With his unique sense of selecting players for the national team, Sri Lanka’s chief selector Graeme Labrooy has become worldwide famous. He has been regarded as first ever ‘Skype‘ selector in world cricket history, as he always picks squad, while remains busy in his ICC duty and multiple businesses.
In his second term particularly, Labrooy is giving new ‘meaning’ to team selection and thus has become a flag bearer for all the selectors worldwide.
Here are some noble and unique ‘Concepts’, Labrooy has invented for world cricket to follow :
Unfit For 50 Overs Match, Fit For Five–day Match : This is the latest concept Labrooy has invented. While removing Angelo Mathews from the ODI squad, Labrooy stated that he not fit to play 50 overs cricket. Few minutes later, Mathews was in test squad, when Labrooy announced the team! Now, this is unbelievable! A player, who is not fit enough to play 50 overs game, is fit to play five-day game! Selectors around the world must take a leaf out of Labrooy’s book and must include unfit players only for the test cricket, because as per his concept, even unfit players can last for five days!
‘He Is In Our Scheme Of Things‘ : Now, entire Sri Lanka scares, whenever Labrooy says this for any player. First, he said this for Lasith Malinga that ”He Is In Our Scheme Of Things’. Poor Malinga couldn’t find a place in the team for nearly one year. Only after ‘Boss’ Thilanga Sumathipala and ‘Super Boss’ Dayasiri Jayasekara perished, Malinga managed to make a comeback somehow! Bow, he has said the same about Angelo Mathews ”He Is In Our Scheme Of Things’. Millions of Mathews supporters are already scared!
‘Fitness Test Is A Waste Of Time‘ : BCCI and all other cricket board around the world are foolish that they waste so much money on Yo Yo test and other fitness tests. Labrooy has the unique ability to sense a player’s fitness even without conducting any test! Classic example is Angelo Mathews. On September 17th he captained Sri Lanka against Afghanistan in the Asia Cup. One week later On September 24, without having any fitness test, Labrooy declared Mathews as unfit! Mathews cried for a fitness test to prove himself, but Labrooy remained firm on his observation that he is unfit!
‘I Can Do Both ICC And Selector Job‘ : Labrooy is a part time chief selector of Sri Lanka! He is a full time ICC match referee. He is the President of players association. He also runs an insurance company! Still, Labrooy says that he can do all the things! SLC is fortunate that Sumathipala brought a genius like Labrooy! In this scenario, it is an injustice to Labrooy, that SLC has given him the responsibility of only selecting the national squad. SLC must consider seriously to appoint him as the national team manager, analyst, women’s team manager, U19 team manager and whatever post is vacant at the board. Labrooy can handle all, that too with perfection, as he is handling national team as a selector!
