Selectors promise to address indiscipline in cricket

by Rex Clementine

One reason why the national cricket team hit new lows in the last three years under Pramodya Wickremesinghe was because there was scant respect for discipline. Players could walk into casinos in Brisbane in the middle of the night and get involved in brawls, but they were not in danger of losing their place in the side or being sent home from the tour.

Not all selectors have soft peddled over the years. Many feared Abu Fuard like the plague. Duleep Mendis was a terror. Guy de Alwis didn’t mince his words. A late night out in St. Lucia proved too costly for Jeffrey Vandersay who was sent home from the West Indies by someone known for his no-nonsense approach. Asanka Gurusinha is his name.

Vandersay was also handed a suspended sentence of one year and fined 20 percent of his annual contract for the incident.

Since then, he has featured for the Sri Lankan side sparingly. Last year he played in one ODI and one Test match. The Test match was his debut in Galle against Australia and less than hour after being handed his first Test cap, Vandersay turned up on the field wearing a floppy hat. Team Manager Mahinda Halangoda had to remind him to wear his Test cap. At times, Jeffrey Vandersay is not all there.

Vandersay is 33 and by the time the next World Cup comes he will be 37 and over the hill. In the meantime, there are other leggies like Dushan Hemantha and Suminda Lakshan, who are bright prospects. They both are better batters and fielders than Vandesay. Then there is also young prodigy Vijayakanth Viyaskanth, who has been a sensation in the Lanke Premier League.

So, why do you go back to a 33-year-old with a colourful past at a juncture when the team is already facing disciplinary issues?

It seems that Wanindu Hasaranga is still on the fence when it comes to fitness for the ODI series against Zimbabwe and hence Vandersay has been named as cover.

But why Vandersay over other leggies? The selectors seem to have noticed that the Sri Lankan attack comprised too many players with not much experience during the World Cup and Vandersay’s inclusion will somewhat solve the problem.

Can he behave though? It seems an ultimatum has been given to all players that indiscipline will not be tolerated.

Hopefully that ultimatum is not like water off a duck’s back for the captain has smashed up a dressing room door and abused an official.

The selection of Akila Dananjaya also poses a few questions. The off spinner has been reported for suspect bowling action multiple times. He has remodeled his action and made a comeback only to be reported again or become ineffective.

The selectors feel that Dananjaya has overcome his problems and deserved a place in the side because he has been in good form in domestic cricket. He has been drafted into the squad with the hope of taking wickets in the middle overs, another area the team struggled during the World Cup.