Tillekeratne Dilshan who has been left out of the squad to tour Australia and if this is an error of ommission needs to be rectified immediately.Dilshan is no passenger as we have seen in his last brilliant performance in the 3rd ODI at Dambulla and it seems ludicrous that someone could even think of axing him from the squad.The other examples cited too have their merits towards reconsideration with a view towards maintaining the good image of Sri Lankan Cricket at its highest level, namely management at a cut above the rest so why not be the role model towards fairness for the deserving and not sink in the mire of the administrative errors of some of the others?

We Lankans are a magnanimous and just people who always believe in fair play and have received many accollades from many prominent cricketing personalities such as the much respected Tony Greig, the Carribean adjudicator of fair play Tony Cozier the lovable and ubiquitous David LLoyd, the outspoken and classy David Gower and a host of others of equal repute and qualifications towards their opinions who have often remarked about the shining example of effervesence and decorum of Sri Lanka Cricket and its players who have raised the game to a very high level and have contributed so much towards it so what seems to be going on presently within your organization?

While they obviously cannot be Freudian Slips by a misguided few due to the repetitive nature of the tendency to incriminate certain players I'm sad to observe, it simply isn't cricket! It seems victimization of the deserving based on whimsical decision making by a fickle few (while maintaining a stiff upperlip on favouritism) and while there is most importantly a need to blood young players for the future it is also important to retain the obligations due towards high performing acheivers and simply not incarcerate them just because they have had a lean run.These are brilliant players whose brilliance is bound to surface sooner than later as was the case of Dilshan who despite the dissapointment of his exclusion from the forthcoming Australian tour rose to the occasion.

The others mentioned in the attached document were simply not given a chance despite some of their performances at the highest level of local competition and a slightly lower International level and the burning question being asked by so many is WHY? Will there be others to follow relative to how bleak their performances have been with names such as Kumar Sangakkara, Upul Tharanga and Chamara Silva which come to mind where there could be others based upon your kind of criteria whatever that may be in a very negative perspective towards the decision making!

It might also be added that despite the perks and incentives of cricket at the zenith of competiton there could come a time of crisis for Sri Lanka Cricket if players with a strong sense of integrity decided to be loyal to their axed fellow players and stood by them and refused to participate until there was some kind of redress and damage repair to the situation at hand and one need not look too far as the case of Zimbabwe Cricket stands out! Does Sri Lanka need to go in that route and face the related travails which could easily throw our cricket crazy nation into turmoil or is it time to take a closer look at the issue of player selection based on merit and performance and seal the cracks effectively?

The opportunity seems to have been presented towards the very redress and damage repair refered to by the summoning of the representatives of the SLC Board by the Sports Minister and it is hoped it would be put to good use!

Best regards

Minister summons cricket selectors
Tuesday, October 09,2007
COLOMBO: Concerned that several senior cricketers and Sri Lanka Cricket interim committee chief Jayantha Dharmadasa have voiced displeasure against the national selectors, Sports minister Gamini Lokuge has invited all national selectors and Sri Lanka Cricket interim committee members to his office for an urgent meeting today.
Allrounder Upul Chandana who announced his retirement a few weeks ago criticised the selectors and then Sri Lanka Cricket interim Committee chairman Dharmadasa joined the criticism.
“If the best player was not offered a place there is something wrong with the selecting process" Dharmadasa told the BBC referring to the non-selection of Anil Ridegammanagedara who was adjudged the most outstanding player of the last season by both Sri Lanka Cricket and also the Players’ Association.
Then former Sri Lanka captain Marvan Atapattu joined the growing list of selection critics last week when he tuned his back on the selectors who wished to recall him for the tour of Australia.
“I will not attend any meeting as long as it is chaired by Mr. de Mel,” 37-year old Atapattu told the BBC.
"The players can't dictate their terms to the selectors, but I want to understand why the players have been showing dissatisfaction towards them", Lokuge told the “Daily Mirror”.
"I have sent a message to CEO (Duleep Mendis) and invited all interim committee members (Jayantha Dharmadasa-Chairman, K. Mathiwanan, secretary and Sujeewa Rajapakse-treasurer) and the four selectors (Ashantha de Mel- chairman, Don Anurasiri, Ranjith Madurasinghe and Jayantha Seneviratna) at my office at 10.00 a.m.", he said.
However, one of the four selectors- Jayantha Seneviratne- will be leaving with the Sri Lanka A team

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