Sports
25 years from the formation of first Cricket Interim Committee
by Rex Clementine
This year marks the 25th anniversary of the appointment of the first ever Cricket Interim Committee. Ironically, the man who was chosen to Chair that committee, although a keen follower of the game, had little experience in its administration. Rienzie T. Wijetilleke is his name.
Orders to appoint Wijetilleke, then the Chairman of Hatton National Bank, came directly from the Country‘s President, Chandrika Kumaratunga who was well acquainted with his “no nonsense” approach to discipline and accountability.
The year 1999 seriously marred the hard earned reputation of the Board of Control for Cricket in Sri Lanka (BCCSL) which also had an impact on our players.
Authentic allegations of growing corruption since the World Cup was won in 1996 were compounded by violence at the Annual General Meeting in March 1999, and the image of the Board had descended to its lowest ever both at home and in the eyes of the International Cricket Council (ICC).
The President’s reaction was swift and decisive as she dissolved the entire Board and appointed the first ever Interim Committee to administer cricket.
To make matters worse, defending World Champions Sri Lanka fared disastrously in the ICC World Cup in the UK in May of that year crashing out of the tournament in the preliminary rounds signalling that it was time for some of our heroes of 1996 to be accorded a graceful exit and change ushered in.
Wijetilleke ‘s hand was hugely strengthened by the appointment of the other members to the Committee, with reputed names as S. Skandakumar (a vastly experienced Hony Secretary of Board of Control for Cricket), Sidath Wettimuny, Michael Tissera, Ashantha de Mel (national cricketers of excellent standing) and Kushil Gunasekera (a proven track record for meticulous planning of international events at home)
Wijetilleke introduced checks and balances to Maitland Place through strong foolproof structures and left the cricketing side of the game to his knowledgeable colleagues.
The appointment of Sidath Wettimuny as Chairman of selectors gave early notice of the major changes that were in store and after offering Arjuna Ranatunge the opportunity to graciously step down as captain, which he refused to do, Sidath and his committee, supported by the Interim Committee removed him and appointed a young Sanath Jayasuriya as captain.
A new era was indeed on the horizon but there was work yet to be done.
With a nucleus of young players as Mahela Jayawardena, Kumar Sangakkara, T.M. Dilshan Chamara Silva etc emerging, the Interim Committee was unanimous that Dav Whatmore coach of the World Cup winning team had to be brought back.
Skandakumar, attending the ICC AGM at Lord’s in June 1999 was mandated by the Interim Committee to meet Whatmore, who was on contract to Lancashire, and negotiate for his return.
This is what Wijetilleke wrote in his memoirs on that visit. “Skanda in his significant role as ambassador of goodwill was able to achieve a great deal in restoring the credibility and image of the Board of Control for Cricket in the eyes of the ICC.
“He was also able, acting on a mandate of the committee, to successfully negotiate for the return of Whatmore as National Coach for three years from August 1999.”
Whatmore’s return had an instantaneous impact as in a triangular tournament in the same month with World Cup champs Australia and India participating, Sri Lanka emerged victorious. Shortly thereafter when the first ever Test series win against Australia was registered at home, these meaningful changes were indeed bearing fruit and a new era for our cricket both on and off the field had dawned!
Wettimuny’s mature judgement ensured the presence of Arjuna and Aravinda for that Test series to help humble Steve Waugh’s champion side!
With our credibility restored, the ICC entrusted the Board of Control for Cricket, the responsibility to host the ICC Under-19 World Cup that had no less than 16 international teams participating .
This challenge was met to perfection thanks to the leadership Kushil Gunasekera provided where every detail was addressed and the tributes paid by the ICC at the conclusion of that tournament spoke for themselves.
Our national team in the months following the Test series win against Australia toured Zimbabwe and Pakistan for similar series and returned triumphant in both.
Sadly if not tragically, in spite of all of these, the Interim Committee had continuing differences with the then Sports Minister S.B Dissanayake on his own agendas and after a remarkably successful tenure the entire committee resigned en masse after twelve months in Hony office in May 2000.
At the time of that resignation they held the following positions in their substantive jobs: Rienzie T. Wijetilleke – Chairman, Hatton National Bank, S. Skandakumar – Chairman, George Steuart’s Group, Michael Tissera – Senior Director, Tea Tang, Sidath Wettimuny – Chairman and MD, Noble Group Exports, Ashantha de Mel – Co-Owner, Asia Couture Exports, Kushil Gunasekera – Chairman, Foundation of Goodness.
The loss was very much Sri Lanka’s but these exceptional gentlemen left a legacy that reminded all that Honorary Office was indeed holding Office with Honour!
Mohammad Rizwan and Imam ul Haq were questioned by Pakistan’s National Cyber Crimes Investigation Agency (NCCIA) in Lahore, as the fallout from Pakistan’s disastrous Test tour of England continued.
The two, who were in the group of seven players who were dropped from the Pakistan squad and sent back home after the defeat in the second Test at Lord’s, were sent summons to appear before the NCCIA. They appeared on Thursday. At least one of the players is believed to have been there for several hours.
It is not clear yet what the questioning was about, or whether it is related to the PCB’s own inquiry, which they announced earlier this week. The board did not name any players then but said it had “initiated an internal disciplinary inquiry following media reports concerning discipline and conduct, which are currently being reviewed internally”. That process, the board said, was being “conducted under PCB regulations”.
Cricinfo understands that at least one of the players has been given a questionnaire to respond to and return to the NCCIA next week.
At the end of the Lord’s Test, which Pakistan lost by 194 runs after losing the first by an innings and 103 runs, seven players as well as the head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed and bowling coach Umar Gul were removed from the squad. In their place, seven other players travelled to England, five of whom were uncapped at international level.
Rizwan’s form with the bat on this tour had been poor, with scores of 12, 41, 7 and 1, following low returns in two Tests in the Caribbean as well. His glovework, however, has been exemplary on both tours and until the West Indies series, he had been Pakistan’s leading Test run scorer since January 2024. But an ungainly hoick to be dismissed for 1 in the second innings at Lord’s attracted plenty of criticism.
Imam, meanwhile, was diagnosed with a grade-1 tear in his left calf after the conclusion of the first day’s play at Lord’s and did not appear on the field during either of Pakistan’s innings. On the final morning, during pre-game warm-ups, he came out to attempt some gentle knockdowns but struggled physically. Aaqib Javed, the PCB’s chief selector and director of high performance publicly questioned Imam’s injury and warned then of an inquiry into it.
In defending the squad changes, the PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi alluded to wider factors at play, without expanding. “We have had a discussion to ascertain the reasons behind it. They include factors beyond performance and we will get to the bottom of it.”
The selection of both the players for the West Indies and England tours was also the subject of a notice sent by the PCB to selectors after the Lord’s Test. The notice asked for a written explanation outlining the reasons for their selection and the process through which it was arrived at, within 24 hours of the receipt of notice. Misbah-ul-Haq, one of the selectors, resigned from the post following the changes to the squad.
[Cricinfo]
Soon-to-be world number one Elena Rybakina produced a gritty comeback against Coco Gauff to reach the US Open final, in which she will face Aryna Sabalenka in a blockbuster showdown between the tournament’s top two seeds.
Rybakina is guaranteed to end Sabalenka’s 99-week reign as world number one and will replace the Belarusian at the top when the rankings are updated on Monday.
But the Kazakh second seed could rub more salt in Sabalenka’s wounds if she can deny the top seed a third successive US Open title in Saturday’s showpiece.
Sabalenka sent a warning to her rivals as she overpowered home hope Jessica Pegula 7-5 6-2 to keep alive her bid to become the third woman in the Open era to win the New York singles title three times in a row.
Rybakina will stand in her way after she fought back to beat American fourth seed Gauff 3-6 6-4 6-4 and silence the partisan crowd.
“I took a deep breath and just told myself I needed to fight and show good tennis,” Rybakina said.
The 27-year-old is chasing her third Grand Slam title after winning Wimbledon in 2022 and beating Sabalenka in January’s Australian Open final.
It will be the first time the top two women’s seeds have contested a US Open final since Serena Williams beat Victoria Azarenka in the 2013 showpiece.
Aryna Sabalenka is the first player – male or female – to reach eight successive hard-court Grand Slam finals [BBC Sport]
Sabalenka has not been beaten in New York since losing the 2023 final to Gauff, but there were doubts over her title defence following a poor run-up to the tournament.
After a strong start to the season and winning the ‘Sunshine Double’ at Indian Wells and Miami in March, Sabalenka suffered a quarter-final defeat at Roland Garros and a fourth-round exit at Wimbledon.
However, she has found her form again, dropping just one set en route to the final.
“I was super desperate,” Sabalenka said after her win over Pegula.
“It feels for me, talking about Grand Slams, like a last push of the season.
“I wanted it badly to go to the finals, and of course, I want to go all the way.”
In a tense opening set, Sabalenka bristled with frustration early on as unforced errors crept into her game while Pegula settled quickly and struck the ball cleanly.
But eventually the four-time major singles winner found her rhythm and, after striking decisively at 6-5 to take the first set, she cranked up the power.
Pegula looked helpless as Sabalenka raced through the second set, with the Belarusian pounding 29 winners to her 12.
The victory meant Sabalenka broke the Open era record for the most Grand Slam hard-court finals in a row, with the 28-year-old reaching every major final on her favoured surface since the 2023 Australian Open.
For 32-year-old Pegula – the only semi-finalist without a Grand Slam title – it is yet another US Open defeat by long-time rival Sabalenka.
Sabalenka denied the third seed a maiden major in the 2024 final, while she also got the better of her in last year’s semi-finals – although Pegula had won their most recent meeting in June’s Berlin Open.
“I do think she probably would have beaten 99% of people,” Pegula said.
“Probably the best match she’s played this year.”
[BBC Sports]
India continued their unbeaten run and marched into their sixth final in six editions of the Women’s T20 Asia Cup after beating Bangladesh by 40 runs in an error laden semi final in Dubai.
After India were put in on a slow pitch, Shafali Verma scored 64 off 40 balls, making full use of the reprieves she got on 6, 11, 50 and 56. The knock helped India post a formidable 149 for 6 even though most other batters struggled for timing.
Juairiya Ferdous and Dilara Akter came out with positive intent but once the spin was introduced, they too felt powerless. India helped them by dropping four catches of varying difficulty, but Bangladesh did not have someone like Shafali to take advantage of those. In the end, they could reach only 109 for 7.
Shafali lives a charmed life
Marufa Akter was impressive once again with the new ball. Apart from her stock in-swinger to the right-hand batter, she also showed off her leg-cutter, which beat Shafali’s outside edge a couple of times.
Opening the bowling from the other end, off-spinner Sultana Khatun produced two chances in her very first over. Fahima Khatun dropped Shafali at long-on but Smriti Mandhana was not that fortunate. Shorna Akter caught her miscued aerial attempt at mid-on.
Shafali got another reprieve in the third over when Nahida Akter failed to latch on to a low chance at mid-on off Marufa. The batter rubbed salt into Bangladesh’s wounds by launching Sultana over long-off for back-to-back sixes in the following over. Despite Pratika Rawal struggling at the other end, Shafali’s fireworks ensured India finished the powerplay on 45 for 1.
Rawal and Harmanpreet’s toil
Rawal had opened her account with a classical off-drive for four off the first ball. She also launched Rabeya Khan for a six in the last over of the powerplay. But she struggled to rotate strike and could manage only 20 off 24 balls in the end.
Harmanpreet Kaur, too, found it difficult to get going. At one point, she was on 3 off 15 balls. As a result, India could score only 33 runs in seven overs after the powerplay.
Shafali continues to ride her luck
Shafali reached her fifty off 35 balls and then enjoyed some more luck. On the very next ball, she had a miscommunication with Harmanpreet. It should have been an easy run-out at the bowler’s end but Fahima fumbled the throw.
Shafali then pulled Sultana over deep midwicket for a six. She tried to repeat the dose on the next ball but Shorna dropped the catch. The ball burst through her hands, hit her on the face and trickled to the deep-midwicket boundary. However, she holed out to long-on in the same over, with substitute Farjana Easmin taking the catch.
Richa Ghosh (21 off 16) and Deepti Sharma (13 off six) injected some momentum towards the end while Harmanpreet finished on 24 not out off 28.
Ferdous and Dilara gave Bangladesh a steady start, with both batters hitting two boundaries each in the first three overs. But there were plenty of dot balls too, which meant the scoreboard read only 18 for no loss after three overs.
After that, Harmanpreet introduced spin from both ends and the scoring rate dropped further. Bowling the last over of the powerplay, N Sjhree Charani delivered a wicket maiden, making Ferdous her 50th T20I wicket.
Deepti does Deepti things
Deepti struck in her very first over. With the asking rate climbing fast, Ferdous tried to go aerial but holed out to deep midwicket. Nigar Sultana and Sobhana Mostary added 31 for the third wicket but consumed 34 balls for it.
Deepti ended the stand by castling Mostary. That triggered a mini-collapse with Bangladesh losing three wickets in 15 balls for 17 runs. Prema Rawat had Nigar caught at short third before Deepti bowled Sharmin Akhter to make it 83 for 5 in the 16th over.
India’s fielding woes
The result was all but sealed by then. But India, too, were sub-par in the field, right from the start. In the very first over of the chase, Rawal had dropped an overhead catch at cover-point to reprieve Dilara. Later on, she dropped Mostary at backward point. Mandhana misjudged a boundary catch as well, before Ghosh and Nandani Sharma collided while going for one near square leg. On another day, these mistakes could have proved costly.
Scores:
India Women 149 for 6 in 20 overs (Shafali Verma 64, Pratika Rawal 20, Harmanpreet Kaur 24*, Richa Ghosh 21, Deepti Sharma 13; Marufa Akter 1-40, Sultana Khatun 2-30, Nahida Akter 1-25, Rabeya Khan 1-22) beat Bangladesh 109 for 7 in 20 overs (Dilara Akter 21, Juairiya Ferdous 14, Sobhana Mostary 18, Nigar Sultana 19, Shorna Akter 22*, Fahima Khatun 14; Nandani Sharma 2-10, Shree Charani 1-14, Prema Rawat 1-21, Deepti Sharma3-26) by 40 runs
[Cricinfo]
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