The importing-mania in school cricket

The school cricket season is about to start. Newspapers, as they usually do, will feature the top teams in the island. The top players will be talked about, the records too and of course the greats produced by the particular school. The particular scribes will no doubt put their fingers on what’s most important about the particular teams. 

Think about the team photos. They’ll get the names. They’ll indicate captain, coach and teacher-in-charge using brackets. It is unlikely, however, that they’ll talk about the schools that the players attended prior to being enrolled in the school being featured. 

Of course, there’s nothing illegal in students moving from one school to another. They do so for various reasons. Some get into schools with better facilities on account of performance in the Grade 5 Scholarship Examination. Some move after the OLs. Some, on the other hand, are ‘imported’ to use a term that’s been used for a long time when referring to the phenomenon.

It’s simple. Schools, usually the ‘bigger’ ones with all kinds of resources, especially name-value that opens corporate doors to school-leavers, scout for talent. It could be at the Under 15 or Under 17 levels. In certain situations they might even look for talented players for the First XI.

There’s nothing illegal in all this. As for ethics, it can cut both ways. One argue that the particular kids’ chances in cricket, studies or career are significantly enhanced. One can say, ‘it’s demand and supply, stupid!’ for after all we’ve embraced or have been made to embrace the relevant ‘ethics’.  It’s a reality bro, someone might say. 

As for those who talk about the ‘full-blooded’ kids, i.e. those who’ve been in the school from Grade 1 and have worked hard to make it to the team, toiled through the various age-groups only to find themselves displaced by an ‘import,’ well it can be argued that it’s all about performance and that the better player gets the spot in the team.  

We can talk about loyalty to the school, that hard-to-identify ‘something’ that will persuade a player to dig in and fight to the bitter end. I don’t have the stats on that one, but gut says that those who have over the years formed strong attachments to the school will fight long after others have given up. Still, the jury is out on that one, to be fair.

The issue that remains unresolved in my mind is this: the obvious motivating factor of winning (or not losing as the case may be) at all costs.  Drive is one thing. The will to win is good. However, the ‘at-any-cost’ of anything cannot be wholesome. 

Forgotten in all this is the fundamental purpose of schooling. Learning. Learning not just facts and figures, properties of matter, how to resolve complex problems, the histories of the world, a sense of the great architects of the edifice of knowledge and science etc., but obtaining something that would make for a more wholesome and benign engagement with friends, family, community, nation and the universe. 

What does ‘importing’ do, apart from the disillusionment that gets ingrained in those who worked hard for years only to see ‘an outsider’ parachuting into the team? When schools act in ways that students get a message such as ‘by any means necessary, putha’ out goes all values, all ethics and all notions of fair play.  Sure, they could pick such things from any number of sources outside school or even within the school, but why risk it?  

Cricket, importantly, is a glamour sport. Cricketers are held in awe by younger students. They are mini role models for many kids. If character is imprinted on them, it rubs off on many. If by-any-means-necessary gets tattooed on their general conduct, it pricks the kids and could leave scars they could very well do without.  

Principals could be principled about such things. Coaches too. And of course old boys who seem to have a big say in decision-making with respect to getting ‘the right team’.  If they ‘import’ questionable values, they invariably export the building blocks of a decent, responsible and ethically solid character.  

Somehow, I can’t convince myself that this is the best way to go about dealing with talent-deficits.  

Malinda Seneviratne is a freelance writer. malindasenevi@gmail.com 

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Getting Angelo Mathews out

A few months ago when Sri Lanka whitewashed Australia in a test series, praise was showered on one and all associated with the team, from selectors, to coaches and of course the men who got the job done in the middle. 

It was only the second time in 12 series that Sri Lanka had bested Australia.  The previous win had come in 1999 (1-0).  It was a ‘home win’ sure, but a win against the mighty Aussies and a sweep to boot.  Highly creditable by all counts.

Angelo Mathews, as the captain, got his share of the bouquet, even though most eyes were on the newbies, Kusal Mendis, Dhananjaya De Silva and Sandakan in particular.  Among the seniors Dinesh Chandimal did better with bat than Mathews did and Rangana Herath and Dilruwan Perera, picked primarily for bowling prowess almost matched their skipper’s performance with the bat.  No one wanted Mathews to step down.  

A few months later, Sri Lanka were swept 3-0 by South Africa.  It was an away series.  The young heroes who had helped Sri Lanka secure the Warne-Murali trophy in July/August didn’t come good.  Inexperience and unfamiliar conditions were the excuses trotted out.  Legitimate of course.  Even though few expected Sri Lanka to sweep Australia even at home, none would have predicted an outcome too different from what we saw over the past few weeks in South Africa.  And yet some people are calling for Angelo’s blood.  

Let’s interject a caveat here.  Sri Lanka is not India.  There’s no burning of houses or effigies following defeat.  Selectors will get some flak, captains are faulted and arguments raised for dropping this player or picking that one, but that’s it.  Whoever the selectors pick, the fans back the boys once they take the field and by and large live with the joys and sorrows they inspire thereafter.  

Sri Lanka were comprehensively defeated in the tests.  Losses by 206 runs, 282 runs and an innings and 118 runs are made for cringing, even if it happens in foreign conditions and even if your team is young, inexperienced and lacking stars.  Mathews, as the most senior player and the man in charge, was the natural target for critics.  Phrases such as uninspired captaincy, unimaginative bowling changes and defensive approach were tossed around.  They followed Mathews to the T-20 series, even though that’s a different ball game.  His dismal performance in the first T-20 renewed the calls for the sack but the shrill voices went silent when he fought injury and almost single-handedly earned Sri Lanka an improbable win in the second T-20.  A Matthew-less win in the decider seem to have got his detractors out of the woodworks once again.

No one, not even the greatest to play cricket, perform consistently forever.  They come, they rise, they stay around for a few years or a couple of decades in the rare cases, and then they fade.  Some retire when they sense that the curve has turned, some are dropped.  Where does Angelo Mathews stand in all this?

Let’s consider the facts.  Among those who have captained at least 10 tests, Mathews stands behind Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardena, Sanath Jayasuriya and Marvan Atapattu in terms of win-loss ratio.  In the case of ODIs, among those who have captained at least 40 matches, Mathews is behind all of them, ahead of Arjuna Ranatunga, but still has a success rate over 50%.  

None of these ‘greats’ had to lead from the front the way Mathews was required to considering experience, age and talent.  Each of the other four inherited teams chock-full of experience and time-tested performers, people who delivered with bat or ball consistently.  They all had Murali, let us add.  That’s a big edge.  Then there was also Chaminda Vaas, let’s not forget that indefatigable soldier.  Mathews had the services of Sangakkara, Mahela and Tillakeratne Dilshan in the early of his captaincy, but they all left a massive vacuum.  Big shoes to fill.  The boys who replaced them still have tiny feet.  They may or may not grow, but if they do it will take time.

Take his own performance.  His batting average across formats have improved since he took over the captaincy while his returns with the ball haven’t changed significantly.  What the stats don’t always catch is the fact that he’s had to marshall the middle and lower order batsmen time and again so that his team can get a decent score following repeated top order debacles.  

When you have wickets ideal for your strike bowlers, any bowling change will look ‘inspired’.  If you have to bowl to batsmen who are either inexperienced at test level or have to bat on unfamiliar conditions, then too bowling changes can look ‘inspired’.  That was not the case in South Africa.  The deck was essentially stacked against Mathews.  And yet, in that dismal series, he heads the field in terms of runs and average.  

Angelo Mathews, perhaps aware of the call from some quarters for his sacking, has stated that if he is asked to step down, he would.  He has stated that he would like to contribute as a player for as long as he can.  Easy words of course.  But then again, he was not offering excuses.  He was not complaining of the kind of human resources put at his disposal.  He was not trotting out numbers that would make a case for being kept on.  He didn’t refer to the work he’s done to nurture young players out in the middle.  Perhaps he’s not that kind of leader in the dressing room or maybe he is — we have no way of knowing.  In any event, given the mess that Sri Lanka Cricket has been for so long, the comings and goings of selectors, the exit of top players and the fact that he has been surrounded by newcomers in almost every single match he had to lead the team, it seems unfair that the man has been required to even speak of stepping down. 

The selectors have Dinesh Chandimal as an option.  Chandimal is a better cricketer than he was when handed the T-20 captaincy a few years ago, only to have it taken away rather unceremoniously but for reasons that were defensible.  His time will come, no doubt, but there’s nothing to say that he would be a better captain at this point.  It would be, at best, a gamble.  

Is Mathews totally spent?  The numbers and the relevant context does not warrant a resounding ‘yes’ to that question.  As of now, the only justifiable exit from the captaincy is a personal decision from the man.  It cannot be about performance.  

Malinda Seneviratne is a freelance writer.  Email: malindasenevi@gmail.com.  Twitter: malindasene

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A one-sport nation is nothing to brag about

Cricket and nothing else? 

Last night I went to an amazing place; a gymnasium with all kinds of strange looking gadgets.  Now I have been to gymnasiums and have seen exercise machines. I’ve seen television programmes where well built men and women with what are taught to believe are ‘perfect bodies’ go on and on about the virtues of such equipment.   I haven’t really paid much notice to these things. 

This was the Sports Ministry gymnasium. I went to hand over something to a friend.  It was a holiday and so there were just 3 individuals there, diligently going about their work. Well, ‘play’ according to them: ‘api hemadaama enava sellam karanna (we come to play everyday)’ my friend said.

One of them was walking on a machine.  He increased the speed of the belt he was standing on and soon he had to jog and then actually run.  Another was doing sit-ups and my friend was lifting weights.  All of them were muscled, ‘in shape’ and looked quite athletic.  Being totally ignorant about such places and such equipment, overwhelmed actually, I asked questions.  How is this one used, what does this one do, how often must this one be used, are there alternatives to exercising in this way, are those who don’t exercise more susceptible to sickness, I asked  They were kind, these young boys. They answered. 

My friend introduced me to his friends.  I got to know that one of them, Ranjana Tharanga was the National Gymnastics Champion for more than 10 years in a row.  I was surprised because all exponents of this sport I had seen on television seemed pretty young, especially the girls, who didn’t seem a day older than 15.  Ranjana was 36.  I asked him to explain.

‘It has nothing to do with me.  You are right.  The top people in this sport have to retired before they reach 20.  So the fact that I can win the National title even at this age says less about how good I am than about the current situation of the sport.’

Ranjana told me that gymnastics is a ‘hidden sport’. That was the first time I had heard the term.  He explained:

‘Children know about cricket. There’s a lot of money in cricket. It is a glamour sport.  So it is always in the news. It is in your face whether you like it or not.  Now this is not a bad thing. The only problem is that cricket is so huge that other sports don’t get seen.  We are all in cricket’s shadow.’

I immediately thought of a huge tree with branches spreading out in all directions, effectively shutting out all sunlight from reaching the ground beneath and therefore making it impossible for other (lesser?) plants to thrive. 

‘It is good that cricket is getting that kind of exposure and prominence,’ he interjected.  ‘The problem is that when one or two sports are privileged it is not healthy for the nation,’ he opined. 

Made me think of mono crop cultures, as such were promoted by the Green Revolution (which promised much and ended up as a disaster).  We are a nation that gave the world a unique form of diversified agriculture, ‘the Kandyan Home Garden’.  Our people harvested things from a few inches beneath the ground (manioc, sweet potato and other root vegetables) to 40-50 feet above the ground (coconut). In between there were all manner of vegetables, grains, pulses, a wide range of leaves (mallun), spices, fruits etc. 

No sport should be a ‘child of a lesser god’.  All sports are good, and they all have special qualities that hone a particular strain.  All sports develop discipline, dedication, team-spirit, sacrifice etc.  The point is that not everyone likes Sport A and not everyone can be good at Sport B.  This is why we need to promote all sports and not have one sport outshine other sports into oblivion and extinction. 

Chandrishan Perera once said that a study had revealed that until the age of 15, Sri Lankan children had superior hand-eye coordination to children of all other countries.  He pointed out that we don’t have a system to identify potentialities and develop them and therefore after some time these same children are surpassed by others who were blessed with lesser natural endowments. 

I remember Ranjan Madugalle playing table tennis in the Royal College gymnasium.  ‘It helps develop reflexes and improves the eye,’ the late Col A.N. Perera, one time Master-in-Charge of Cricket at Royal and my neighbour explained to me when I mentioned it to him. He was talking about hand-eye coordination.  Skill in one sport can feed into another.  Chess will teach patience, the virtue of effective strategizing, the importance of thinking and out-thinking opponent.  Not all ‘brawn-games’ are brain-less.  I’ve had numerous conversations with ruggerites and cricketers and have found that there is more thinking happening than one might imagine.  Col. Perera, for instance, has told me many stories about how Col. F.C. De Saram, long time cricket coach at Royal (and later S. Thomas’ College, Mt. Lavinia) taught his charges how to think and to out-think the captains of opposing teams. 

We are proud of our cricket team. We are proud of Susanthika Jayasinghe and the glory she brought our country.  We are proud of M.J.M. Lafir for winning the World Billiard title in 1973.  We are proud of every achievement big and small of our sportsmen and sportswomen.  We are not exactly a top notch sporting nation, but we can always be better, we can be as best as we can be (although we are not, right now). 

We can be a one-sport nation of course.  We don’t have to be.  There’s a cloud over ‘small sports’, Ranjana is absolutely correct.  A National Gymnastic Champion who is 36 years old is nothing to brag about, he concedes.  His is a lament.  Someone should hear him out.

This article was first published in the Daily News (May 4, 2010).  Malinda Seneviratne is a freelance writer who contributes a weekly column to the Daily Mirror titled 'Subterranean Transcripts'.  Email: malindasenevi@gmail.com. Twitter: malindasene.

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SLC the Miracle of Asia

Navin should have known better

‘SLC’ stands for Sri Lanka Cricket.  That’s not what the headline refers to.  The headline refers to Sri Lanka cricket (note the lower case ‘c’) or cricket in Sri Lanka. 

Our cricketers, individually and collectively, have brought more glory to the country than most politicians and officials, including and especially those who run Sri Lanka Cricket (note the upper case ‘C’).     They secured two World Cups (ODI and T-20) and made it to the finals of several top international championships with other creditable performances in bilateral series.  All this in the midst of contract controversies, run-ins with obnoxious and incompetent officials, many charged with multiple counts of corruption.  That’s the miracle we are talking about here. 

Nuski must (have been in the) know

There are miracles that make us feel blessed and miracles that make us gasp in disbelief.  There are no doubt many ‘gasping-miracle’ associated with SLC but right now it’s all about the clean-up rhetoric of the new minister, Navin Dissanayake. 

The minister’s thinking is spot on. The Sports Law requires amendment to streamline things in all sports bodies.  Getting the system right and then holding elections makes sense.    The International Cricket Council (ICC) doesn’t want government interference in domestic cricket bodies, but the minister has a strong case to back his decision.  The ICC is also upset with the minister for stating that the international body is colluding with members of the former cricket administration.  The minister didn’t name names or mention cases but he could and probably will do both.  At the right time. 

If he succeeds in correcting the flaws in the constitution pertaining to sports bodies, then we could hope for measures that will ensure parasites will be stopped from standing for election.  All power to Navin Dissanayake on this, therefore.

The problem with SLC’s interim committee however is the composition.  The committee includes a person who has been involved in SLC through all the dark years.  Nuski Mohamed.   Now the minister defends his choice on two counts.  First that he has known Nuski for a long time.  True.  Nuski was ‘Gamini’s man’, that’s Gamini Dissanayake, Navin’s father, a man whose indefatigable efforts helped Sri Lanka achieve test status in 1981.  But that’s not reason enough.  The Minister has stated that he needed someone from the previous administration to help keep the Committee informed about what had taken place.  That’s valid.

What’s wrong here is that Nuski Mohamed was the Treasurer of the last Executive Committee of SLC.  The minister has alluded to financial wrongdoing by that Committee.  If he suspects wrongdoing of a financial nature then there’s no way that the Treasurer of that Committee is not implicated either for complicity, aiding or abetting, or rank incompetence.  Mohamed is also under a cloud for position-abuse in the very least on account of that uncomfortable but largely ignored thing called ‘conflict of interest’.  If the minister wanted someone from the previous administration he could have picked someone else.   It’s these things that can scuttle that which is attempted in good faith. 

Navin Dissanayake is a minister in a regime that pledged to restore ‘good governance’.  He would know that this is made of accountability and transparency.  Nuski Mohamed has a lot to account for.  If the Interim Committee is mandated to clear things up, it can do without people with questionable track records. 

As things stand, with the much talked of ‘100 Days’ of the newly elected President’s manifesto drawing to a close and fresh parliamentary elections around the corner we have come to a place called touch-n-go.  Navin Dissanayake needs to get the Sports Law amended and make sure that the unclean are kept out.  If he achieves this it would indeed be a miracle and one which would make SLC the Miracle of Asia for reasons not of the gasp-in-disbelief kind.   

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Mahela's retirement stumps SLC (for a while)

‘Mahela has retired from Test Cricket,’ the President announced.   He might have expected a few seconds of silence as warranted by the gravity of the matter.  That’s not because Mahela’s exit might precipitate a downturn in Sri Lanka’s cricketing fortunes; it is a loss but hardly guarantees a string of defeats.  He might have expected silence on account of how great Mahela has been and his stature in cricketing circles especially in the dressing room and his on-field presence.  

‘Not news!’ the Secretary chipped in immediately drawing a sharp and irritated glace from the President.

‘He’s old, relatively speaking.  He still has his full array of strokes and he still reads the game as astutely as he always did.  Still, time takes a toll, I suppose,’ a lesser administrator opined. 

‘He probably felt that he has passed his peak.  The gracious thing to do when you believe you’ve outlived your usefulness is to step out,’ another administrative survivor with a philosophical bent observed. 

‘It’s all relative,’ someone quipped. ‘Theoretically if his average over the last 6-12 months or the last 10 tests puts him among the top 5-6 performers I think you could say he’s still useful.’

‘Interesting that you came up with the utility notion,’ the President said scratching his chin thoughtfully.

‘Yes,’ the relativist continued enthusiastically, ‘if Mahela thinks it is time to quit then a bunch of others should have retired a long time ago!’ 

‘But usefulness is just one factor when considering retirement,’ the Secretary said.  ‘Some people are in this for bucks.  If they keep rolling in, why quit?  You can’t have enough of a good thing.’

‘You should know!’ someone grunted under his breath, but he was heard by enough people in the room to provoke a bout of giggles.

‘Well, forget the money, some people retire because they want to spend more time with their families or because they’ve lost the passion for the game or because they are simply exhausted. Some even have breakdowns.  We know what happened to Trescothick,’ the Secretary clearly interested in a long innings batted on and on and on. 

‘Shall we ask ourselves some of these questions?’ the philosopher asked softly.

‘What questions?’ the President was confused.

‘Well, have we outlived our usefulness?  Have we lost the passion?  Are we reluctant to say “no” to a good thing?  Do we want to spend more time with our families?  Are there others who are worse and is this why we remain where we are in Sri Lanka Cricket?’

There was silence.  Awkward silence.

The Secretary broke it.

‘Mahela knows best what’s good for him.  We know best what’s good for us.  That’s all we know and all we need to know.’

Smiles all around.  Even from the philosopher and the relativist.

‘All’s well that ends well, eh?’ the President got the last word.    

*All this in a parallel universe...

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The miracle of cricket

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.  

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Peter Roebuck on the brink

Some people like horror stories.  Some are doom’s day prophets.  Some write about things they know about. Some think that when they know something (e.g. some fact) about something (cricket, for instance), they have the right to strut around as though know everything about everything.  I am thinking of Peter Roebuck and his recent article ‘Sri Lanka on the brink’. 

Sensationalizing is an art.  ‘Whatever makes one happy’, is a way to respond to such thing.   Peter Roebuck has a reputation and therefore could do better than use his reputation and his slightly more than a smattering knowledge of cricket to sugarcoat what can only be called malice and ignorance.

The article sets out to analyze Sri Lanka’s cricketing future on the occasion of the appointment of Geoff Marsh as the new coach.  After some necessary and cursory accolades Roebuck starts to chew, ticking off all the negatives.  He is correct.  There are off-field controversies, the natural ups and downs of an outfit in the process of rebuilding after the retirement of exceptional performers and so on.  He throws in Kumar Sangakkara’s much-celebrated comments to underline his conclusions.  All good, all good.

On the other hand, though, it is not as if Sri Lankan cricket’s success or failure is dependent on the health of the island’s cricket administration.  There have been more interim committees than regularly elected bodies and the nature of the administration has had little bearing on what happens on the field, in terms of success/failure that is. 

Indian cricket is always embroiled in some controversy, but the team is still among the top in the world.  England, South Africa and New Zealand have cricket boards that are largely free from controversy, but has this translated into consistently superior on-field performances?  None of these teams have won a World Cup. South Africa and New Zealand are yet to reach a final and England hasn’t shown any sign of making it in more than two decades.  What this means is that Sri Lankan cricketers have something special about them which allows them to be unaffected by off-field controversies, right Peter?

Intrigue regarding team selection there always was and always will be, not just in Sri Lanka but elsewhere too, but there is a lot of room for improvement of course and that point is valid.  

Sri Lanka, he laments also, is being led by its third best captain.  Now that’s a big claim, considering that Tillekratne Dilshan hasn’t really had the time to demonstrate skippering credentials.  India once had 4 or 5 former captains on board, all led by a younger skipper.  Sri Lanka doesn’t lack in talent or determination.  Sanath Jayasuriya was not the best ‘leader’ on the field when he became captain.  Arjuna Ranatunga and Aravinda De Silva were certainly known to have better skippering credentials.  Hashan Tillekeratne too, while one could not rule out Chaminda Vaas or Muttiah Muralidharan, given experience, longevity and cricketing knowledge, not to mention the respect they enjoyed from their team mates, seniors included.   

Stephen Fleming (New Zealand) and Graeme Smith (South Africa) were wet-behind-the-ears when they were asked to captain their respective teams.  I can’t remember Roebuck dissing either at the time.  Pooh-poohing Dilshan is therefore a bit whacky, to put it mildly.

If things national (the baddies enumerated by Roebuck for instance) impact players, then the ‘goodies’ must too.  Like the resilience and single-minded determination that helped deliver a comprehensive defeat on the world’s most ruthless terrorist organization.  A slip in the rankings can be explained in many ways and as Roebuck points out the chaos in the administration has not helped.  This doesn’t explain why England has for years languished in the middle and lower part of the rankings nor New Zealand’s consistent just-above-Bangladesh status. 

Geoff Marsh has taken on a challenge, Roebuck is right all things considered.  Dev Whatmore and the other Aussie coaches who came before had the same kinds of issues to contend with.  They delivered and there is no reason why Marsh will not.   So we can conclude that while Roebuck makes some points, he fudges a lot too.  I would give him a B Plus for his assessment. 

Roebuck does know something about cricket, that’s why people read him.  That’s where he should stop too, for his knowledge of history, geography and politics is abysmal, going from what he has written about Sri Lanka’s ‘situation’ in this very same article.

He states "Sri Lanka can be inward-looking, and sensitive about intrusion from other countries, especially India, and including the West, whose condemnation of the cruelty that marked the closing stages of the civil war (and afterwards) is resented."  Now on what basis has he come to this conclusion?

First and foremost, no one condones cruelty.  But what is this ‘cruelty’ that Roebuck claims ‘marked the closing stages’ of what he calls (inaccurately) a ‘civil war’ and, lest we forget, ‘afterwards’?  Does he not know that over 4000 security forces paid with their lives to rescue close to 300,000 people who were being held hostage by the world’s most ruthless terrorist outfit?  What’s the cruelty in that?  Is he by any chance referring to the fact that the hostage-takers shot hostages at point blank range as they tried to flee and reach safety, with, mark, the security forces of the Sri Lankan State? 

Does he not know that in the before, during and after of the operation the Sri Lankan State continued to send and to facilitate the sending of food, medicine and other essentials to terrorist-held areas, knowing very well that the terrorists would pilfer most of it and distribute the rest as though it was engaging in charity? 

Does he know that almost all those displaced have now returned to their homes and to infrastructural facilities they had been denied for decades courtesy the wanton destruction by the LTTE?  Does he know that in the IDP camps, where they were resident until the Army cleared thousands of square kilometers of land of landmines buried by the LTTE, they were treated like no IDPs anywhere in the world were treated, with food and medicine, water and care, counseling where necessary and with all arrangements put in place so children could learn and sit for examinations?

Does this man know that of more than 10,000 hardcore LTTE cades captured or surrendered, more than 8000 have been rehabilitated, given skills and reunited with families and reintegrated with society?  Does he not know that over 500 child combatants abducted and trained to kill by the LTTE were quickly reunited with their parents and families so they could recover their childhood and dreams? 

There is no resentment about wild allegations, Peter.  Just pity at ignorance. 

Most important, however, is the strange fact that Peter Roebuck is blind to what ‘The West’ has been doing in terms of ‘cruelty’ in almost all parts of the world, but most particularly in Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya in recent times.  How about ‘being cricket’ as per the saying ‘that’s not cricket’, about the West, Peter? 

He says a lot needs to be done in the country.  Yes. In all countries, especially his. Agreed?

Let’s try this.  Let Peter talk about cruelty in India and Pakistan. Let him educate us about Kashmir and how NATO is going about handling ‘terrorists’. Let him tell us how Britain is batting in Libya, partnering Uncle Sam.  Let him tell us about Australia’s racist laws and criminal treatment of the ancient people in that country that was captured by a set of English thugs and peopled by English criminals.  Will he? 

I am not sure.  Maybe he does not have those things that are tossed around the cricket field so necessary to take on such a task. 

As for us, we have our tumours and thanks Peter for pointing them out.  We will try to do our best.  I have no doubt that Dilshan and his boys will brush aside the negatives when they stride on to the field.  We cheer them all the way, venerate them when they win and are sad when they don’t. We don’t burn their houses or toss bricks in their direction.  That’s something now, isn’t it?

[Courtesy, The Nation, October 2, 2011]

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