Thilanga Sumathipala, the eternal President of Sri Lanka Cricket Board (SLC) is a Glamours Administrator. He likes to be everywhere. In team routine Press Conferences, new Captain announcement, new Coach announcement, religious activities, team’s group photo shoot before the departure for the overseas tour, he prefers to be averywhere. He has been glued with SLC since 1994 and aims to be there for at least another decade. He was there before Sanath Jayasuriya and Muttiah Muralitharan announced themselves at global stage. The era of Jayasuriya-Murali has gone, Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara also hanged their boots after glorious careers and Angelo Mathews has already played six years of international cricket. Mind you, Sumathipala has witnessed all!
In other parts of the world, normaly, no one knows the Board’s Presidents. Steve Smith is World’s best test batsman, but very (and seriously very few) knows who is the President of Australian Cricket?
At BCCI, the most powerful cricket board, President’s don’t prefers to click group photos with their team. Sharad Pawar tried once, but Australian team humiliated him, while entire world was celebrating Kangaroo’s another World Cup Win.
However, in Sri Lanka, Sumathipala is synonymous to Cricket! If you are a Cricket fan, you must knows Sumathipala. Simply because he is more visible than many of Sri Lanka Cricketers!
Though, right now, Sumathipala is fighting for survival. During his latest regime, SLC has become Laughing stock in world Cricket.
Domestic Cricket has been finished, international team has lost its appetite to win games, even after having blessed with World class youngsters like Niroshan Dickwella, Kusal Mendis and Dhananjaya De Silva. Their CEO prefers new Captain for every series. Their vice presidents first priority is to stick with the power. So, when they ruins one segment, they switch their posts. Now, K. Mathivanan is VP international Cricket and Mohan De Silva is the VP of domestic cricket. In 2018, it would be interesting to see the fate of their respective departments
The most problematic thing, however, for Sumathipala is that all the legends have snubbed him in his time of survival. Once he had Sanath Jayasuriya, Aravinda De Silva, Romesh Kaluwitharana, Hashan Tillakaratne. SLC used to hide behind the legendary image of those greats. Now, he has Asanka Gurusinha!
That’s why, now he has brought back Chandika Hathurusingha. A shadow Coach of Sri Lanka team in 2010, with a approximately salary of 3500 USD, Now Sumathipala has reintroduced him as head coach, for the Approximate salary of 35000 USD. With Hathurusingha high profile homecoming, Sumathipala has succeed to convince Sri Lanka cricket fans that the ‘Messiah’ has arrived. The Messiah has also announced that The sorry status of Sri Lanka cricket is a opportunity for him, more than a headache.
No doubt, Hathurusingha is a forward thinking Coach. If Legendary Kumar Sangakkara praises a person for his innovative coaching methods, he must be a visionary Coach!
The thing seems, though, that Sumathipala has brought him back for his own Survival. Before June 2018, SLC elections will take place. SLC is already a sinking ship, but Sumathipala and Co Won’t Leave it, until it will entirely sink.
In the process to stick at long as possible, Hathurusingha is their Messiah. In next Six months, whenever Sri Lanka will win a game of cricket, SLC will try to establish the myth that now everything will be good.
But what, if Sri Lanka lose? Sumathipala future hinges on this particular question!
