The Eight Months Of Graeme Labrooy tenure as the Chief Selector of Sri Lanka Cricket were marred by allegations of baised, illogical and inconsistent selection. As Sports Minister Dayasiri Jayasekara has stepped down from his portfolio, it would be hard for Labrooy to survive, as he is known as a close comerede of the departing Minister.
After Taking Over as Head Of Selection Committee from Legendary Sanath Jayasuriya in August last year, the biggest achievement of Graeme Labrooy is to bring back players like Chaturanga De Silva, Sachith Pathirana, Lahiru Thirimane and Jeevan Mendis into national team. As a Chief Selector, he dropped Young Kusal Mendis from all important India tour and dragged Thirimane into the team. The experiment turned a dangerous one, both for the Thirimane and team.
Then, at a time when players like Thikshila De Silva and Ramith Rambukwella were piling runs in domestic t20 matches, he dragged 34 year old Jeevan Mendis into the team.
However, the most notorious chapter of the Labrooy tenure has been the permanent removal of Lasith Malinga from the national team. Since his argument with Sports Minister Dayasiri Jayasekara in August 2017, Malinga never played for Sri Lanka Again. To be precise, Malinga hasn’t played a single match for Sri Lanka, since Labrooy took over.
Although, Malinga is a spent force in cricket and can’t contribute much in the future, he surely doesn’t deserve the kind of treatment, Labrooy gave him under ‘Mysterious’ circumstances.
And this not Labrooy’s only misdeeds. There has been growing anger by each passing day in Sri Lanka Cricket circuit that Labrooy has little time and interest in his job as a Chief selector.
Recently, Sri Lanka Domestic Clubs have raised their concern by the manner Labrooy has been functioning. Even after being the head of the selection committee, Labrooy always prefers his job as a ICC Match Referee, and seeing Sri Lanka selector job only an a part time. In Sri Lanka cricket circuit, Now there has been a pharse for Labrooy that he is the first ever ‘Skype Selectors’ in the world cricket history.
“This is very unfortunate. As a Chief selector, he must have seen most of the International and domestic matches. However, he always prefers his ICC match referee duty and escape Sri Lanka duty. It seems that he is doing this only as a part time job” The president of one of the top most Domestic Club told Cricket Age few days ago.
“As he himself doesn’t watch domestic matches, he always depends on his fellow selectors for picking a team. In this scenario, what is the logic to have him as the Chief selector” added that club president.
In another episode, recently Sri Lanka cricket clubs and officials have expressed dissatisfaction over the manner in which players have been selected to four teams for the ongoing inter province cricket tournament.
The selections are being done by the committee headed by Graeme Labrooy, while he had not been in the country while the final selections were being done. At that time, he was serving as a referee at the world cup semi-finals in Harare.
Although he is the Chairman of the selection committee, he dedicates more time as an ICC referee instead of viewing domestic games to make the selections.
Previously too, Labrooy had gone to New Zealand as a selection committee member and referee for the under 19 world cup, when Sri Lanka was involving in a full tour with Bangladesh.
To be presice, It has become a norm with Labrooy, since his appointment as the Chief selector. Whenever Selection committee finalize a squad, he connects with other selectors via Skype only, and select the team!
Recently, During his interview to one of the most news paper of Sri Lanka, Labrooy mentioned top five Under 19 players name, who could be next big thing for the national team. He mentioned allrounder Jehan Daniel, Kamindu Mendis, but The name of Hasitha Boyagoda was not there. Every Cricket fan of Sri Lanka knows and admits it that Boyagoda is the best under 19 batsman of the country, but Sadly the Chief Selector himself doesn’t know this!
That too, even after he scored the highest individual score in the world cup history, in recently concluded World Cup.
This was not just a mere coincidence. It was a deliberately attempt by Labrooy to neutralize Boyagoda, as he was the one who benched him for the most of the world cup matches, just to include his favorite Santush Gunathilika into the team.
Though, there is no mention in SLC constitution that the selectors will be removed as soon as the new Sports Minister. It’s up-to New Sports Minister, whether he keep them into job or appoints new selection panel. However, in his eight months period, Labrooy Proves it that he doesn’t deserves s to be the Chief Selector. The other selectors in his committee does their job with honesty. They watches international, domestic and even school cricket matches. However, Labrooy doesn’t even know that Hasitha Boyagoda is the best Under 19 batsman!
