Mahela Jayawardena has resigned. That’s a personal choice and it has to be
respected. Soon we’ll know why and then
we can talk about it. For now, the man who led Sri Lanka to an incredible run in
the T-20 World Cup has stepped down. Post
mortems will come later no doubt. There
will probably be a blame-game. Lasith
Malinga will be maligned. Match-fixing questions will be raised perhaps. All this is incidental to the issue at hand.
Mahela resigned. No
one will know if he would still have resigned had Sri Lanka won the World
Cup. But if loss is reason enough that’s
a signal to all those who hold high posts whose tenure has been marked with
failure. Mahela didn’t fail, no. But compared to this blip on Sunday, there
are enormous blunders committed by many in powerful places that warrant
resignation, if not sacking.
Resignation is a personal choice. Sacking is not. I doubt anyone is asking for Mahela’s head at
this point. Perhaps it is best; perhaps
this is not the correct time. Either
way, this move makes it possible for a younger replacement to mature to levels
necessary to lead the team to glory in the 50 over version of the World Cup a
couple of years from now.
What of expectations?
Well, to put it brutally, they were buried. What of the morning after? It’s the same world, same set of problems,
same reasons for hope, same fears. Give
or take a little. There’s no
devastation.
I asked around. What
if we had lost to India? What if it was
Australia that beat us? One answer to
both questions: ‘Worse!’
Why? I don’t know, I’ve
not done a comprehensive survey. But if
I were to hazard a guess, I’d say that the rivalries with those two countries
are more intense. It’s probably got
something to do with attitude.
Airs. Gamesmanship as opposed to
sportsmanship.
The West Indies are different. The match preview on www.cricinfo.com headlined the contest as ‘Calypso
vs. Baila’. There’s commonality
there. It’s probably the closest one can
get to a home-vs-home game in international cricket. That’s amazing, considering that the two
teams reside at two ends of the world.
It’s possible that the crowds cheered a fraternal team, but my gut
feeling is that had we played India or Australia and lost they’d still be there
for Mahela and his men, who entertained and raised hopes although they fell at
the end. They were backed all the way. It was not their day. So what?
Sarinda Unamboowe in a Facebook update, perhaps put it best:
‘Can we just blame it on the dancing girls and get on
with it? West Indies were the deserved
winners. Well done Sri Lanka. There are
lots of positives we can take away from this. Let’s build from here.’
Mahela led. From the
front. To the end. West Indies proved to
be the better team. Sri Lankans were
naturally disappointed. And yet, when
the last wicket fell and indeed when it defeat was clearly written on the wall,
the crowds did not leave. They stayed
on. They stayed when the Windies danced.
They cheered the winners. They
cheered the losers. Sri Lanka was not
the better team on Sunday. Sri Lanka,
nevertheless, remained a great nation of cricket lovers.