The Time It Took These Allegations Against The Sri Lanka Cricket Board To Surface Implicates the Accusers Rather Than the Accused!
Posted on May 27th, 2011
Bowled Out By Doosra Kumar
May 27th 2011
It seems a crying shame that that the allegations against Sri LankaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s Cricket Board being made by the likes of the country’s longest-serving cricket captain and member of the Opposition DNA party in Parliament, Arjuna Ranatunga, as well as another former captain Hashan Tillekeratne also a Member of Parliament for the Opposition UNP appear to have come at this late stage relative to when they were alleged to have transpired which alone seems to attest to their cooked up nature which implicates the accusers more than the accused as their conflicts of interests stick out like sore thumb both appearing to carrying a political motive and needs to be put into perspective!
While the former claims that “it was the interest shown by businessmen in the game, after Sri LankaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s 1996 world cup win, that proved a bad influence on the game” amongst other veiled accusations the latter continues to harp on the theme of match fixing but is unavailable for comment with any tangible proof of the accusations he has made and seems to have gone into hiding. He has been offered protection and safety but to no avail which seems to magnify his reason for avoiding official confrontation by the Authorities whio quite reasonably are perplexed and concerened and the sooner the matter finds resolution there better it would be for all concerned and particularly the good name of Sri Lanka Cricket which these accusers are attempting to tarnish which is what it all is tantamount to.
In both cases it is becoming quite apparent that there are many frustrations and disgruntlements on the part of both acccusers who appear to have fallen out of grace with the present Administration of Sri Lanka through their own seeking and interpretation and needs to be confronted with the strong advice that they should rescind and withdraw their allegations as there does not seem to be a shred of evidence to substantiate their claims and that they should do so in their best interests towards preseving their own credibilities! Something which former Sri lankan cricket captain Kumar Sangakkara as well as many others within the Sri Lanka cricket organization are in agreement with!
To suggest that “This happened with the ICC World Cup victory in 1996. Money flowed into cricket thereafter. These businessmen were aware how to deal with whatever government was in power,ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ as reported in the
Daily News, quoting his speech in the Sri Lankan Parliament on Wednesday” seems high handed and irresponsible on the part of Arjuna Ranatunga where he even seems to be attempting to smear the likes of Thilanga Sumathipala and others of similar ilk who were found wanting in some of their actions, punished and have served their time but in these cases they have done more good for Sri Lankan Cricket than provide adversities as those discerning well know and the efforts towards boosting Sri lankan Cricket by these individuals need to be recognized as exemplary and praiseworthy quite apart from the petty indiscretions they were found wanting in, which has now been atoned for.
In essence the generalizing about the involvements of Big Buisinessmen need to be clarified as well as classified before making accusations at random. Particularly when their frustrations and disgruntlements appear glaringly to point to personal issues such as political non recognition being on the other side of the Administrative fence, not being appointed to head the Cricket board perhaps as well as their sense of being slighted on various issues pertaining to cricket in Sri Lanka motivating retaliation and a quest for revenge! which seems wrong on their part as there was a time when both these accusers were highly respected members of the community as well as fine performers at the highest level of the national game which is indeed a pity as one reflects upon their possible motivations to drag the National Cricket Board into the mire! Sadly today they are in all probabilities being viewed as traitors by many Cricket loving Sri Lankans to whom it seems quite apparent that they are attempting to bring the Nation and the game for which it has built up a wonderful reputation to disrepute!
In countering such claims and accusations Current Sports Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage has very assertively and confidently been quoted in the media that ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-I say with responsibility that our cricket is not experiencing a decline. This is a false statementƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚¦We have implemented a long-term plan for promotion of cricket and other sports.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ and the Ministers comments very plausibly bear the greater credibility by comparison with the bleatings of both Ranatunga and Tillekeratne which undoubtedly will raise eyebrows at international as well as ICC level but for all the wrong reasons and need to be quashed as not only malicious but als counter productive based onnon substantiable innuendo!
RanatungaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s comments follow Hashan TillekeratneƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s charge on match-fixing in Sri Lanka.
Hashan, former Sri Lankan captain and Western Provincial Council member for the Opposition UNP, has so far not given the proof for the fixing allegations that he had levelled.
Mr. Aluthgamage pointed to the fact that Hashan had not given any proof and that he had refused to appear in person too. ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-He was summoned officially twice, but did not appear. When he said that he was worried about his safety, we promised to provide the required security and the IGP too agreed. He does not answer even the phone. Even the ICC has inquired about him. Hashan it seems to be missing in action,ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ the Minister said in Parliament, according to the Daily News. Hence it seem fair dinkum to conclude that The Time It Has Taken
For These Allegations Against The Sri Lanka Cricket Board To Surface Implicates the Accusers Rather Than the Accused Based Upon how Pre-Meditated And Vicious The Motivations For Such Appear To Be Almost Criminal !
May 27th, 2011 at 11:30 am
It speaks a lot for the class of players who lived and played during the time of these allegations, had very relevant grievances perhaps against the Cricket Board yet maintained their dignity and never did anything vindictive to vent their feelings. Hats off to them as it goes to prove there was nothing of the nature implied in the allegations that would have been factual.
Those who try to run down their own Country’s Cricket Board are shameless classless individuals who in so doing bring the good name of their country down into the mire to suit their own agendas !
May 28th, 2011 at 5:29 am
Sunil I agree with you completely these are shameless,classless,power hungry jealous individuals who wants to bring shame not only for cricket but for the whole nation. This guy same like the General of his. He is boasting of his winning the world cup and his general is boasting that he won the war single handedly. Our enemies likes these kind of headlines in the news. Those people were hailed as heros in the west and will be given protection and money to get more headlines of that calibre. I cannot understand why they do these kinds of things to their own Motherland. What is the benefit except good money from their white masters for them to live a good life.
We should stop all the malicious allegeations on each other and get united to build our shattered nation.This is our country and our people, the time for us to sit together and solve all our problems without fighting and mudslinging each other. At the end no befit for anybody except shame and disgrace to those who contribute in some way or the other to our beloved Motherland.
May 28th, 2011 at 1:23 pm
Arjuna was a class act at school and during his captaincy. Cant believe he has sunk to this level. Just shows what power and politics can do to a mind.
May 31st, 2011 at 9:38 pm
The only way to start cleaning up the SriLankan cricket is to have a democratically elected Board, in keeping with its constitution. Its sickening to see the Minister appointing hand picked interim Boards of Control. It would also help if the Minister in charge has an in depth knowledge of sports and have participated at the highest level at least in one recognised sports. This would give the responsible Minister the much needed “Sports Sense”, which seems to be lacking. having said this, I didnt see anything much different when Arjuna was at the helm of cricket.
May 31st, 2011 at 10:03 pm
The cricketer in concern cannot play, do commentaries, coach, be an ambassador of cricket/goodwill. He can’t even do politics right. At the next election he will be licked out. So he is trying whatever comes to his mind to make him important.
May 31st, 2011 at 10:06 pm
A. Sooriarachi
But then the crooks creep into the board with money and violence. It happened twice before. Since the last time they were in, the board has gone into financial crisis from which it hasn’t recovered yet fully.
We need a sport loving minister and he should appoint people of good calibre, who love cricket as madly as SL people do, to the board.
June 2nd, 2011 at 5:19 pm
Lorenzo, I agree with you. But the problem here is that we may get a good Minister once and a very corrupt one next. So the better of the two flawed systems is to have a vote by member clubs as per the constitution, maybe with a clause to prohibit the Chairman and CEO serving more than 3 years. I really do not know the answer but we must save the game of cricket, the only sport SriLankans excel in and love to warch.
June 2nd, 2011 at 5:30 pm
Yes. We have to save this game. Even the members of member clubs are highly corrupt. In 2002 they voted for the mst corrupt candidate against Arjuna who was a clean and gentlemanly figure then who genuinely loved cricket. There should be a better mechanism to appoint the board than the current set of elections and minister’s appointments. May be past cricketers who have represented the country should have a say. But that too is risky because some of them can be bought over. A public vote sounds an overkill.
May be the president can appoint the board. Unlike the minister, all the past presidents loved the game. Performance of the team gives them a political boost. So there is the motivation to appoint the best board. Else suffer humiliation.
June 3rd, 2011 at 2:04 am
Lorenzo, your points are well made.
As for the article itself, the statement that the allegations against the Sri Lanka Cricket Board “appear to have come at this late stage” is true of Hashan Tillekaratne, and it is disappointing to find that after making the allegations – and vague ones at that – he has failed to provide any more information and now appears to have gone missing. But the statement of making allegations at a late stage is certainly not true of Arjuna Ranatunga. He has been saying these for a long time.
We should also not bring in their current political leanings into this discussion and allow them to cloud our judgment. We should remember also that Arjuna Ranatunga was making these allegations even when he was on the government benches.
Nor are the allegations confined to members of the Opposition. Surely, we cannot have forgotten so soon how in June last year, the then new Minister of Sport, CB Ratnayake grandly declared, as reported by the Daily Mirror, that “In this country there are three most corrupt institutions. The Education Department, the Police Department and Sri Lanka Cricket. Give me one week and I will clean this up, I am not a tool in anybody’s hands. If those responsible have to be taken to court they will be in court”. Well, whatever happened after those brave words? One thing, for sure. CB Ratnayake did not remain Minster of Sport for much longer.