In an unprecedented move, the controversial chairman of selectors of Sri Lanka cricket Asantha De Mel, who was recently appointed as the manager of the team as well, is all set to get a logistic manager for the World Cup campaign, Cricket Age reliably learns.
During the mega event, Asantha to shoulder duel responsibility of chief selector and team manager. However, he is not interested at all in doing logistic part of the job, this has demanded a logistic manager to assist him.
According to sources, the Sri Lanka Cricket Board (SLC) has also agreed to provide a logistic manager to Asantha.
On April 13, Cricket Age had published that Except for promoting brand Rambukwella, Asantha De Mel is also focusing on his new assignment as national Team manager, by ignoring his first job as chairman of selectors. According to sources, these days he is more concerned about his manager job, than his chief selector responsibility.
“Initially the board thought about former manager Jerry Woutersz to send as Asantha’s logistic manager. Then, a board official also came into the frame. However, now the board is looking for someone else to do the job” a top SLC official told Cricket Age.
On April 2, Cricket Age had published how Asantha De Mel mysteriously brought allrounder Ramith Rambukwella into the Dambulla Team for the provincial tournament, discarding one of the brightest young talent Sri Lanka cricket Ashen Bandara.
During the tournament, Asantha De Mel tried every trick to promote Rambukwella further. In one of the provincial tournament match, Dambulla’s premier allrounder Jeevan Mendis was mysteriously rested (that too against his wish) and Rambukwella played the match. Jeevan Mendis has been in good form in recent times, with both bat and ball. As Sri Lanka is desperately looking for a spin bowling allrounder for the world cup, Jeevan Mendis would have claimed his stake for that place with a good performance. However, he was deprived for that chance, as chief selector Asantha De Mel was wanted to play Rambukwella, on the orders of his political guardians.
It is noteworthy that the main motive behind the appointment of Asantha as team manager is to screw national team’s high profile Coach Chandika Hathurusingha, Who has turned a big headache for SLC.
