by Rex Clementine
The International Cricket Council has shifted the Under-19 World Cup which was to be staged in Colombo to South Africa leaving Sri Lanka Cricket in the lurch.
The 16-nation tournament would have helped the country in many ways. The cricketing infrastructure would have received a major boost while the fans would have had a first-hand experience of seeing the sport’s future stars and Sri Lankan players would have loved playing in home conditions.
Above all, the struggling economy would have received a shot in the arm too with rooms in the capital filled up by players, support staff, match officials, organizers and parents of players turning up in numbers. It certainly has been an opportunity missed.
The trouble started with the Minister of Sports appointing an Interim Committee to run the affairs and then SLC requested the ICC to suspend the board along with getting an injunction staying the appointment of the Interim Committee.
In other parts of the world too like South Africa, Afghanistan and Pakistan, the administration has been challenged by the government, but they didn’t request the ICC to suspend the board. This is not the first time an Interim Committee has been appointed to run the affairs of the board and members of the current Executive Committee themselves have served in Interim Committees on previous occasions.
The lack of political leadership has been shocking indeed in dealing with this fiasco and it is very clear that certain prominent UNPers are backing the current cricket administration conveniently forgetting that they have failed to address some burning issues in the game that has pushed the national cricket team to the doldrums.
Selections, coaching, fitness, discipline and everything else is in a mess and the administration has failed to address these issues.
The ICC needs to be reminded that all five ICC events Sri Lanka conducted was done with an Interim Committee in place.
In 2000 when Sri Lanka hosted the Under-19 World Cup, Rienzie Wijettilleke headed the board while during the 2002 Champions Trophy Hemaka Amarasuriya was Chairman of Sri Lanka Cricket.
Jayantha Dharmadasa was President in 2006 when his Interim Committee successfully conducted the under-19 World Cup that year.
Then in 2011 when Sri Lanka co-hosted the 2011 World Cup, D.S. de Silva was head of the Interim Committee while Upali Dharmadasa was chair of the Interim Committee when the nation hosted the 2012 World T-20.
Why then are there concerns that an Interim Committee is not able to conduct a global event this time around.
In 2002, then Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe gave the green light for an Interim Committee under the watch of respected businessman Hemaka Amarasuriya. In 2015, under his watch, Sidath Wettimuny was brought in to run cricket. The President is no stranger to backing Interim Committees, but this time around, he seems to be too reliant on his confidants who are friends with the Ex-Co.