Sports
A case of home comforts abroad for India
by Rex Clementine
There’s been a hue and cry over the privileges India have enjoyed during this Champions Trophy. From start to finish, Rohit Sharma’s men have set up camp in the same Dubai hotel, played at the same ground, and barely had to adjust to anything other than the opposition’s bowling. Meanwhile, the rest of the teams have been living out of suitcases, hopping from city to city, battling jet lag and varying conditions.
Spare a thought for New Zealand. The Kiwis started in Karachi, then jetted off to Rawalpindi, flew back to Dubai for their last group game against India and were then whisked off to Lahore before returning to Dubai for the final. They’ve spent more time in the air these past two weeks than A.C.S. Hameed did in a fortnight during his long career as Foreign Minister under three Presidents!
One set of rules for India, another for the rest – it’s simply not cricket. No wonder most Sri Lankans will be backing the Kiwis in the grand finale on Sunday evening.
India’s pampered scheduling is nothing new. The argument that India bankrolls world cricket and therefore deserves preferential treatment is as immature as Rainl saying ‘umpire hora’ after faring poorly in a debate. Broadcasters claim Indian fans want to watch their team play on weekends, so the schedule is tailor-made for primetime, with generous breaks between games. Meanwhile, the rest of the teams are running between the wickets just to keep up.
It’s a bitter pill to swallow, but the reality is that cricket’s power structure is lopsided and there’s little anyone can do about it. The unspoken rule in world cricket today seems to be: don’t upset India. Some call it cowardice, but others see it as self-preservation. Take Sri Lanka, for example. A two-week Indian tour generates more revenue for Sri Lanka Cricket than any other bilateral series. Not just Sri Lanka, but for many cricket boards, playing nice with India is a financial necessity.
But what about the bigger boards – Australia and England? Surely, they don’t need to kowtow to India? Well, the answer is simple – greed. Within a span of seven months, India played five Tests in Australia and will play five more in England – a financial windfall for the founder members of the ICC. Their own franchise leagues – the Big Bash and The Hundred – were once touted as rivals to the IPL, but even they don’t generate the kind of money that an India series brings.
That’s why it’s ironic that England and Australia are grumbling about India’s cozy Champions Trophy schedule. Let’s get real – neither of them has had it as bad as New Zealand. In ICC events, the Big Three – India, England, and Australia – always get the red carpet treatment, while the rest of the cricketing world is left to make do with the scraps.
Take the last T20 World Cup in the Caribbean and USA. India played all but one of their first-round games in New York. Australia and England? They never even set foot in the USA! They were enjoying a Caribbean cruise, with England playing in Barbados and Antigua, while Australia hopped between Barbados, Antigua, and St. Lucia. It was less a cricket tournament, more a winter holiday.
Sri Lanka, on the other hand, were sent on a whirlwind tour – from New York to Dallas to Miami before finally landing in St. Lucia. By the time the tournament ended, the players were running on fumes.
And let’s not forget the 2016 T20 World Cup in India. England played two games in Bombay, three in Delhi, then strolled into Calcutta for the final – and that was that. Meanwhile, Sri Lanka and other smaller nations were dragged across the length and breadth of India.
It’s high time ICC ensured a level playing field in their tournaments. Right now, the scales are tipping too heavily in India’s favor. Cricket is a gentleman’s game, but when the playing conditions are this skewed, it starts to feel less like sport and more like a scripted drama with a predictable ending. That is not what the fans want. That is not what the game wants.
Sri Lanka Cricket has drawn a hard line in the sand, vowing zero tolerance for players who fail fitness tests, with a clear message that those who don’t make the grade risk being left out in the cold when selections are made. While Sri Lanka’s campaign in the recent T20 World Cup, co-hosted with India, had its moments in the sun, fitness issues proved to be the Achilles’ heel.
The wheels began to come off midway through the tournament as key bowlers broke down, forcing the selectors to field a second-string unit. Across the board, fitness levels looked below the required standard.
In the immediate aftermath of the World Cup, the board tightened the screws, making it mandatory for players to clear fitness tests before being granted No Objection Certificates (NOCs) to feature in franchise leagues such as the IPL and PSL.
“The concerns about the fitness levels of players were flagged during the tournament and we are addressing it,” a board official told Telecom Asia Sport. “There has been non-stop cricket over the last 36 months, leaving very little time for players to work exclusively on fitness. But having said that, professional cricketers should be able to meet minimum standards.”
“In the past, we have fined players for failing fitness tests, but if that’s not yielding results, we will have to explore stronger measures. If it comes to a point where a player is deemed ineligible for selection due to failing fitness standards, we will have to take that call.”
Telecom Asia Sport understands that the numbers make for grim reading. Of the 46 players put through the fitness grind, only 12 managed to pass. Those who cleared the bar have secured NOCs and are plying their trade in India and Pakistan, while others, including Nuwan Thushara, have been benched after failing to meet the cut.
Leg-spinner Wanindu Hasaranga and tearaway quick Matheesha Pathirana are set to undergo their fitness tests after completing rehabilitation. If they come through unscathed, both are expected to be back in action from the second week of April.
SLC’s fitness regime is no walk in the park. It includes skinfold tests to monitor body fat, a two-kilometre run to assess endurance, a 20-metre sprint, agility drills and a counter-movement jump. The spotlight, however, falls heavily on skinfold measurements and endurance, with players given a second bite at the cherry before fines and now potentially harsher consequences come into play.
Spinner Chaniru Senarathne produced a match-winning performance with a superb seven-wicket haul in the second innings as Trinity College registered a 69-run victory over Nalanda College in their Under 19 Division I Tier ‘A’ quarter-final at the BOI Ground, Katunayake on Saturday.
Chasing a challenging target of 264 runs for victory, Nalanda showed resistance through several determined contributions but were ultimately undone by Senarathne’s consistent wicket-taking spell. He maintained tight control throughout the innings, striking at regular intervals to prevent Nalanda from building the momentum required for a successful chase.
Nalanda’s innings saw useful contributions from Nadul Jayalath who top scored with 40 runs, while Santhul Wijerathna displayed great patience in scoring 37 runs off 136 deliveries. Hasitha Rathnayake also fought hard for his 46 runs in 116 balls.
They were 68 for six at one one stage before resistance came through a seventh wicket partnership between Wijerathna and Rathnayake who added 79 valuable runs. Their stand briefly revived Nalanda’s hopes of pushing for a place in the semi-finals, but Senarathne’s relentless accuracy eventually broke through the resistance.
Senarathne finished with outstanding figures of 7 for 73, while Kanilka Anthony provided excellent support with 3 for 48 as the duo shared all ten wickets in Nalanda’s second innings.
Both Anthony and Senarathne ended the match with eight wickets each, playing decisive roles in a contest that swung back and forth from the very first day.
Earlier in the match Trinity recovered from an early collapse to post a modest first innings total of 173 thanks largely to a fighting 59 by Praveen Rukunayake. Nalanda responded with 184 runs in their first innings, where Gevindu Manamperi’s 39 runs was the top score. Kanilka Anthony starred with the ball to claim a five-wicket haul.
Trinity then took control in the second innings by posting 274 for 9 declared. Dimantha Mahavithana (59) and Aadham Hilmy (57) led the batting effort, while Viduneth Dammage added an unbeaten 38 to strengthen the total and set up a challenging target.
Although Nalanda fought hard in the final innings, Trinity’s disciplined bowling attack ensured they sealed a convincing victory and secured their place in the semi-final stage of the tournament.
Brief Scores:
Trinity
173 all out in 44.2 overs (Dimantha Mahavithana 21, Praveen Rukunayake 59, Viduneth Dammage 27; Hasith Rathnayake 3/38, Malsha Fernando 4/49) and 274 for 9 decl. in 44.3 overs (Dimantha Mahavithana 59, Mahendra Abeysinghe 31, Aadham Hilmy 57, Viduneth Dammage 38 n.o., Sethmika Senevirathne 28; Dunitha Anusara 2/23, Malsha Fernando 3/68, Hasith Rathnayake 3/70)
Nalanda 184 all out in 85.4 overs (Gevindu Manamperi 39, Ranmith Denuwara 22, Santhul Wijeyarathna 28, Hasith Rathnayake 32 n.o.; Kanilka Anthony 5/52, Dinal Fernando 2/37) and 194 all out in 81.2 overs (Nadul Jayalath 40, Santhul Wijerathna 37, Hasith Rathnayake 46; Chaniru Senarathne 7/73, Kanilka Anthony 3/48). (RF)
The ITF Asia 14 and Under Development Championship finals commenced with the participation of fourteen nations, namely, Hong Kong, India, South Korea, Kazakhstan, Indonesia, Kyrgyzstan, Malaysia, Nepal, Myanmar, Syria, Chinese Taipei, Uzbekistan, Thailand and Sri Lanka at the Sri Lanka Tennis Association courts on Monday.
The tournament will go on till 3rd April.
Sri Lanka are represented by six payers.
They are
Girls
: Sahansa Damsiluni (Visakha Vidyalaya ), Navya Banagala (Visakha Vidyalaya), Dinethma Ekanayake ( Maliyadeva Balika).
Boys:
Revaan Amarasinghe (S. Thomas’ College), Buvindu Jayawardhana,(Maliyadeva College, Kurunagala) Chirath Subasinghe ( St. Peter’s College).
Both teams are coached by Chean Deepal Fernando.
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