Sri Lanka cricket was in the doldrums during the time the elected body was administering it until it was replaced by a government appointed Competent Authority who happens to be the secretary to the Ministry of Sport to run the affairs of Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) till a court injunction brought against the former SLC president Thilanga Sumathipala is resolved.
The change of administration has also brought about a change of fortunes for the Sri Lanka cricket team because they have suddenly started to play like a winning combination.
Without their regular captain Dinesh Chandimal they won the third Test against West Indies at Barbados to square the three-match series one-all and on Monday followed it up by beating the no. 2 ranked team in the world South Africa 2-0 in a two-Test series without the captain, coach Chandika Hathurusingha and manager Asanka Gurusinha.
Also, the arrangements for the Test series went off without any fanfare and the awards ceremonies took place without any razzmatazz that is normally associated with elected bodies with the SLC hierarchy wanting to steal the limelight above the cricketers. There was no stone left unturned in other areas as well. What does that imply?
It means that with a set of honest individuals whose motives are not to try and make money at every opportunity, an international cricket series can be run successfully.
The South African Test series is an eye-opener to the Minister of Sports and the present government to continue with the present administration as long as they can. We know that the International Cricket Council (ICC) does not encourage government interference or interim committees.
Therefore elections should be held, but not with the present corrupt system that is in place and allows one individual to buy the majority of votes and ensure a victory. That has been the trend in the past and has led to the downfall and downgrading of our cricket which was once the pride of the nation.
For elections to be held the constitution of Sri Lanka Cricket must change and the number of clubs with voting rights at present reduced. It is due to this large membership that voting rights are abused. A solution has to be arrived at to change the constitution in such a way that there is clean and fair elections which would allow past cricketers who are willing to serve the game come forward.
The present system of voting reeks so much that some of the past legends are shying away from coming forward to serve the game, not wanting to tarnish their good name with individuals who have a shady past.
Lanka losing World Records in a canter
It was not so long ago that Sri Lanka held the world record for the highest totals in all three formats of the game – Test, One-Day Internationals and Twenty20 Internationals as well as for the highest opening stand in ODIs.
But over time one by one the records have started to tumble and today Sri Lanka are holding onto just one of those four records mentioned – for Tests which is 952-6 established in 1997 against India at the R Premadasa Stadium.
Last Friday, one of the records that had stood in Sri Lanka’s name for 12 years was broken when Pakistan’s opening pair Imam-ul-Haq and Fakhar Zaman shared a first wicket partnership of 304 against Zimbabwe at Bulawayo to erase the 286 that Upul Tharanga and Sanath Jayasuriya put together against England at Leeds in 2006. Zaman in fact became the first Pakistani batsman and the sixth in ODI cricket to score a double hundred.
Sri Lanka’s record for the highest ODI total 443-9 against Netherlands at Amstelveen in 2006 has been beaten twice by England who scored 444-3 against Pakistan at Nottingham in 2016 and last month 481-6 against Australia at the same venue – which is the new record.
Likewise Sri Lanka’s T20I total has also been surpassed. The 260/6 in 20 overs that Sri Lanka scored against Kenya at Johannesburg in 2007 was overtaken by Australia who improved on it by three runs (263/3) against Sri Lanka at Pallekele in 2016.
Records are meant to be broken so they say and Sri Lanka will have to grin and bear it as they fall.
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