Being a politician, SLC president Thilanga Sumathipala knows better than anyone else, how to dilute public attention, when you are in a crisis. So, just when Sri Lanka were badly thrashed by India in the test series 3-0 and fans were about to start mourn the loss, Sumathipala came with an bombshell : His team will visit to Pakistan for a three T20 match series.
Now, this is something, only sumathipala can do!
After that horrific tour of Pakistan in 2009, when players of the Sri Lanka team had returned home with bullets in their bodies, instead of trophies in their hands, no other team except Zimbabwe toured Pakistan.
Just recently, Kumar Sangakkara revealed he still has few pieces of those bullets in his body, shoot by the terrorists!
In this scenario, when most of the current players of the Sri Lanka team had grown up by listening those terrible stories from their seniors like Mahela Jayawardene, Kumar Sangakkara, how they had to escape from those bullets in the ground, how these players can play the game of cricket there!
No one can deny, that as a cricket playing nation, Pakistan had nothing to do with that horrible incident. It’s also true, they are suffering since last eight years, due to those unfortunate happenings.
Why didn’t any other top cricket playing nation toured Pakistan since then? Why players of almost all the international sides refused to play in the Pakistan in PSL few months ago, even they were offered millions of dollars?
Simple, they didn’t feel safe to play there. They didn’t think it’s worth to risking the life, just for the money.
So, why Sumathipala risking his team? Just because, with the team’s continues lacklustre performance, and never ending corruption allegations, he is feeling the pressure!
