Double standards by BCCSL (3 April 1999)

3 April 1999

Double standards by BCCSL

Sa'adi Thawfeeq

It seems the Board of Control for Cricket in Sri Lanka (BCCSL) is adopting double standards when it comes to picking men to administer the game and, to forming the Selection Committee.

The BCCSL adopts one rule in terms of administration, where administrators have had to play the game at top most domestic level. But the BCCSL doesn't consider it necessary that the selectors they recommend to the Sports Minister should have played at national level at least for a few years.

When the BCCSL is so emphasising that administrators should play first-class cricket to sit in the ExCo, they take a totally different stand when picking the right people to represent the Selection Committee. They don't mind having selectors who have not played representative cricket coming in at the expense of a former Sri Lanka cricketer like T. B. Kehelgamuwa.

Five names have gone to the Sports Minister for approval, some in the guise of chairman of the regional selection committee who have not played cricket at the highest level. The names have to be ratified yet.

The dumping of Kehelgamuwa and K. M. Nelson from the selection committee is seen by knowledgeable cricket sources as they were obstacles when it came to team selections. These two men who were not frightened to call a spade a spade, objected to the inclusion of a certain player in the World Cup squad and have paid the penalty.

It would also be pertinent to raise the question why the wicket-keeper selected to replace Romesh Kaluwitharana for the Pepsi three-nation tournament in India (Prasanna Jayawardene) was not given a single match. He had been highly recommended by one of the selectors who had gone as manager on the Sri Lanka under 19 tour to India. The questions asked in cricket circles is whether he was kept away to allow a part-time wicket-keeper to clinch his place in the World Cup squad.

The area which has to be strengthened by top rung Sri Lankan cricketers is definitely the Selection Committee. But where the BCCSL has got its priorities mixed up is that it has people who have played top class domestic and national cricket in its administration stream.

Cricketers are not the best of administrators and it has been proved in the case of the present secretary where seven sets of minutes were outstanding. We understand that they were also of very poor quality.

In the past the BCCSL had non cricketers who have been secretaries, and who have had an impeccable record. The ExCo comprised a mixture of top administrators and cricketers. There were at least six or seven graduates or professionals who sat alongside the cricketers. The blend therefore was richer and there was quality in the debates. In their absence, today's ExCo is poorer by quality.

The poor administration we see today is due to the overemphasis on people who have played cricket at the top most level and those who have represented the country.

If you take the qualification of today's average cricketer, he has not gone past the senior level. In the current team not a single member has gone to university. So it is easy to see why the administration side is so poor and why it is unable to do anything to stop the rot of 15 defeats in the last 20 one-day internationals by the national team.

Source :: Daily News (https://www.lanka.net)