Multiple hats destroying Sri Lanka cricket!

There is no gain in repeating the fact that every citizen in this country is lamenting the plight

Sri Lanka Cricket has plunged at present. The success of our cricket and cricketers was the pride of this nation which each and every citizen in this country held dear in their hearts.

What is most worrying though is not the depths to which mismanagement by the current administration has decimated the game and our proud team, but the obvious inability of Minister of Sports to identify and introduce remedial measures. Appointing an Advisory committee to cover up the incompetence of the sitting administration reminds of the classic parallel to the famous adage of “Caesar twiddling his thumbs while Rome was burning”!!!

So, let us try and examine where exactly the fault lies and how grave the fault lines are. It is true that maladministration bears its share of blame. However, it is obviously not the only reason as SLC has been fraught with corruption and maladministration which has resulted in successive governments having to intervene and appoint Interim Committees. So, one can safely rule that out as the single most cause for the present crisis. Let us then turn our attention towards the Coaching and Support staff?

We have a Head Coach who was originally hired as the fielding coach, and subsequently demoted to handle the junior under 19 squad as his skills and competency to hold that position was in doubt. Then we have a Batting coach who does not even possess coaching experience at school level. We have a Bowling coach who was parachuted into that position with little knowledge of the current circuit of bowlers, and then an abrasive Cricket Manager cum Selector whose credentials to hold these positions leaves much to be desired. One can therefore, safely apportion part of the blame to incompetent support staff structure.

However, nobody appears to be aware that the bane of our current problems lies with the critical area of selections. The selection blunders were all too obvious during the current series. What is most mind boggling is the discovery that the Chairman of Selectors was carrying out Match Refereeing duties for the ICC in Hong Kong while our team was been humiliated in a bilateral series with Pakistan. Although nothing that happens in this land of ours surprises anybody anymore, one can only wonder how the Minister of Sports can allow the Chairman of the national selection committee to hold another position which is in conflict with his current national duties? Isn’t the all important position of Chairman, Selection Committee being devalued? That is not all, as things unfold it has also come to light that one individual is also the President of the Sri Lanka Cricket Players Associations. As the headline suggests one individual being permitted to wear such multiple hats which are in conflict with one another is causing structural damage to this game we all love. Shouldn’t the Minister of Sports be removed forthwith for taking such ill informed decisions?

How one individual can juggle with all these responsibilities without compromising on his obligations on each of its duties is worth scrutinizing. It is reflected in the decisions made especially with the T20 squad where the best players opted out from travelling for the third game in Lahore. Not picking the best team for the first two games to be played in the UAE is simply wrong and in breach of the Sports law and goes against national interest.

The Sports law in this country clearly stipulates that it is the duty of the national selection committee to select the best team to represent the country at any given time. This has clearly not happened in this instance, and is in violation of the Sports law. How the Minister of Sports can approve this team selection exposes his lack of knowledge of the laws and tantamount to inattention to duty. There can always be feeble attempts to justify this selection policy by placing the blame on the Ex-Co of SLC for having taken this decision citing provision in the constitution of SLC.

But, such deflections do not hold water, as the Sports law of the land supersedes all, and the Minster of Sports has failed miserably in discharging the duties vested in him as the head of sports in this country. The President of the Players Association too has failed miserably in upholding and protecting the interest and welfare of the players as duty bound in his capacity as President. More interestingly, another member of the selection committee holds the position of Joint Secretary of the Players Association. These revelations no doubt raises more eye brows if the appointment of these gentlemen to the National Selection Committee had sinister motives on deflecting objections from the players participating in a game in Lahore.

Judging by these facts, it is clear that this Minister of Sports and SLC administration has scant respect for the laws of the land and welfare of the cricketers and the game of cricket at large. It is also no secret that there are other individuals who hold multiple positions of President/Cricket Club, Player Manager, Commentator and Journalist and Office Bearer, Club President and Player Manager. It is easy for such individuals to wield their influence for personal gain at the expense of the pride of a nation. Until the Constitution of SLC and the sports law is amended bringing in clear demarcations of boundaries for each function within the cricket ecosystem the proud reputation of this nation will continue to be dragged through mud by selfish individuals for personal gain.

The ICC too better take serious note of what is unfolding in the International circuit and enforce provisions of their code of ethics to address the obvious fault lines. They simply cannot allow multi-functional individuals to destroy the integrity of this noble game. Unless they crack their whip and bring in necessary reform the “entertainment value” of the game will continue to decline. One sided encounters similar to what was witnessed during the recently concluded series turns away spectators and television viewership.

Alarm bells should hopefully be already ringing in the Headquarters of the ICC where Rugby Football has beaten Cricket to 4th position on Television revenue in spite of having a captive audience of 1.2 billion in India. These are dangerous cracks that holds potential to cause serious damage if left unattended.

Ajith Peiris

A proud Sri Lankan and ardent fan of Sri Lanka Cricket