Hilal Suhaib, in islandcricket, !8 July 2019, with this title Who stands in the way of improving Sri Lanka’s first-class cricket structure?”
The standard of Sri Lanka’s first-class tournament today is so inferior that, when Sri Lankan cricketers graduate to play for the national side and are scrutinised at the Test level, they make greenhorn mistakes that should have been ironed out at club or school level. The top Test teams tend to debut players who don’t resemble novices and are prepared for the big league, while Sri Lankan newcomers look out of their depth and in over their heads, even 30 innings into their careers some.
Sri Lanka exceeded my expectations at the 2019 World Cup — a winless exit was a strong possibility. Dimuth Karunaratne’s men overcame the challenges set by their own camp to end the tournament with three wins. There is no criticism of this team for not making the semis. Not losing to Afghanistan is a praiseworthy accomplishment today for a nation that once won the ODI world title and were for many years considered strong contenders to enter the final stages of any ICC tourney.
In all manner of sports both fans and controlling bodies behind the scene are far too prone to lop off the coach when a team fares badly. This occurs often – in soccer, cricket, rugger et cetera in all parts of the world. Such consistency in the guillotine act demands reflection. Are these fans and controlling geniuses being too fervent – fervent to the point of misguidance? At least in some instances it would seem that a team fares badly because other teams have outshone them.
Aravinda in confab with Sumathipala & Sangakkara
The lesson for me here is that fan-fervour is, more often than not, as fanatic as frenetic. The result is mistreatment of some good guys (gender neutral here). With the Sri Lankan cricket world, moreover, this frenetic fanaticism of ardent enthusiasts in high places has gone a step further and generated another first. It is not the cricket team that has been changed, but the whole cricketing Selection Committee. Kapila Wijegunawardene,[1] Brendon Kuruppu, Hemantha Wickremanayake and Amal Silva,. “The appointment of the National Selection Committee was carried out by the Honorable Minister citing recent failures encountered by the national team in their tours to New Zealand, India, Asia Cup in Bangladesh and the inconsistency of selection criteria,” said the statement which implemented the act of dismissal.[2]Continue reading →
Sri Lanka’s potential off-spinner Tharindu Kaushal gets a few words of advice and encouragement from former Sri Lanka cricket legend Kumar Sangakkara —Pic by Nathan DelightContinue reading →
