Ajith Perera: Paraplegic should have prominent position in ICC (24 December 1998)

24 December 1998

Ajith Perera: Paraplegic should have prominent position in ICC

Electronic Telegraph

IT IS the season of goodwill, so here is a small proposal for a decision by the International Cricket Council after Christmas which would mix good sense with a little charity. When they meet on Jan 10 and 11 in Christchurch and decide, as they must and will, to set up their own inquiry into allegations of corruption in cricket, they should appoint to a prominent and paid position on the panel one Ajith Perera.

Only the buffest of cricketing buffs will know who I mean, other than those who came across him on the cricket field. A highly qualified analytical chemist with wide managerial experience in the pharmaceutical industry, Perera was also a passionate cricketer. He played in top-grade cricket in Sri Lanka for the University of Colombo and for 17 years umpired in his own country and in England, taking the trouble to pass umpiring and scoring exams set by the Association of Cricket Umpires and Scorers (now an essential requirement for first-class umpires in England).

Having taken 14 weeks' leave to stand in league and county second XI cricket in Lancashire in 1990, he did sufficiently well to be appointed to stand in the Sri Lanka v New Zealand Test match in Colombo in November 1992. A few days before the match he was driving in a storm through the middle of Colombo when a huge tree fell on to his car and crushed him. Damage to his spinal cord has left him a paraplegic.

However, Perera remains optimistic. "I am a paraplegic so far," he says of his condition, leaving room for hope that he will recover but that is not, it seems, the probable outcome. The Royal Society of Chemistry in London, of which body Perera was already a fellow, paid for a rehabilitation programme in England which has enabled him to live independently. He has continued work as a chartered chemist and two years ago completed an overhaul of the playing conditions and tournament regulations for all levels of cricket in Sri Lanka.

He yearns, however, to do more for cricket and not just in Sri Lanka. Asked why he has not been appointed as a third umpire for Test cricket, which would have seemed an obvious job for a qualified but immobile official, Perera told me sorrowfully: "There are no facilities for paraplegics at any of the Colombo Test grounds. None of the grounds and 90 per cent of public buildings in Colombo have no lifts. Going to the toilet becomes a major effort."

The Sri Lankan board paid Perera effusive compliments for his work on playing conditions, reporting that he had "not only identified very many critical and major shortcomings but given effective remedial solutions, wording them with utmost care and foresight". Carlton Bernadus, chairman of the tournament committee, added: "No monetary payments could ever compensate for the great personal sacrifices made [by Perera] in the interests of Sri Lankan cricket."

Muttiah Muralitharan also had Perera to thank for the written defence of his bowling action after he was called for throwing in Australia. Effectively arguing that Muralitharan was physically unable to straighten his right arm, he helped him to carry on bowling despite scrutiny from the ICC's panel of experts on throwing.

Knowledgable, computer-literate, experienced, immensely enthusiastic and worldly wise, Perera is anxious to find another role in cricket. The ICC could choose no-one better, it seems, to co-ordinate a thorough investigation into corruption and to help to produce guidelines to avoid any repetitions.

Source :: Electronic Telegraph (https://www.telegraph.co.uk)