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Reverse Sweep - Sri Lanka’s cricket at crossroads – Part I

28 May 2021

A four-pronged analysis on the predicament of Sri Lanka's cricket
As Sri Lanka began their three-match ODI series in Dhaka on Sunday (23), there can be many who would consider it was a start of a new journey.
On 20 May, Shammi Silva was elected uncontested as Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) President for another two-year term. He will be heading Sri Lanka’s cricket administration, on a tricky wicket though, up to May 2023.

The Head of National Cricket Selection Committee Pramodya Wickramasinghe, who was handed in the responsibility on 8 April 2021, has vouched a new “youth policy”, with his sights set on the 2023 World Cup, giving some warning signs to the remaining senior members of the team - get up or get out.

Then a whole new Captain, Kusal Perera, had been appointed in the ODI format. The same place in the national T20I side is still open. At least three names are being talked about as possible contenders for the position. Sri Lanka have experimented as many as 19 Captains across the three formats since the beginning of year 2015, the year the current slide in Sri Lanka cricket began quite startlingly.
[caption id="attachment_138675" align="alignleft" width="482"] Newly elected SLC President Shammi Silva (left) begins his work in office on Thursday (20). Also in the photo are (from left) SLC Vice President Jayantha Dharmadasa, Secretary Mohan de Silva, CEO Ashley de Silva and Assistant Treasurer Sujeeva Godaliyadda (partly hidden)[/caption]

Finally to the political hierarchy, or those who appoint the Sports Ministers who look after cricket. Even though the local cricket board is regarded more a private entity, which is responsible itself only to the game’s world governing body the ICC than a national sports association, it is not entirely detached from the government influence. The incumbent Sri Lanka Government, which appointed Namal Rajapaksa as the Youth and Sports Minister in August 2020, will rule the country till November 2024 in its current term.

On the playfield, in the next three years, Sri Lanka will be engaged in three back-to-back World Cups - the 7th T20 World Cup in India this year, 8th T20I World Cup in Australia in 2022, and the 13th 50-over World Cup in India in 2023.

Therefore to say that in the next four years from now, Sri Lanka’s cricket will either swim or sink is not a farfetched estimation. Hence some different analyses on what really has happened in recent times on all fronts, could be timely than ever. We will have four episodes in these spaces in the coming weeks to look back and understand, so as to learn from the mistakes and to do what is essential for the betterment of Sri Lanka’s cricket in future.

The various Governments and the Sports Ministers, the local cricket administration, national selectors, and the Sri Lanka cricket Captains of the recent past will be under scrutiny – for there is no other way to learn from those past mistakes.

For many discerning observers, it’s now or never to put Sri Lanka’s cricket back on a more sensible, socially useful, and winning path.

SPORTS MINISTERS OF SRI LANKA

[caption id="attachment_138674" align="alignnone" width="615"] Dayasiri Jayasekara (left), the Sports Minister for most part of the previous Yahapalana Govt. of 2015-19, along with (from left) SLC President Thilanga Sumathipala, Angelo Mathews and Sri Lanka T20 Captain Lasith Malinga holds the 2016 ICC T20 World Cup in a ceremony in Colombo in January 2016[/caption]

Key: No. / Name / Political Party / Duration / State Leader

1. V.A. Sugathadasa / United National Party / 1966-70 / Dudley Senanayake

2. K.B. Ratnayake / Sri Lanka Freedom Party / 1972-77 / Sirimavo Bandaranaike

3. Vincent Perera / United National Party / 1977-88 / J.R. Jayewardene

4. Nanda Mathew / United National Party / 1989-93 / Ranasinghe Premadasa and D.B. Wijetunga

5. S.B. Dissanayake / Sri Lanka Freedom Party / 1994-2001 / Chandrika Kumaratunga

6. Mangala Samaraweera / Sri Lanka Freedom Party / 2001 / Chandrika Kumaratunga

7. Lakshman Kiriella / United National Party / 2001-02 / Ranil Wickremasinghe (PM)*

8. Johnston Fernando / United National Party / 2002-04 / Ranil Wickremasinghe (PM)

9. Jeewan Kumaranatunga / Sri Lanka Freedom Party / 2004-07 / Chandrika Kumaratunga and Mahinda Rajapaksa

10. Gamini Lokuge / United National Party / 2007-10 / Mahinda Rajapaksa

11. C.B. Rathnayake / Sri Lanka Freedom Party / 2010 / Mahinda Rajapaksa

12. Mahindananda Aluthgamage / Sri Lanka Freedom Party / 2010-15 / Rajapaksa

13. Navin Dissanayake / United National Party / 2015 / Maithripala Sirisena

14. Dayasiri Jayasekara / Sri Lanka Freedom Party / 2015-18 / Maithripala Sirisena

15. Faiszer Musthapha / Sri Lanka Freedom Party / 2018 / Maithripala Sirisena

16. Harin Fernando / United National Party / 2018-19 / Maithripala Sirisena

17. Dullas Alahapperuma / Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna / 2019-20 / Gotabaya Rajapaksa

18. Namal Rajapaksa / Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna / 2020-to date / Gotabaya Rajapaksa

* In Prime Minister Ranil Wickremasinghe’s 2001-04 cabinet which represented the opposition of President Chandrika Kumaratunga Govt. 

PAST PRESIDENTS OF SLC

* Ceylon Cricket Association (CCA) (1914-48)

Col. Dr. John R. Rockwood (1914-33)

Edwin M. Karunaratne (1933-34)

Chandrarajan Sivasaravanamuttu (1937-48)

* Board of Control for Cricket in Ceylon (BCCC) (1948-72)

Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu (1948-50)

E. Christoffelsz (1950-52)

Junius Richard (J.R.) Jayewardene (1952-55)

Lt. Col. Sabdharatnajyoti Saravanamuttu (1955-56)

Robert Senanayake (1956-72)

* Board of Control for Cricket in Sri Lanka (BCCSL) (1972-2000)

Sai Senanayakerajah (1972-76)

Maj. Gen. Bertram Heyn (1976-78)

Dr. N. M. Perera (1978-79)

T.B. Werapitiya (1979-81)

Gamini Dissanayake (1981-89)

Lakshman Jayakody (1989-90)

Manane Chandrarajah (1990-91)

Tyronne Fernando (1991-94)

Anandarajasingh Punchihewa (1995-96)

Upali Dharmadasa (1996-98)

Thilanga Sumathipala (1998-99)

Rienzie Wijetilleke (1999-00) (IC)

Thilanga Sumathipala (2000-01)

Vijaya Malalasekera (2001-02) (IC)

Hemaka Amarasuriya (2002-03) (IC)

* Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) (2003-present)

Thilanga Sumathipala (2003-04)

Mohan De Silva (2004-05)

Jayantha Dharmadasa (2005-07) (IC)

Arjuna Ranatunga (2008) (IC)

S. Liyanagama (2008-09)*

Somachandra de Silva (2009-11) (IC)

Upali Dharmadasa (2011-12)

Jayantha Dharmadasa (2013-15) (IC)

Sidath Wettimuny (2015-16) (IC)

Thilanga Sumathipala (2016-18)

Kamal Padmasiri (2018)*

Shammi Silva (2019-21)

IC=Interim Committee

*Competent Authority appointed by Govt.

 SL NATIONAL CRICKET SELECTION COMMITTEE

[caption id="attachment_138678" align="alignnone" width="405"] Pramodya Wickramasinghe (centre) with veteran cricket commentator Roshan Abeysinghe (right) at the Derana TV studio in a visit for an interview after taking over as Head of National Selectors[/caption]

From November 2020:

Ashantha de Mel (Chairman), Pramodya Wickramasinghe, Chaminda Mendis, Hemantha Devapriya, Ranjith Madurasingha, Uvais Karnain, and Nilmini Gunaratne

From April 2021:

Pramodya Wickramasinghe (Chairman), Romesh Kaluwitharana, Hemantha Wickramaratne, Varuna Waragoda, Uvais Karnain, and Nilmini Gunarathne

SRI LANKA CRICKET CAPTAINS

[caption id="attachment_138681" align="alignnone" width="429"] Dimuth Karunaratne celebrates his maiden double century during the fourth day of the first Test between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh in Kandy in April this year[/caption]

Test Captains (1982-2021)

(After SL became an ICC Test country)

Key: No. / Name / Period / (No. of matches)

1. Bandula Warnapura - 1982 (4)

2. Duleep Mendis - 1982-87 (19)

3. Somachandra de Silva - 1983 (2)

4. Ranjan Madugalle - 1988 (2)

5. Arjuna Ranatunga - 1989-1999 (56)

6. Aravinda de Silva - 1991-1999 (6)

7. Hashan Tillakaratne - 1999-2004 (11)

8. Sanath Jayasuriya - 1999-2002 (38)

9. Marvan Atapattu - 2002-2005 (18)

10. Mahela Jayawardene - 2006-2013 (38)

11. Kumar Sangakkara - 2009-11 (15)

12. Tillakaratne Dilshan - 2011-12 (11)

13. Angelo Mathews - 2013-17 (34)

14. Rangana Herath - 2016-17 (5)

15. Dinesh Chandimal - 2017-21 (19)

16. Suranga Lakmal - 2018 (5)

17. Dimuth Karunaratne - 2019-to date (14)*

*As on 23 May 2021

ODI Captains (1975-2021)

1. Anura Tennekoon - 1975-79 (4)

2. Bandula Warnapura - 1979-82 (8)

3. Duleep Mendis - 1982-87 (61)

4. Somachandra de Silva - 1983 (1)

5. Ranjan Madugalle - 1988 (13)

6. Arjuna Ranatunga - 1988-99 (193)

7. Ravi Ratnayeke - 1988 (1)

8. Aravinda de Silva - 1992-96 (18)

9. Roshan Mahanama - 1994 (2)

10. Sanath Jayasuriya - 1998-2003 (118)

11. Marvan Atapattu - 2001-06 (63)

12. Mahela Jayawardene - 2004-13 (126)

13. Chaminda Vaas - 2006 (1)

14. Kumar Sangakkara - 2009-11 (45)

15. Tillakaratne Dilshan - 2010-12 (26)

16. Angelo Mathews - 2012-18 (106)

17. Dinesh Chandimal - 2013-18 (12)

18. Lahiru Thirimanne - 2015-19 (5)

19. Upul Tharanga - 2016-17 (22)

20. Chamara Kapugedera - 2017 (1)

21. Lasith Malinga - 2017-19 (9)

22. Thisara Perera - 2017 (3)

23. Dimuth Karunaratne – 2019-21 (17)

24. Kusal Perera - 2021 (1)*

*As on 23 May 2021

T20I Captains

[caption id="attachment_138679" align="alignnone" width="469"] In October 2019 in Pakistan, Dasun Shanaka became only the third Captain after Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Michael Clarke to win his first three T20I matches as Captain[/caption]

1. Mahela Jayawardene - 2006-12 (19)

2. Tillakaratne Dilshan - 2008-11 (5)

3. Kumar Sangakkara - 2009-12 (22)

4. Thilina Kandamby - 2011 (1)

5. Angelo Mathews - 2012-21 (16)

6. Dinesh Chandimal - 2013-18 (26)

7. Lasith Malinga - 2014-20 (24)

8. Upul Tharanga - 2017 (6)

9. Thisara Perera - 2017/18 (9)

10. Dasun Shanaka - 2019 (3)*

*As on 23 May 2021


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