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In her column published on LankaWeb, writer Shenali Waduge argues that “Eershiyawa” (local jealousy) and a lack of institutional backing are the primary reasons why Senaka Weeraratna and Sri Lanka have been blocked from gaining global credit for inventing the Decision Review System (DRS).

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Waduge’s commentary addresses a long-running dispute regarding the origins of the “Player Referral” concept, which eventually became the foundational mechanism for the DRS.

The Core Arguments
Waduge outlines several institutional and cultural barriers keeping Weeraratna from official recognition:

Domestic Jealousy (“Eershiyawa”):
Waduge describes eershiyawa as a destructive cultural mindset in Sri Lanka that prevents locals from supporting and uplifting their own innovators. She argues that instead of rallying behind a major breakthrough, local entities have ignored it.

Silence of Sri Lankan Leadership:
She points out that consecutive Sri Lankan presidents, sports ministers, and government bodies have maintained a “shameful and morally indefensible” silence rather than aggressively championing Weeraratna’s claims on the global stage.

Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) Inaction: While SLC made a brief submission to the International Cricket Council (ICC) in 2008, Waduge and other critics accuse local cricket administrators of “deafening silence” and a lack of courage to challenge the global governing body.

Contrast with India: The text draws a direct comparison to how India loudly celebrates and protects its national inventors (citing figures like V.A. Shiva Ayyadurai), contrasting it with Sri Lanka’s failure to claim credit for a multi-million dollar system used globally.

The Context of Weeraratna’s Claim
Senaka Weeraratna, a Colombo-based lawyer, published a letter in the prestigious national newspaper The Australian on March 25, 1997. In it, he proposed a concept called “Player Referral,” arguing that players should have a legal-style right to appeal an on-field umpire’s flawed decision to a third umpire using video technology.

The Counter-Perspective and ICC Stance
While Weeraratna’s concept predates the formal rollout of the DRS, global sports bodies generally look at different criteria for implementation:

Lack of a Patent: Former ICC legal counsel David Becker indicated that because Weeraratna published his concept openly in newspapers without securing a patent, he legally “waived his right to confidentiality”.

Independent Evolution: The ICC has maintained that its committees developed the technology and review rules independently without being influenced by or aware of Weeraratna’s 1997 letters.

Technological vs. Conceptual Creation:
While Weeraratna undeniably authored the conceptual framework of a player-led appeal, the modern DRS relies on a suite of proprietary technologies (like Hawk-Eye, Snicko, and Hot Spot) developed by various tech firms, which complicates unilateral ownership claims.

Ultimately, Waduge’s article highlights a painful rift: while many in Sri Lanka view Weeraratna as a unrecognized unsung visionary blocked by local jealousy and Western institutional bias, the global cricket structure i.e., ICC, attributes the DRS to evolutionary technological advancement rather than a single conceptual inventor.

There is overwhelming evidence to establish a strong Sri Lankan link to the Player Referral System (DRS). Jealousy and Envy which is a pathological condition affecting people especially in the Political and Sports arena including the cream of Sri Lankan cricketers, past and present, and the Cricket Transformation Committee (CTC), prevent Sri Lanka and the local cricket fans from celebrating one of the greatest global scale achievements of Sri Lanka in cricket, beyond the boundary.

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