The Minister?s Puppet and
Muppet-gate
Dilrook Kannangara
Veteran cricketer Samson Atapattu created news by calling the Sri Lanka
Cricket selectors Muppets headed by a joker; notice how he carefully
avoided the term ‘puppet’ which is the commonly used term
in Sri Lanka among the two. Why? Is it because he is the puppet of the
minister as it was the minister who by-passed the selectors and appointed
him, just like Sri Lankan ministers habitually make appointments in
the public sector? Besides in the public sector the other employees
are scared of the minister’s appointee and only the politico henchman
is outspoken about the others! Samson’s hot air was reported like
fresh air by the hungry Australian media that is notorious of humiliating
touring teams. The degree of it’s exploitation by the Australia
media is evident in the article appeared in the Sydney Morning Herald
titled “Marv the mouth has his backers” by Chloe Saltau November
12, 2007.
“The players are said to share Atapattu's disillusionment, and
have given the distinct impression until yesterday's defiant batting
of resignation in the first of two Tests with a lacklustre bowling performance,
four dropped catches on the opening day and brittle batting in the first
innings.” How can a senior player play into the beak of these vultures?
An important consideration is whether Samson was actually ready for
the tour (he was not ready for a previous series) or he merely consented
just because the Sports Minster wanted him to play.
Never had a Sri Lankan cricketer fallen to such low ebb to the rank
of a ‘pandampattu’ of a minister’s appointee!
An eye opener for politicos
This incident should be an eye opener for politicians (and definitely
not the selectors) not to get involved in cricket. The last time a politician
got involved was when the President intervened in the case of Sanath
Jayasuriya which was a good decision not because of the politician but
rather because of the exceptionally good cricketer. The same cannot
be said about the thirty seven year old who by passed all grievance
handling procedures that are in place and made a ‘statement’
detrimental to the spirit of the game, the team in which he is a member
(although he lacks team spirit) and the country. His conduct is akin
to a defecting politician.
Another big blunder was made in 1994 when a controversial selection
process initiated by a politician culled the best players in the team.
It is time therefore politicians keep out of cricket that serves both
cricket and politics.
What’s wrong with the selectors?
Blaming the selectors is a common practice not only restricted to Sri
Lanka. Australian selectors were blamed for not including Stuart Clerk
in the World Cup squad though he had a chance consequent to Bret Lee
sustaining an injury.
The Sri Lankan selectors have done really well in sustaining the right
balance of experienced and young players amidst political interferences.
There are enough young players in the squad and there was no need for
a thirty seven year old to play. All above thirty players in the team
are vital assets as they still perform very well and provide valuable
guidance and support to the youngsters. Their worth is even more heightened
at times when there are a few veterans setting bad examples.
However, the introduction of new players has been slower than in the
1980s mainly due to the presence of a professional band of cricketers
who continue perform well. The careful process of selection and induction
of talented youngsters must be continued so that there is no collapse
in the continuation of the game. They have already factored in the anticipated
repercussions of Vass, Jayasuriya and Murali nearing retirement. As
a result there is a second tier of players who can take their place
though the veterans are still irreplaceable. In this sense it was Samson
who ruined a youngster’s chance to play in Australia!
The blunders of the 1997-2000 cricket administration must be avoided
at all costs. There was no proper induction of young players after we
won the World Cup in 1996 until after the early exit from the 1999 World
Cup. Apart from appointing a panel of selectors who came up with a disastrous
team selection, the Cricket Board at that time had other irregularities
including fraud and corruption. Its no wonder that they came to power
after a gun trotting election. Given the taste of money and corruption,
these unruly elements still attempt to rob the cookie jar and they must
be stopped for the sake of the game.
The fact that there cannot be the perfect team and the perfect panel
of selectors must be acknowledged. Losing a test match to Australia
in Australia is definitely not the fault of the selectors! It is also
a fact that there can be only eleven players in the team and if Upul
Chandana is to be brought back, someone has to go!
Selection defects evidenced from consistent poor performance, lack
of team spirit and the absence of a long term plan must be taken into
account by the authorities and accordingly change the panel. A higher
level grievance handling procedure to look into the shortcomings of
the selectors may be appointed after consulting the players.
Captaincy woes and growing old gracefully
Sanath Jayasuriya was the best captain we had until 2005 in terms of
his success rate; not only in winning the highest percentage of matches
but also for winning the toss! His performance showed no sign of the
captaincy burden affecting his performance. He was mysteriously replaced
by Samson Atapattu in 2002 as the ODI captain; Hashan the test captain!
However in 2005 Mahela Jayawardena was appointed captain and since has
won the award for the best captain. He was quite younger than Samson
and the veteran had to play under him. Though at national level such
petty schoolboy issues like jealousy and open-cries are generally absent,
the recent conduct of the thirty seven year old suggests a possible
otherwise.
Another possible reason might be the Ranatunga connection; Samson’s
brother-in-law is Sanjeewa Ranatunga. The former legendary captain has
not been a Sri Lanka fan for a long time.
If Samson tries to humiliate Sanath by being vague about the ages thirty
seven….thirty eight, he is nothing but ungrateful to his teammates
and the selectors who tolerated his six ducks in his 1990/91 début.
He leaves Sri Lankan international cricket the same way he came in,
with only ducks to his credit!
Retiring disgracefully is not the way to grow old gracefully! With his
orthodox and tidy style of batting, Samson has a responsibility to inculcate
these qualities among the younger players. Strangely, in spite of his
high technical competence, no new player at the national level seems
to emulate him! This is in wide contrast to how Sanath, Vass, Murali,
Aravinda, Kalu, Mahanama, etc. have set trends followed by younger players
at the national level.
Sri Lanka Cricket should learn from the recent ugly event to train the
cricketers (and selectors) on matters not directly connected but incidental
to cricket. These include PR management, English speaking skills, on-field
stress management and general good manners. Although Sri Lankans have
always behaved well, emerging challenges require the sharpening of soft
skills.
Cricket is more than batting a ball around and scoring a few runs; it
is a gentlemen’s game. Making a personal statement detrimental
to the national team is certainly not a gentlemanly act
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