Sports
Where is the accountability?
by Rex Clementine
Being held accountable for the decisions you make is not just an area pertaining to the corporate world but to every walk of life. If you behave in an irresponsible manner not only do you get kicked out from a club, even your relatives tend to distance you. The only species that seem to be exempted from this rule are the selectors.
The current national selection panel resumed its tenure with a highly publicized fitness regime. They looked to be targeting some of the seniors but to their credit, the seniors fell in line meeting minimum fitness standards. Then, inexplicably they were kicked out from white-ball cricket as the selectors launched a youth policy.
Risk-taking is part of the job of selectors. But they should not behave like a bull in a China shop. There’s no point in burning bridges.
Leading up to the last World Cup, the selection panel at that point realized that one of the problems the national cricket team faced was that they were unable to bat out 50 overs. They realized that someone who could play the anchor role was needed and Test captain Dimuth Karunaratne was not only brought back to play ODI cricket after a five-year hiatus, he was made captain as well.
Dimuth was a limited ODI cricketer but he did a decent job both as captain and opening batsman. But the current selection panel ended that experiment without doing proper research. It was like the Gotabaya Rajapaksa government terminating the Light Railways project.
Now we are feeling the pinch with the Sri Lankan team getting bowled out for totals like 73 and 76 in back-to-back ODIs unable to last 20 overs leave alone 50.
The selectors’ much hyped-up fitness regime has been thrown out of the window as well. When the fitness protocol was started the media was constantly kept in the loop as to how the players fared in their fitness drills, but now it is a well-kept secret. Wonder why? That’s because some of the selectors’ pets have failed miserably to maintain fitness standards.
Why the national cricket team fared so badly in the T-20 World Cup in Australia last year was because they carried players who had failed fitness tests. We challenge the selectors to deny our story.
The selectors’ tenure should have ended soon after the T-20 World Cup as Danushka Gunathilaka was arrested in Sydney. The selectors had blundered by retaining their blue-eyed boy on tour even though he was injured. Eventually, he brought the nation shame and condemnation as New South Wales police arrested him moments after Sri Lanka were knocked out of the World Cup. It will be interesting to find out whether Danushka also had failed fitness tests last year although the selectors kept picking him.
Now that Sri Lanka have failed to qualify for the World Cup directly, there needs to be fresh thinking that will ensure there are no more mess-ups during the qualifying round and you pick a team that lasts 50 overs, not one that becomes an international shame unable to last 20 overs.
Yes, Sri Lanka did win the Asia Cup in the T-20 format under the current selectors’ watch but instead of that success becoming a springboard for higher achievements, they became cocky and thought everything was tickety-boo tolerating unfit and undisciplined players.
There’s very little progress you are going to make in any walk of life without discipline.
Shammi Silva has once again taken guard at the top of Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), securing a fourth consecutive term as President at the Annual General Meeting, held amidst much fanfare at Colombo’s Cinnamon Grand Hotel yesterday.
Already calling the shots as President of the Asian Cricket Council, Silva’s crowning achievement in recent years has been bringing the 2026 ICC T20 World Cup to Sri Lankan shores. The marquee tournament will be co-hosted by Sri Lanka and India next year, a feather in the cap for the country’s cricket administrators.
Silva’s administration has made a concerted effort to bridge the yawning gap between domestic and international cricket. One of the bold strokes in this innings has been trimming the number of First-Class teams – a move aimed at upping the quality and sharpening the edge of domestic cricket.
SLC Ex-Co also played a straight bat when it comes to developing cricket beyond Colombo’s city limits. High Performance Centres have sprung up across the outstations, rolling out the red carpet for raw talent from the hinterlands, who had previously been left in the pavilion.
The school cricket circuit too has been given a shot in the arm, with infrastructure development and skill enhancement taking centre stage. By strengthening the grassroots, the current administration hopes to widen the talent pool and unearth future stars of the game.
SLC’s balance sheet tells its own story – healthy and in the black. Over the past five years, the board’s financial stability has not only benefited cricket, but has also allowed it to lend a helping hand to other sports disciplines, at the request of the Ministry of Sports.
With over three decades of experience under his belt as a sports administrator, Shammi Silva is the long-serving President of the Colombo Cricket Club (CCC), one of the game’s oldest institutions in the country.
The 64th AGM was largely a case of “same XI, new season,” with only one notable change to the playing field – Secretary Mohan de Silva making way for seasoned campaigner Bandula Dissanayake. No stranger to the inner workings of SLC, Dissanayake has previously chaired the Tournament and Umpires Committees, and brings a wealth of experience to the table.
Dr. Jayantha Dharmadasa and former First-Class player Ravin Wickramaratne retained their Vice-President slots, while Sujeewa Godaliyadda continues to hold the Treasurer’s post. Chryshantha Kapuwatta and Lasantha Wickremasinghe will once again don the hats of Assistant Secretary and Assistant Treasurer, respectively.
The election, part of SLC’s biannual cycle, was overseen and greenlit by the Election Committee chaired by retired Court of Appeal Justice Malani Gunaratne.
Vidyaloka College fought back on the back of a valuable century by Nimesh Aavinda to pull off two wickets victory over Kingswood in the Under 19 Division II Tier ‘B’ cricket tournament final played at Saliyapura, Anuradhapura on Monday.
Vidyaloka had a deficit of 36 runs in the first innings but a combined effort helped them restrict Kingswood to 161 runs in the second essay. They were left with a target of 198 runs to chase. And they achieved it with Nimesh Aavinda top scoring with 115 runs.
Scores
Kingswood
227 all out in 83.3 overs (Chanul Kodituwakku 33, Aadil Sheriff 69, Kavija Gamage 25, Nikeshala Nanayakkara 56; Seniru Ninduwara 4/74, Lidula Nuwanga 2/58, Nimesh Aavinda 2/48, Pulindu Chamuditha 2/19) and 161 all out in 65.3 overs (Kavija Gamage 57, Nikeshala Nanayakkara 45; Seniru Ninduwara 2/45, Pulindu Chamuditha 2/07)
Vidyaloka
191 all out in 79.3 overs (Lidula Nuwanga 81, Seniru Ninduwara 34, Tharusha Jayamith 23; Kavija Gamage 4/63, Upadi Jayawardane 2/41) and 200 for 8 in 48.3 overs( Nimesh Aavinda 114, Lidula Nuwanga 34, Seniru Ninduwara 28; Kavija Gamage 3/80, Dominsara Peiris 2/51)
by Reemus Fernando
There was a growing sense of uncertainty surrounding the hosting of the 120th edition of the Lovers’ Quarrel Big Match after Richmond College raised concerns over an attempt by Mahinda College to field a newly recruited player in the team at the historic match which was scheduled to commence on Thursday.
Richmond College authorities have informed Mahinda that they would pullout from the match if the newly recruited player who played for St. Aloysius’ in the just concluded Under 19 cricket tournament is included in the Big Match team.
According to sources Mahinda College have recruited St. Aloysius’ skipper Charya Paranavithana at the end of the Under 19 cricket tournament and are yet to register him under their name with Sri Lanka Schools Cricket Association. They have included the player in the Big Match squad.
A source close to Mahinda said that though the player is included in the squad he was not certain to be in the playing XI.
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