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I wasted my time in Sri Lanka

27 Oct 2019

Asanka Gurusinha talks to The Sunday Morning Sports from Melbourne, Australia In times of absolute turmoil in Sri Lanka’s cricket administration, whilst the national team seemed very much detached from all the hullaballoo of the administrative front and playing to their full potential, Sri Lanka’s former world champion player and recent Manager of the national team Asanka Gurusinha talked to The Sunday Morning Sports from Melbourne, Australia. In this candid interview, Gurusinha reveals for the first time the circumstances due to which he had to leave his managerial position and join the High Performance Centre at Khettarama as its Head. He later left the island upon completing his contract with Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) last August. What happened to Grursinha. Will he come back? The excerpts follow: Why did you join SLC in 2017? I went there, to Sri Lanka (SL), in March 2017. For a long time, I’ve been thinking that I should do something for our cricket. There were invitations earlier too but I had family commitments then. But when Aravinda (de Silva) as Cricket Committee Chairman asked me to come and do something in 2017, I thought it was the right time because my children were grown up then. That’s how I accepted the two-and-a-half year contract with the SLC. Then, why did you leave that job this year? That’s because my contract was over on 14 August this year. In fact, I had decided to leave SL by April 2019. Therefore, I didn’t make any request for a renewal. In what capacity did you join SLC? I went to SL as the Cricket Manager and Selector. I was expected to oversee the overall performance of the team, including all contracted players. But I didn’t have anything to do with coaching. Are you happy about what you could do in SL? I first worked as the Cricket Manager and then as the Chief Cricket Operations Officer. Thilanga Sumathipala listed me out on what to do as the Manager. But after about 15 months, I felt my services were no longer needed. (Chandika) Hathurusingha had joined the team by then. I had earlier worked with Graham Ford and Nick Pothas as our Head Coach. Chandika’s contract was very different than that of his predecessors. He is a really good coach and an administrator as well. So at that point, I opted to step down as the Manager because I felt I wasted my time there. By March 2018, I told SLC that I could either apply for the post of the Manager of the High Performance Centre, previously held by Simon Wills, or I could go back to Australia. Did your job get affected after Hathurusingha joined the team? No. You went to SL willingly, but why didn’t you try to extend your contract? I didn’t enjoy my job towards the last five months or so. I’d worked as the Manager for18 months until July 2018. Then for a period of one year, I became the Chief Cricket Operations Manager overlooking the High Performance Centre, Brain Centre, and Women’s Cricket from 15 August 2018. If the SLC was preparing to give you an extension, why didn’t you stay on? To be frank, there is a lot of political interference in our cricket. That is dangerous because Zimbabwe suffered an ICC ban due to such interference. It seems that after all, the purpose of Asanka Gurusinha going to SL was not successful? Actually, no. Due to various interferences, my plans for the betterment of SL’s cricket could not be materialised. What’s your message for the present players of SL? You should never get involved in politics! If you are good, you’ll get your place. I left SL not because I’m angry with anybody. It is simply because I stopped enjoying my job, especially during the last five months after an elected body came in. I’m always willing to help our cricket but I will never do so as long as the present board runs the game in SL.

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Discover Kapruka, the leading online shopping platform in Sri Lanka, where you can conveniently send Gifts and Flowers to your loved ones for any event. Explore a wide range of popular Shopping Categories on Kapruka, including Toys, Groceries, Electronics, Birthday Cakes, Fruits, Chocolates, Automobile, Mother and Baby Products, Clothing, and Fashion. Additionally, Kapruka offers unique online services like Money Remittance, Astrology, Medicine Delivery, and access to over 700 Top Brands. Also If you’re interested in selling with Kapruka, Partner Central by Kapruka is the best solution to start with. Moreover, through Kapruka Global Shop, you can also enjoy the convenience of purchasing products from renowned platforms like Amazon and eBay and have them delivered to Sri Lanka.Send love straight to their heart this Valentine's with our thoughtful gifts!


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