By each passing day, Sri Lanka Cricket has been hitting new lows. Cricket in shambles, cricketers are confused and insecure about almost everything. During Sumathipala regime, Sri Lanka Cricket has become the laughing stock in world Cricket.
2017, particularly, has become the ‘darkest year’ in Sri Lanka cricket history : in almost every aspect. Sri Lanka national team, although blessed with some of the most exciting talents of World Cricket like Niroshan Dickwella, Kusal Mendis, has nothing to show when it comes to winning the game. In 2017, it’s all about loosing for the Sri Lanka.
They have had three whitewash in ODI format : one each against South Africa, India and Pakistan. They have lost a test to Bangladesh at home, comprehensively been defeated by India, home and away, and were unimpressive against lower ranked Zimbabwe even.
However, the greatest embarrassment came from the unaccountable administrators of SLC. They Forgot the domestic season, took almost an entire year to investigate domestic match fixing, yet came with bizzare outcome, forced their players to revisit the Lahore Horror once again, and changed the captain’s like a pack of cards.
Surprisingly though, the same Sumathipala came to the power with plethora of promises in 2015. At that time, he promised everything. Sadly, after two years of his tenure, one can say he delivered nothing!
Cricket Age has the manifesto of Sumathipala promises, he gave at time of the election. Anyone can judge, how poorly he fared in almost every aspect :
Vision
Sumathipala Promise : to make Sri Lanka the best Cricket playing nation.
Reality : Sri Lanka has been languishing in the bottom of the rankings in all three formats : ranked 6th in tests, 8th in ODIs and T20Is.
Mission
Sumathipala Promise : to provide the facilities and equal opportunities to every young cricketer in all parts of the country to represent Sri Lanka at the highest level.
Reality : Sanath Jayasuriya led selection committee choped and changed players like no other country or even his own country’s selectors never did in past. Staggering 39 players represented Sri Lanka in mere one and half year, during his tenure as the chief selector.
International Cricket
Sumathipala Promises :
– To become the most competitive team.
– Have venues on par with international standard.
-Appointment Of Coaches, managers and support staff for the national team.
Reality : even after having some of the most exciting talents, Sri Lanka team have mysteriously become a weakened team, especially in test and ODI cricket. The only reason of the decline was the mismanagement. As soon as Asanka Gurusinha arrived and joined as manager – cum – selector – cum administrator – cum – unofficial spokesperson of the team, Sri Lanka lost the plot. To make scenario more worse, Graham Ford, Aravinda De Silva and Sanath Jayasuriya parted ways with the sinking SLC.
Appointment of the Coaches has become the most notorious thing of SLC under Sumathipala. Maravan Atapattu bowed down, Paul Fabrace opted out and Graham Ford knocked out. The reality is that no respected international cricket person wants to become the Coach of Sri Lanka.
Domestic Cricket
Sumathipala Promises :
– Evaluate and assist School Cricket in Sri Lanka.
– Revamping of premier, emerging, Sara tournaments.
– Inter district and inter provincial tournaments.
Reality : This is the one particular area where Sumathipala led SLC scores zero out of ten, largely thanks to Board’s Vice president K. Mathivanan. The most harmful thing Sumathipala has done, is with domestic cricket, by increasing the number of clubs with FC status to 24. It killed the already struggling system. From legends like Mahela Jayawardene to current batting superstar Dimuth Karunaratne all have openly said that the Sri Lanka domestic cricket has become one of the most weakened competition due to these sort of illogical expirements.
Corporate Communication
Sumathipala Promises :
Safeguarding the interest of commercial partners and the sponsor’s of SLC and also generate revenue through such sponsorships and tie ups.
Reality : Sri Lanka U19 team who visited the Malasya and India for the U19 Asia Cup and Challenger trophy recently, was without sponsor’s. During the India tour in August-September, All Sri Lanka Stadiums were filled with Indian advertisers.
Administration
Sumathipala Promises : An elected Executive Committee as the policy maker and a management Committee to oversee implementation.
Reality : Busy in touring overseas, an ExCo member Ravin Wickramsinghe broke the record of Nisantha Ranatunga in most number of overseas trips.
Management
For SLC, you can say it mismanagement. The unfortunate incident of most recently Airport Saga tells the story, how notoriously SLC has become in handling things. A CEO Ordered the team to fly for overseas tour without the approval of Sports Minister.
Finance
Domestic Cricket has been in disarray, SLC is busy developing new stadium in Jafana, new brain centre and ordering new equipments without the evolution of government. Media Gang and M/S Shift Integrated have been milking everything from the SLC.
