Cricket needs to address burning issues

by Rex Clementine

As a nation we are used to appointing commissions or committees when faced with disasters, natural or man-made. Often these committees and their reports are an eyewash, masterfully crafted by politicians to buy time during moments of crisis. Sports Minister Roshan Ranasinghe this week appointed a five-member Cricket Advisory Committee headed by former skipper Sanath Jayasuriya. It is hoped that this committee is fully empowered as well to take decisions at a time when cricket is going through a major crisis.

Sri Lanka’s participation in this year’s ICC Cricket World Cup to be held in India in October is in doubt after the former champions and two-time runners-up were denied automatic qualification for the sport’s showpiece event. Dasun Shanaka’s side now will have to play a qualifying tournament in Zimbabwe, an event where there’s little room for error as only two teams go through. It’s nothing but a sad predicament for a proud cricketing nation.

As we have harped time and again, Sri Lanka have adopted a flawed selection policy and that’s one key reason for the ODI team’s abysmal performance. The team’s inability to bat 50 overs has not been addressed during the current selection panel’s tenure. Some players who are capable of occupying the crease for long periods have been cold shouldered.

It also appears that Niroshan Dickwella’s batting has more consistency than the selectors’ fitness policy. There was a time when players were kicked out for failing fitness tests and the results were leaked but when certain players fail fitness tests those reports are pushed under the carpet and worse they are even tolerated. That makes you wonder whether the selectors have favourites? That’s simply not cricket!

The selectors also stick to the outdated theory of backing too many all-rounders or as Sanjay Manjrekar unkindly called ‘bits and pieces cricketers. This ploy has proved to be disastrous, and we need to move away from it at least for the qualifiers. You don’t see that happening if the current selectors persevere.

Shanaka’s captaincy in the ODI format also needs to be discussed for the simple reason that he doesn’t seem to be able to hold onto his place in the 50 over format. There are some hard and unpopular decisions need to be made and there’s a man by the name of Sidath Wettimuny who is capable of making those calls.

Having too many teams playing domestic cricket has been an area that has been highlighted for some time now and even former greats like Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene have voiced concerns about this. But sadly, since joining SLC ranks, MJ doesn’t seem to have addressed the issue. The number of domestic teams is another area that needs to be looked at as they keep mushrooming to please SLC’s vote base.

When several former administrators sought the help of the court to bring much needed changes to cricket structure and governance, the current Sports Minister won admirers when he informed the court that he did not have any objections for change taking place.

But the Minister has been rather slow in acting. He should have sacked the selectors the moment Danushka Gunathilaka was arrested in Sydney bringing the nation’s reputation to shame. It is the selectors who decided to keep the injured player on tour. After the latest debacle in New Zealand where the team failed to qualify automatically for the World Cup, he needs to act. Better late than never.