Sports
25 years from the formation of first Cricket Interim Committee
by Rex Clementine
This year marks the 25th anniversary of the appointment of the first ever Cricket Interim Committee. Ironically, the man who was chosen to Chair that committee, although a keen follower of the game, had little experience in its administration. Rienzie T. Wijetilleke is his name.
Orders to appoint Wijetilleke, then the Chairman of Hatton National Bank, came directly from the Country‘s President, Chandrika Kumaratunga who was well acquainted with his “no nonsense” approach to discipline and accountability.
The year 1999 seriously marred the hard earned reputation of the Board of Control for Cricket in Sri Lanka (BCCSL) which also had an impact on our players.
Authentic allegations of growing corruption since the World Cup was won in 1996 were compounded by violence at the Annual General Meeting in March 1999, and the image of the Board had descended to its lowest ever both at home and in the eyes of the International Cricket Council (ICC).
The President’s reaction was swift and decisive as she dissolved the entire Board and appointed the first ever Interim Committee to administer cricket.
To make matters worse, defending World Champions Sri Lanka fared disastrously in the ICC World Cup in the UK in May of that year crashing out of the tournament in the preliminary rounds signalling that it was time for some of our heroes of 1996 to be accorded a graceful exit and change ushered in.
Wijetilleke ‘s hand was hugely strengthened by the appointment of the other members to the Committee, with reputed names as S. Skandakumar (a vastly experienced Hony Secretary of Board of Control for Cricket), Sidath Wettimuny, Michael Tissera, Ashantha de Mel (national cricketers of excellent standing) and Kushil Gunasekera (a proven track record for meticulous planning of international events at home)
Wijetilleke introduced checks and balances to Maitland Place through strong foolproof structures and left the cricketing side of the game to his knowledgeable colleagues.
The appointment of Sidath Wettimuny as Chairman of selectors gave early notice of the major changes that were in store and after offering Arjuna Ranatunge the opportunity to graciously step down as captain, which he refused to do, Sidath and his committee, supported by the Interim Committee removed him and appointed a young Sanath Jayasuriya as captain.
A new era was indeed on the horizon but there was work yet to be done.
With a nucleus of young players as Mahela Jayawardena, Kumar Sangakkara, T.M. Dilshan Chamara Silva etc emerging, the Interim Committee was unanimous that Dav Whatmore coach of the World Cup winning team had to be brought back.
Skandakumar, attending the ICC AGM at Lord’s in June 1999 was mandated by the Interim Committee to meet Whatmore, who was on contract to Lancashire, and negotiate for his return.
This is what Wijetilleke wrote in his memoirs on that visit. “Skanda in his significant role as ambassador of goodwill was able to achieve a great deal in restoring the credibility and image of the Board of Control for Cricket in the eyes of the ICC.
“He was also able, acting on a mandate of the committee, to successfully negotiate for the return of Whatmore as National Coach for three years from August 1999.”
Whatmore’s return had an instantaneous impact as in a triangular tournament in the same month with World Cup champs Australia and India participating, Sri Lanka emerged victorious. Shortly thereafter when the first ever Test series win against Australia was registered at home, these meaningful changes were indeed bearing fruit and a new era for our cricket both on and off the field had dawned!
Wettimuny’s mature judgement ensured the presence of Arjuna and Aravinda for that Test series to help humble Steve Waugh’s champion side!
With our credibility restored, the ICC entrusted the Board of Control for Cricket, the responsibility to host the ICC Under-19 World Cup that had no less than 16 international teams participating .
This challenge was met to perfection thanks to the leadership Kushil Gunasekera provided where every detail was addressed and the tributes paid by the ICC at the conclusion of that tournament spoke for themselves.
Our national team in the months following the Test series win against Australia toured Zimbabwe and Pakistan for similar series and returned triumphant in both.
Sadly if not tragically, in spite of all of these, the Interim Committee had continuing differences with the then Sports Minister S.B Dissanayake on his own agendas and after a remarkably successful tenure the entire committee resigned en masse after twelve months in Hony office in May 2000.
At the time of that resignation they held the following positions in their substantive jobs: Rienzie T. Wijetilleke – Chairman, Hatton National Bank, S. Skandakumar – Chairman, George Steuart’s Group, Michael Tissera – Senior Director, Tea Tang, Sidath Wettimuny – Chairman and MD, Noble Group Exports, Ashantha de Mel – Co-Owner, Asia Couture Exports, Kushil Gunasekera – Chairman, Foundation of Goodness.
The loss was very much Sri Lanka’s but these exceptional gentlemen left a legacy that reminded all that Honorary Office was indeed holding Office with Honour!
The first truly heavyweight clash of this expanded T20 World Cup format comes freighted with both history and subplots. A rematch of the 2010 World T20 final at Kensington Oval, the match pits Jos Buttler’s defending champions – who are aiming to become the first team to retain the trophy – against the Australian winning machine, victors at the 2021 edition and current world title-holders in Test and ODI cricket. And that’s before you throw in the Ashes for afters.
Already there is added pressure on England, after the rain in Bridgetown led to a share of the points in their opener against Scotland (and that having conceded 90 runs from 10 overs without taking a wicket in a tepid bowling display). Lose to their oldest rivals and it will leave their Super 8 prospects open to being waylaid by the perils of net run-rate calculations, or worse.
The Scotland match was the third abandonment in five suffered by England, after a rain-affected home series against Pakistan, which has clearly hampered their readiness for this campaign after almost six months without playing T20 together. It does not take much for a side to click in this format – and England looked in decent shape when they did get on the field against Pakistan – but Buttler will be anxious for things to go their way on Saturday, if only to avoid further questions referencing the team’s disastrous ODI World Cup defence last year.
Australia, under the laidback leadership of Mitchell Marsh would love nothing more than to add to the English sense of jeopardy – having helped bundle them out of the tournament in India on the way to taking the crown. Their head to head record is less impressive in T20 however, with England having won six of the last seven completed encounters, as well as that 2010 final.
Despite a wobble with the bat, Australia avoided mishap against Oman earlier in the week, the experience of David Warner and Marcus Stoinis shining through in difficult batting conditions. Surfaces in the Caribbean – not to mention those games staged in the USA – have already had teams scratching their heads; rather than the “slug-fest” England had prepared for, following a high-scoring tour of the Caribbean in December, it looks as if boxing smart may be the way to go.
Speaking of Warner, this could be the last time he faces up against England in national colours – and another match-winning contribution would likely reduce the chances of them meeting again in the knockouts. On the other side of the card is Jofra Archer, fresh from an emotional maiden outing at Kensington Oval and ready to take on Australia for the first time in any format since 2020. Can Mark Wood fire up England’s campaign, as he did during last summer’s Ashes? Will Pat Cummins be back to harass the old enemy once again? Seconds out, it’s almost time to rumble.
Cummins is set to return after being rested for the Oman game, which saw Mitchell Starc leave the field with cramp. Starc is understood to be fine and could keep his place – which would likely see Nathan Ellis miss out. Marsh is still not fit to bowl, with Australia likely to continue with the allrounder combination of Stoinis and Maxwell to give them cover.
Australia (probable XI): David Warner, Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh (capt), Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Josh Inglis (wk), Tim David, Pat Cummins, Nathan Ellis/Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood
The one change England may consider is Reece Topley coming in for Wood, with the expectation that there will be some rotation among the seamers through the course of the tournament.
England (probable XI): Phil Salt, Jos Buttler (capt & wk), Will Jacks, Jonny Bairstow, Harry Brook, Liam Livingstone, Moeen Ali, Chris Jordan, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Reece Topley/Mark Wood
[Cricinfo]
Once is coincidence, twice is a clue, and three times is proof.
To paraphrase Agatha Christie, that is the narrative around South Africa’s meeting with Netherlands at this T20 World Cup.
The Dutch beat South Africa at the 2022 tournament and ended their semi-final hopes in a match where South Africa appeared to be sleep walking, and then beat them again at the 2023 ODI World Cup, where they exposed South Africa’s vulnerability in the chase. If they to do the treble, not only will Netherlands take the lead in Group D, but they will offer conclusive evidence of the threat they pose to Full Members, especially South Africa.
Of course, it will take some doing after South Africa’s opening performance against Sri Lanka, where they reduced their opposition to their lowest T20I total and chased it down in fairly straightforward fashion thanks to the most stable middle-order of their white-ball era. In Aiden Markram, Tristan Stubbs, Heinrich Klaasen and David Miller, South Africa have bankers and big-hitters and, for this match, they also have the advantage of experience. They’ve already played at Eisenhower Park, and have first-hand knowledge that run-scoring doesn’t come easily;Klassen said they are prepared to use their “cricket brains” and play “smarter cricket”.
But the conditions could be good news for Netherlands, who are not naturally a line-up of big hitters and build their innings on a foundation of turning ones into twos. In other words, they tend to take a slightly more conservative approach to batting, which may work well here, but they’ll be wary of the uneven bounce of the surface and will have to come up with plans to counterattack especially against South Africa’s seamers. Their own bowlers were exemplary in Dallas and will look to build on that performance against a line-up that will likely be more proactive than Nepal’s, but who they have managed to keep quiet not once, but twice in the past. Third time’s the charm, they say.
Anrich Nortje’s stunning return to form against Sri Lanka means South Africa may not have to tinker with the bowling combination, and Gerald Coetzee and Tabraiz Shamsi may have to wait their turns to get a game. The batting line-up should be unchanged, with no space for Ryan Rickelton yet.
South Africa: Quinton de Kock (wk), Reeza Hendricks, Aiden Markam, Tristan Stubbs, Heinrich Klaasen (wk), David Miller, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Ottneil Baartman, Anrich Nortje
Conditions in New York may tempt Netherlands to include an extra seamer and they have Kyle Klein in their squad. But it could come at the expense of a shortened batting line-up and they may not want to risk that.
Netherlands: Michael Levitt, Max O’Dowd, Vikramjit Singh, Sybrand Engelbrecht, Scott Edwards (capt, wk), Bas de Leede, Teja Nidamanuru, Logan van Beek, Tim Pringle, Paul van Meekeren, Vivian Kingma
[Cricinfo]
Nuwan Thushara’s last over brought Sri Lanka screaming back into the match,as he first bowled Rishad Hossain, and then nailed Taskin Ahmed in front of the stumps with a pinpoint swinging yorker. This left Bangladesh eight wickets down, with 12 runs still to get.
However, the experienced Mahmudullah was at the crease for Bangladesh, and despite some further nervy moments, pushed Bangladesh across the line off the last ball of the 19th over.
But this was a match chiefly decided by Bangladesh’s own outstanding bowling. Mustafizur Rahman was the best among them, using shorter lengths and his cutters efficiently, to claim figures of 3 for 17. Rishad Hossain’s three-for through the middle overs also kept Sri Lanka quiet.
Mustafizur was instrumental in Sri Lanka’s downward spiral through the middle overs, which culminated in a crash-and-burn end. Ultimately, their inability to find boundaries, or even rotate strike against good Bangladesh bowling resulted in their downfall. A score of 125 for 9 always seemed poor on a decent pitch, even if their bowlers made a match of it in the end.
Brief scores:
Bangladesh 125 for 8 in 19 overs (Towhid Hridoy 40, Litton Das 36; Dhanajaya de Silva 1-11, Nuwan Thushara 4-18, Wanidu Hasaranga 2-32, Matheesha Pathirana 1-27) beat Sri Lanka124 for 9 in 20 overs (Pathum Nissanka 47, Dhananjaya de Silva 21; Tanzim Hasan Sakib 1-24, Taskin Ahmed 2-25, Mustafizur Rahman 3-17, Rishad Hossain 3-22) by two wickets
[Cricinfo]
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