Sports
Where is accountability?
by Rex Clementine
Following Sri Lanka’s embarrassing exit in the ICC Cricket World Cup, where they finished ninth and suffered first ever losses to Afghanistan and Bangladesh and missed out on the Champions Trophy, you expected many changes to be made. However, barring the selectors nobody has been held accountable for the horrible show.
The selectors also would have survived if Sri Lanka Cricket had the authority to retain them. However, the appointment of selectors is with the Sports Minister and Harin Fernando cracked the whip. Fernando also should ask his friends at the cricket board to get rid of the coaching staff now that his political boss has soft-pedaled with SLC.
The World Cup campaign was the worst by a Sri Lankan team in history and losing out on a slot for the Champions Trophy was a bitter pill to swallow. This will be the first ICC event Sri Lanka will not be taking part since playing the inaugural event in 1975.
There were too many batting collapses during the World Cup campaign and the 55 all out against India in Bombay was not just a one off. Sri Lanka were not able to utilize their quota of 50 overs in six of their nine games. Their fielding was a laughingstock as 16 catches were spilled and they cost them dearly. Sri Lanka were the worst fielding unit in the competition. Both the Batting Coach and Fielding Coach have survived after such an embarrassing performance.
With a few months left in the coaches’ contracts, there is no harm in allowing them to finish their terms, but do they need to remain in the set up of the national team for obviously they have failed to deliver and should be held accountable.
Former captain Mahela Jayawardene continues to throw his weight around causing much displeasure within the team. His policies have not only brought disaster for the national cricket team but has affected even the Under-19 side as evident by the recent performance in the Asia Cup. The structures he has introduced to school cricket and domestic cricket has been criticized not by observers like us but by both former and current players.
Any person with self-respect would have stepped down after such a poor show in the World Cup but now that nobody has stepped down, SLC should take matters into their hands. If the board doesn’t act, the Sports Minister has to intervene.
Fresh thinking is the need of the hour after Sri Lankan cricket hit new lows with people holding key positions often contradicting themselves.
For example, lack of skill levels of players have been pointed out for the poor run of the national cricket team but those people have conveniently forgotten that it is they who kicked out half a dozen seniors from white ball cricket.
Poor fitness levels has been pointed out as the reason for fielding standards going down but for years the authorities have tolerated players who had failed the two-kilometer run or the skin fold test.
Their theories are often outdated as well. While the masterminds in Sri Lanka used someone who is capable of building an innings like Dhananjaya de Silva at the number six slot during the World Cup, rest of the world was going in opposite direction utilizing finishers at six. While India had Suryakumar Yadav, South Africa employed David Miller. Glenn Maxwell of course was a godsend for the Aussies.
While the new selection panel has made efforts to address several of these issues, we need to have changes in other areas as well and all members of the coaching staff need to be taken out with the exception of Chris Silverwood. Why spare Silverwood, one may ask. Well, the only thing that showed some improvement last year was the team’s fast bowling.
(Cricbuzz)
By A Special Sports Correspondent
All eyes will be on new entrants to rugby ‘Sri Lions Sports Club’ when they debut in the 2024/25 Inter-club league rugby tournament in Kandy on Sunday (December 15). Sri Lions are slated to take on last season’s league tournament runners-up Kandy Sports Club at the Nittawela grounds. Despite Sri Lions SC being new to domestic rugby, a thriller is expected; as the team is packed with players who are well drilled at training and the other reason being all players possess an IRB Level 1 qualification.
Sri Lions SC’s entry into division 1 rugby was not smooth. Many clubs opposed their promotion to the top league in the domestic tournament. Rugby sources told ‘The Island’ that despite the opposition shown by some clubs, Sri Lanka Rugby and other prominent sports authorities in Sri Lanka had to grant the new entrants their due place in the top league. This was largely because Sri Lions SC had made progress through the proper channel by winning the B Division rugby tournament last season.
Dr. Kelum Sujith Perera, the founder chairman of Sri Lions SC, was quoted in the newspapers saying that the club’s priority was centred around professionalism and transparency and that the club was committed to contributing to rugby development in Sri Lanka.
The club boasts of having in their line up comprising 12 former national players and a horde of talented ex-schoolboy players who have recently finished their academic commitments on a high.
The other matches scheduled for the first week of club rugby are: Sri Lanka Air Force Sports Club vs CH&FC at Ratmalana (December 13), Army Sports Club vs Police Sports Club at Panagoda, Navy Sport Club vs Havelocks SC at Welisara (Both matches on December 14).
CR&FC will be one of the teams to watch this season given that they are the reigning league rugby champions. The side is led by Gemunu Chethiya. The club upgrading their stadium to have floodlight facilities should elevate player thinking to another level. The other club to offer floodlight facilities for domestic rugby matches is Havelocks SC. However CR will not have a match in the opening week of the tournament.
Last season’s league runners-up Kandy SC are led this season by seasoned scrum half Srinath Sooriyabandara who counts years of experience playing in domestic and overseas tournaments. The side is coached by Fazil Marija. Kandy SC’s dominance in domestic rugby was broken last season and much is expected of the side from Nittawela, which is going through a team building phase at present.
CH&FC is a dangerous side to play against when the team members are gelled and focused. Last season the side finished fourth. This season the Gymkhana Club is led by Janidu Dilshan.
Havelocks SC led by Abdullah Faiz is set to finish on a high this season. The Park Club finished third in the league rugby tournament last season. Police SC, which had to be satisfied winning the ‘Plate Championship’ in the league tournament last season, will be another strong contender vying for honours . The side is led for the second consecutive year by third row forward Mohan Wimalaratne.
The other sides in the tournament are Army SC, Air Force Sports Club and Navy Sport Club.
The tournament is conducted by Sri Lanka Rugby, the governing body for the sport in the island. Rugby sources reveal that an SGM has been called on December 20 for clubs to attend with the motive of announcing the date for the much looked forward to Annual General Meeting of SLR. According to International Rugby regulations, SLR has to have it’s AGM before January 31 next year.
SLTA Hard Court Nationals
Revaan Amarasinghe and Shennon Senadheera reached the Under 12 boys singles final as they edged out their semi-final opponents at the Sri Lanka Tennis Association Hard Court Tennis Nationals at the SLTA courts on Thursday.
Amarasinghe of S.Thomas’ College, Mount Lavinia beat Nuren Wevita 6-1, 6-1 in his semi-final.
In the other semi-final, Wesley’s Shannon Senadheera beat Yonal Dankumbura 7-6 (4), 6-2.
Results : Under 14 Boys quarter-final
Jayan Sebastian beat Buvidu Jayawardana 6-4, 6-3.
Damsath Peiris beat Thuvakar Sathiees 6-3, 6-4.
D. Wickramasinghe beat Umar Wayis 6-3, 6-1.
Under 18 Boys’ semi-final
Louis Knese beat Ganuka Fernando 6-4, 6-3
Women’s Singles quarter-final
Rukshika Wijesuriya beat Sandithi Usgodaarachchi 4-6, 6-4, 6-4.
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