No Arjuna, Aravinda, Sanath, Murali or Vaas. No problem. |
It has been an incredible run. The word can be used considering how quickly
Sri Lanka became a force to reckon with after achieving test status. The word ‘incredible’ is apt for many other
reasons. Just check the records chalked
up by Sri Lanka and Sri Lankans over the past few years.
Sri Lanka is not one of the so-called ‘Big Three’, but
there’s only so much bigness and clout that can be purchased in the cricketing market. Sri Lanka creamed England in Tests recently and England creamed India a month later. Sri Lanka is not the No 1
test-playing nation though, but it’s been No 1 in ODIs and in T-20 versions. There are other feats. Highest totals in tests, ODIs and T-20s. There’s Murali’s 800 wickets. Partnership records. Second-only-to-the-Don records set by Kumar
Sangakkara.
More than all this, there’s heart. Few would deny that Sri Lanka has as much
heart as mind, technique and cricketing sense.
That’s something.
What is miraculous, however, has nothing to do with bat,
ball, what happens in the middle, ‘Spirit of Cricket’ speeches, records,
match-winning or match-saving performances etc. It is about all this happening
in a sport which has been administered by egotists, crooks and morons,
sometimes all rolled together.
Sure, there have been exceptional individuals at the helm of
Sri Lanka Cricket and the Cricket Board.
Their commitment, ability and vision went a long way in setting up a
strong foundation. Indeed if the players and teams have not been tripped too
much it has a lot to do with intelligent and giving individuals putting certain
things in place.
Times have changed though.
Financial mismanagement, scandals and non-payment of
salaries are so common that a smoothly functioning cricket establishment has
become a utopian concept. If we were
just saying ‘the sport’s administrative body is a mess’ it would not be
worrisome. What is disturbing is that we
have reached a point where people are openly saying ‘it will always be a
mess’.
What is sad is that when the President of Sri Lanka Cricket
and his Secretary have a spat and it comes out in the open, few are
bothered. Scandal and Cricket go
together, the general public has come to understand and even expect. Catty comments, contradictions, retractions,
denials, accusations and counter-accusations are ‘par for the course’ as far as
Cricket Sri Lanka goes. Indeed,
considering the corruption and mismanagement are frequently tagged to that
body, such things seem quite mild.
No one will say that cricketers are saints. No one will say that ‘the 11 men out there’
and only ‘the 11 men out there’ have brought glory to the country. There is a thing called ‘supporting
cast’. There are nuts and bolts that
have to be put in place by ‘officials’, elected ones and employees. Should not be downplayed. But then again, considering the interminable
hiccups that plague this particular sporting body, it is incredible that Sri
Lanka manages to actually field 11 individuals in all international
encounters. It is a miracle, then, that
they’ve done what they’ve done on an impressively regular basis.
While we can step back in awe at this miracle, it must be
understood that there’s only so much miracle-fuel that heart and skill can
conjure. That fuel will run out
someday. There is reason, after all, why
the word ‘patch’ goes with ‘purple’ when one refers to an incredible run by an
individual or a team. ‘Patches’ by
definition speak of highs preceded and followed by lows.
It was a tough ask for Sri Lanka to beat the rain and reach
a target back in Galle, but that’s still kids’ stuff compared to asking
someone, anyone, to set Sri Lanka Cricket right. It has to be done, though. Those in the know would probably say ‘too far
gone’. Well that would amount to making
a case for sweeping the garbage out, cleaning house and setting things back in
place from scratch. If that’s what has
to happen, then there’s no way around it.
We shall of course savor the miracle(s) produced by Angelo
Matthews and his men. The future asks
for more. A bigger miracle, perhaps, but one that has to be conjured if we are
to get more Mahela-moments, Sanga-moments, Murali-moments, Matthews-moments,
team-moments and of course more Mahelas,
Sangas, Muralis and Angelos.
1 comments:
Well said Malinda. We have done well in spite of the rot of government interference that began the moment we won the World Cup in 1966. Those politicians wanted to claim credit by association. The governments of Britain or Australia or others have nothing to do with their national teams except give them support when asked. It should be the same here. The Marylebone Cricket Club in England does a splendid job with their national team. The officials are selected by the cricketing aficionados and have nothing to do with governments or politicians.
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