by Rex Clementine

‎

The curtain raiser of the tri-nation series in Pakistan went down to the wire and although Sri Lanka were into their tail, hopes of pulling off an unlikely victory remained alive as Dasun Shanaka threatened to produce something special on his return to ODI cricket.

‎Finding the boundary with remarkable ease, Shanaka had raced to 28 off just 18 balls when he gave charge to Pakistan captain Shaheen Afridi, only to perish in his attempt to clear the ropes. As the wicket fell, Head Coach Gary Kirsten made no attempt to conceal his frustration. His disappointment was there for all to see. In simple terms, he was pleading with his senior most player to use his head.

‎‎Afridi was bowling his final over. Had Shanaka resisted the temptation to take him on and simply seen him off, Sri Lanka would have been in a far better position.

‎Kirsten is a good man. Beyond coaching the team, he has made a genuine effort to instil the values that earned him enormous respect from team mates and opponents alike during his playing days.‎

‎Watching his side squander one golden opportunity after another must be driving the South African up the wall. For Sri Lankan cricket fans, however, this is familiar territory. They have seen this movie far too many times and the ending rarely changes.

‎Kirsten is known to be meticulous in his preparation, leaving no stone unturned when it comes to homework. He would be well advised to devote some of that diligence to studying the characters in his dressing room. If he intends to learn about them the hard way, he is in for a particularly painful education.

‎‎First came the Niroshan Dickwella episode. Few would quarrel with Kirsten’s assessment that Dickwella is the finest gloveman in the country. But wicketkeeping ability was never the issue. It was the baggage and distractions that came with him. Three years ago, Sri Lankan cricket drew a line in the sand and decided enough was enough. Bringing him back was a step in the wrong direction.

‎‎The same argument applies to Dasun Shanaka. On Sunday, he returned to ODI cricket after an absence of two years and nine months. Like Dickwella, Shanaka had done precious little of significance to warrant a recall. And, as with Dickwella, his return appears to have come at the Head Coach’s insistence. He seems to be placing a lot of emphasis on experience. These are decisions Kirsten may live to regret.‎

Players blessed with cricketing intelligence and common sense seem to be an increasingly endangered species in our part of the world. Too many modern day cricketers are reluctant to push their boundaries, challenge themselves or venture beyond their comfort zones.

‎‎Kirsten’s efforts to reform a deeply entrenched and often incorrigible system deserve both appreciation and wholehearted support. But even the finest coach cannot make bricks without straw. He must choose his personnel wisely.

‎‎All too often in Sri Lankan cricket, coaches and selectors end up at loggerheads, each pointing the finger at the other when results go south. This time, encouragingly, there appears to be genuine cooperation. Both parties are pulling in the same direction, determined to achieve something worthwhile.

‎‎That makes it all the more important that they do their homework on the players they choose to back.

‎‎Shanaka could prove a costly gamble, just as Dickwella did. Their problems are different, of course. Shanaka is not associated with the sort of drug related controversy that engulfed Dickwella. His weakness lies elsewhere: a reluctance to accept responsibility for his own shortcomings and a tendency to look for someone else to blame.

‎‎That, too, can become an enormous distraction in a dressing room.

‎‎Kirsten has taken on the admirable challenge of changing Sri Lankan cricket’s culture. But before he can change the system, he must make sure he is backing the right people. Otherwise, the very players he hopes to reform may end up undermining the good work he has set out to do.

The staggering sums Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) reportedly splashed out on its former President Shammi Silva have raised eyebrows among stakeholders, with revelations suggesting that the former cricket chief and several members of his Executive Committee enjoyed the high life while Sri Lankan cricket struggled to keep its head above water.

‎‎The spotlight has fallen firmly on Shammi Silva, whose expenses during his six year reign make for some eye watering reading.

‎‎During that period, SLC reportedly forked out more than Rs. 43 million on his airfares alone. As if that were not enough, Shammi Silva also claimed USD 145,000 in per diems, equivalent to more than Rs. 45 million. That takes the combined bill for air travel and daily allowances beyond Rs. 88 million.‎

‎And that is before accommodation and other expenses enter the equation. Clearly, travelling on cricket business was no exercise in austerity.

‎‎Under his watch, Sri Lankan cricket went into a tailspin. Humiliating defeats became increasingly familiar, the national team was reduced to playing qualifying tournaments to secure places at major ICC events and Sri Lanka even failed to qualify for the 2025 Champions Trophy.

‎But while the team’s fortunes were heading south, there was apparently no shortage of funds to keep the President travelling in style.‎

‎Sri Lankan cricket may have been struggling to make ends meet on the field, but its President seemingly had no such worries off it. The results were forgettable, the expenses unforgettable.

‎While the team struggled to deliver the goods, the man at the helm appeared to be living in the fast lane, spending like a drunken sailor on shore leave.

‎The cricket may have been economy class, but the President certainly wasn’t.

by Reemus Fernando

‎Three of the Under 19 Division I Tier A tournament’s unbeaten sides, Richmond College Galle, Nalanda College Colombo and defending champions Mahanama College, face their first real test today as the knockout stage begins. Their quarter-final opponents have had a less dominant campaign, but all three are determined to stay in the title race.

‎‎Richmond V Wesley

‎‎Wesley College Colombo are the dark horses of the round. Under coach Dilshan Mendis, the team has undergone a recent transformation, and they hope to go beyond the last eight, as they did in the Under 17 tournament a couple of months ago. They meet a formidable side in Richmond, who arrive full of confidence after four consecutive wins.

‎‎Nalanda V St. Anthony’s

‎St. Anthony’s College Katugastota finished the first round with two wins. After an opening loss to Mahinda, they bounced back to beat St. Peter’s and Lumbini, and their match against Royal ended without a result. They will want to prove that luck did not earn them a quarter-final place. Standing in their way are Nalanda, who have enjoyed a remarkable season and emerged as strong contenders for the title.

‎Mahanama V St. Joseph’s

‎‎St. Joseph’s College Darley Road lost only once in the first round, to eventual group champions Nalanda. With a strong spin attack leading their bowling, they are expected to give Mahanama a close contest.

‎‎Teams:

‎‎Nalanda College (from): Nadul Jayalath (Captain), Nemindu Akmeemana (Vice Captain), Osanda Pamuditha, Mihin Zoysa, Lithum Wijekumara, Rusandu Silva, Ranmith Senarath, Santhul Wijerathne, Dunitha Anusara, Dunal Yenuka, Gevin Sandesh, Methuka Perera, Sahash Godage, Nadil Dodangoda, Vidun Gamage, Chenitha Ekanayake, Sadew Wijesekara, Thiviru Ranasinghe, Gayuka Madushan.

‎Officials: Pradeep Nishantha (Head Coach), Nimantha Peries (Asst. Coach), Indika Kumara (Master in charge), Viraj De Silva (POG)

‎St. Anthony’s College (from):

Ryan Gregory (Captain), Sadew Amarakoon (Vice Captain), Sanuka Kalpana, Sisal Hemaka, Vihanga Nethusara, Kaushika Kumarasinghe, Dinul Wijesinghe, Sanithu Gunathilaka, Hansana Edirisinghe, Hansana Gamagedara, Kaveesha Samarathunga, Sanjana sacheendra, Piumaka Karunarathna, Ohas Adhithya, Sandil Senavirathna, Hansada Sethunga, Zaib Nafeel, Imeth Rajapaksha.

‎Officials: Akalanka Dissanayake (Head Coach), Divesh Praveen (Asst. Coach), Niwantha Herath (Asst. Coach), Amila Ranasinghe (Master in Charge), Rikaz Mohamed (Cricket Manager)

‎‎Teams:

‎Mahanama College (from): Sanul Weerarathne (Captain), Thaviru Perera (Vice Captain), Sineth Weerarathne, Kaushika Thilakarathne, Praveen Ranhiru, Dulenth Algawatte, Yashen Gunathilake, Umesh Perera, Vihanga Perera, Sanuka Ganepola, Nethula Kariyawasam, Nithum Gunasekara, Nethuka Kulathunga, Vimash Madanayake, Navidu Rodrigo, Kavika Madushan, Thenuja Rashmin, Ramithu Govinna, Nemitha Sandesh.

‎Officials:

Gihan Rupasinghe (Head Coach), Rumesh Milroy (Asst. coach), Kaveen Silva (Asst. coach), Salinda Madushanka (Asst. coach), Waruna Vithanakanda (Master in charge)

‎‎St. Joseph’s College (from): Aveesha Samash (Captain), Senuja Wekunagoda, Nushan Perera, Vigneshwaran Akash, Yenula Danthanarayana, Chethina Kavinda, Nimthaka Gunawardana, Dilpa Maduranga, Vishwa Peiris, Kavith Fernando, Nirwan Jayathilake, Disinu Samarasinghe, Gayasha Fernando, Lesandu Wijethunga, Santhosh Jayaprakash, Pamoda Dalpadathu, ⁠Thisaga Perera.

‎Officials: Lakmal de Silva (Head Coach), Dinal Dhambarage (Senior Asst. Coach), Devinda Ayesh (Asst Coach), Asiri Caldera (Master in Charge)

‎Teams:

‎Richmond College (from): Tenusha Nimsara (Captain), Bevin Jayawardana, Risinu Rupasinghe, Daham Mendis, Ravinu Randinu, Punal Hansajith, Tenura Dias, Chalindu Dulmina, Vihanga Indusara, Gayuka Manawadu, Senuk Dulneth, Hiruk Akalanka, Abilash De Silva, Vinuda Ravishan, Tharul Wickramasinghe, Yuneth Piyadigama, Sharon Abhishek, Undulating Kumudaka, Sewhas Lakshitha.

‎Officials:

Mahesh De Silva (Head Coach), Lahiru Maduwantha (Asst. Coach), Avindu Theekshana (Asst. Coach), Sidhath Priyankara (Asst. Coach), Chamith Rangana (Master in Charge)

‎Wesley College (from):

Lithum Senuja (Captain), Dinuja Samararatne (Vice Captain), Kavindu Nimsara, Methnula Mayadunna, Senura Lakshan, Govindu Nisansala, Omega Karunarathne, Gagan Perera, Shamma Fernando, Gayuka Fernando, Binoth Sandil, Adhyan Zain, Nethuka Binuk, Tharusha Liyanage, Lithma Perera, Sithika Kulan, Savindu Aththanayaka, Thimira Sandeep.

‎Officials:

Dilshan Mendis (Head Coach), Nuwan Tharuka (Asst. Coach), Shehan Fernando (Asst. Coach), Ashan Fernando (Asst. Coach), Sasanka Cabral (Physiologist), Salinja Manudul (S & C coach), Savindu Mendis (Master in charge), Aruna Priyankara (Master in charge)