Category Archives: cricketer politicians

December 25, 2017 · 12:31 pm

Hathurusingha: Overcoming Prejudice and Barriers — Skanda’s Tale

Champika Fernando, Daily Mirror, 25 Dec 2017,  where the title is “How Skanda picked Hathuru’s steely determination”…. with highlights being Editor’s additions

As a 12-year-old, Sri Lanka’s new national cricket coach would do 15 minutes of bat drill after dinner each day, standing in front of a mirror. He would then go to sleep with his bat under the pillow. Such was his dedication to the game. Chandika Hathurusingha signed up this week as head coach to the ailing Sri Lankan team.He had two years left with his last employer—Bangladesh Cricket Board—under whom he achieved unprecedented success. Since taking over the mantle in May 2014, he transformed a team plagued by a defeatist mentality into fierce competitors across all formats of the game.

Colombo : Sri Lanka’s newly appointed cricket head coach Chandika Hathurusingha speaks during a media briefing in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2017.AP/PTI(AP12_20_2017_000166B)

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October 30, 2017 · 3:36 pm

Rex guillotines Sumathipala as Source of Sri Lankan Cricket’s Cancer

Rex Clementine, in Island, 30 October 2017, where the title is striking: Ä fish rots from the head”

Sri Lanka have succumbed to yet another series defeat this year. Friday’s loss in the second T-20 in Abu Dhabi was a bitter pill to swallow. To point at numbers will be a tedious task so we refrain from doing so, but to put it bluntly, it was Sri Lanka’s 15th defeat in a row in limited overs cricket. There doesn’t seem to be a way out of the mess. And the World Cup is less than two years away. Our administrators keep giving us the assurance that everything will be tickety-boo by the time the injured trio of Angelo Mathews, Asela Gunaratne and Kusal Perera return. But the reality is far from that. Here’s why.

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September 11, 2017 · 2:21 pm

Turbulence in the Boardroom of Sri Lanka Cricket

Andrew Fidel Fernando courtesy of ESPNcricinfo, September 2017 where the title is “SLC looks to get de Silva, Jayawardene on board”

Aravinda de Silva, Roshan Mahanama, Brendon Kuruppu, Graeme Labrooy, perhaps even Mahela Jayawardene – these are the names Sri Lanka Cricket is attempting to align itself with as the board looks to arrest the decline of the national team. Even more crucially for SLC, getting former players with good reputations on board may also help turn around its ailing public reputation. The board is now not only widely believed to be detrimental to the development of cricket, it is also seen as one of the most toxic governing bodies in the country.

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August 6, 2017 · 3:28 pm

Sidath vs Sanath: Selectors Castigated by Sunday Times

S. R. Pathiravithana, Sunday Times, 6 August 2017, where the title reads “No Plan”

As I was saying before; keeping my ear to the ground, I presume it is a part of my job. It gives you vibes without prejudice or even second thoughts; it just surfaces from the ground within – where it began. The other day I was chatting to my grocery man Seneviratne, an ardent cricket fan. You must see how his face lights up when Sri Lanka wins. It’s so pleasing to see a face so bright. The vibes that emanate from his even make our daily drudges look good. Yet, just before the second Test against the Indians, Seneviratne was down, way below his usual self. When I asked him why, he just mumbled “Oka Hariyanne nehe, Mama cricket balana eka athheriya. (Things will not come right for us, so I quit watching cricket)”.

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June 25, 2017 · 10:11 am

Interference prompts Graham Ford to Resign

Rex Clementine, from the Sunday Island, 24 June 2017, with the title “Shame on Sri Lanka Cricket” ... with the highlighting being the intervention of The Editor, Cricketique

On Saturday, exactly at 1:00pm, Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) confirmed what we all feared. They had parted ways with one of the best coaches in the world – Graham Xavier Ford. Given the national cricket team’s poor run in recent times, that has seen Sri Lanka slip down to number eight in ODI and T-20 cricket and number seven in Test cricket, SLC has faced intense criticism and the easiest thing in any sporting environment under such circumstances is to get rid of the coach. However, for cricket’s present debacles, placing the blame on Ford’s doorstep is as good as changing pillows for headaches. Continue reading →

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June 23, 2017 · 3:23 am

Sri Lanka Cricket in Humpty-Dumpty Situation

Suresh Murugaser, an original essay entitled “What ails Sri Lanka Cricket!” … with highlighting emphasis in the text being an imposition by The Editor, Cricketique

Let’s face it. All is not well with Sri Lanka Cricket – both the organisation and the game itself. I’m simply making a few observations in the hope that the powers- that-be take notice, and make calculated efforts to put things right.

  1. School Cricket

This is the cradle and nursery of our cricket culture, and it even produced cricketers who were able to walk into the Sri Lanka side. What’s happened is that, under the Schools Cricket Association (which, till very recently operated independently of Sri Lanka Cricket), which was under the purview of school Principals and Masters-in-Charge, has become a law unto itself. Continue reading →

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May 15, 2017 · 7:29 am

SL Cricket in Humpty-Dumpty Condition

Rex Clementine:, in The Island, 14 May 2017, with title “The price people pay for their arrogance”

The moment Hitler had France under his control, he had the whole of Western Europe at his beck and call. It gave him a massive adrenaline rush and he thought he could do just about anything. Instead of consolidating in Western Europe, Hitler invaded Russia. That proved to be a fatal mistake. The price people pay for their arrogance!

 Sri Lanka go into Champions Trophy as the worst fielding team in the competition. They have been hard at work in Kandy to lift their fielding standards.Picture credit Sameera Pieiris/ The Papare.com.

In cricket, the West Indies thought that they would continue to produce world class players. Natural talent was enough to dominate world cricket they believed. Australia shook them up by using sports science to good effect. Other teams soon took a leaf out of the Aussies’ book by setting up Centres for Excellence and world class cricket academies. It took a while for the West Indies to realize that the times were fast changing and they needed to embrace technology. Despite the brilliance of Brian Lara, West Indies struggled. Since Lara they are no more world class. No Champions Trophy for them and they might even get kicked out from making it to the 2019 World Cup. The price people pay for their arrogance! Continue reading →

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April 19, 2017 · 6:17 am

Media Madness in Sumathipala

Andrew Fidel Fernando,  in ESPNcricinfo, 19 April 2017, where the title runs “Why is SLC in public-relations overdrive?”  … and the by-line urns: “Thilanga Sumathipala’s board has done as much for Sri Lanka’s cricket as any other, but the chairman’s desperation for the limelight does them no favours;”

Five men stand in front of the sponsors’ backdrop at the presentation that follows Sri Lanka’s T20 win over Bangladesh. Four of them are holding cheques; the man who holds nothing is Thilanga Sumathipala, SLC president and unelected deputy speaker of the House. He stands closest to the presenter, and his presence seems gratuitous at first. When proceedings begin, however, it becomes clear that the camera is smitten with Sumathipala and that he is smitten with it. When Kusal Perera comes up to be interviewed about his Player-of-the-Match performance, there Sumathipala is, looking paternally over the player’s shoulder with a benevolent grin. While other awards are being handed out, the camera may stray, but as if bound by fate, it always has a way of finding its way back to Sumathipala. It captures his coy smirks and his firm handshakes.  Continue reading →

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April 13, 2017 · 11:20 pm

Chandika Hathurusinghe: A Temptestuous and Triumphant Journey

Rex Clementine… in a wide-ranging review which slashes the SLC cricket administration … Island, 9 April 2017

Sri Lanka’s ‘A’ team made a huge impact when they toured South Africa in 2009. No Sri Lankan team has done so well in South Africa. The fast and bouncy wickets in that country has always proved to be the undoing of batsmen who had been brought up on low and slow surfaces. The man who guided Sri Lanka to that unprecedented success was Chandika Hathurusinghe. That team was captained by Thilina Kandamby and included players like Angelo Mathews, Suranga Lakmal and Tharanga Paranavithana.

 

Kumar Sangakkara was the captain of the national team at that stage. Sanga took immediate note and requested the Board to relieve Hathurusinhe of ‘A’ team duties and allow him to work with the national team.
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March 26, 2017 · 2:44 pm

ICC Directorate: Sumathipala’s Inflated Ambitions in Pieces

What made Shashank Manohar take back his resignation as ICC chairman? He likes to tell people that, once he has made up his mind, he does not change it. Indeed, after his resignation, he told ESPNcricinfo he would not reconsider his decision. Yet, less than 10 days later, Manohar is back, ultimately persuaded by a vast majority of the ICC Board directors to return.

EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND – JUNE 30: ICC Chairman Shashank Manohar (L), and David Richardson ICC chief Executive during the ICC Full Council meeting at The Waldorf Astoria, The Caledonian on June 30, 2016 in Edinburgh, Scotland. (Photo by Mark Runnacles-IDI/IDI via Getty Images)

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