Sri Lanka’s shameful England tour

The performance of the England cricket team has tremendously improved over the years, and the team has gained higher rankings in all formats of the game, Test No. 4, ODI No. 03 and 20/20 No.1. In contrast, there has been a sharp decline in the standard of cricket in Sri Lanka, and our rankings in all formats of the game amply reflect the lower levels the game of cricket has declined in this country. In the 20/20 format the Sri Lankan team is at No.13, lower than even countries like the Netherlands and Ireland.

Considering the current status of the game, it is ironic that the newly appointed board of selectors opted for an entirely inexperienced team to play the recently concluded limited-over series in England. Sending an inexperienced team to play against a top-ranking team, in their own backyard, reflects the decision-making capacity of our selectors, assuming that there has been no hidden politics involved in the selection procedure.

Performance of our team in all six matches played, clearly reflects timelines and the effectiveness of the selection criterion. If not for the rain, the entire series could have been a whitewash. Playing under English conditions is difficult, and playing against top ranking English teams in the given conditions is even more difficult. True, it is necessary to groom our talented young cricketers to play at the top level, but [MDJ1] exposing them in this manner seriously harm their level of confidence, and it could well damage the entire cricketing career of some of them; otherwise having the ability to make a striking contribution to the game for many more years to come. Ideal could have been to include some better performing experienced players alongside some of the inexperienced, yet talented young ones selected for the England tour. One needs not be an expert in cricket to understand this simple fact.

The other debatable point is the role played by our well-paid international coaches. On the television screen they seem highly concerned about the poor performance of many of the players in the team; but they did not seem to take any constructive measures to change these. If not, some of the players could not have thrown their wickets playing the same shot over and over. English bowlers very well knew which ball to deliver, and where to place the fielder. What was the exact role expected to be played by our countless number of highly paid foreign coaches that accompanied the team? Their contribution in making our team a laughingstock is invaluable, maybe they could continue to play the same role for many more years to come. Further, a manager was appointed to look after the team, and he played a highly appreciable role especially in maintaining discipline. The more we do not talk about the relevant subject the better.

Nevertheless, the moot point is could the cricketing authorities learn from the past bitter experiences and take constructive measures to reverse this ever-declining trend? Knowing the prevailing system in this country, this may never happen. Because the game of cricket has become a gravy train for many, the majority holding the top positions in the cricket establishment do not genuinely want to serve the game. If not, the standard of the game could not have declined to a level that it is at present.

It is necessary to take drastic measures to reverse this ever-declining trend, nevertheless that cannot be expected to happen, given the existing setup. Cosmetic changes, yes, that too is to hoodwink, especially the cricket loving public of this country. The same lot will continue to determine the destiny of the players as well as the game, and the cricket loving public of this country will have to be contended by the proud history of the game, especially during the late 20th and early 21 century.

DEEPAL L. BATADUWA-ARACHCHI

Embuldeniya, Nugegoda.