Oh, to be a cricketer! (4 July 1999)

4 July 1999

Oh, to be a cricketer!

Lloyd Fernando

Limited over cricket has been such big business in this country these days that it is slowly but surely displacing the standard recognised vocations long embedded into our post colonial culture and way of life, namely, law, medicine, engineering, and in more recent times, accountancy - which have been the much sought after areas of learning, in the fervent hope of attaining the status of lawyers, doctors, engineers and accountants respectively; even the Administrative Service is playing second fiddle to 'professional cricket.'

From what we gather, 'sky's the limit' in respect of the pay packets, allowances and the perks doled out to the cricketers at the national level and the one day international super level. Higher salaries and lucrative payments have been the criteria by which mere mortals select their places in their working life. So, is it any wonder that 'cricketing' has now become a 'as a matter of course' profession in this land - and, of course, with almost a hundred per cent job satisfaction which very few of the other professionals can boast of.

Not very long ago, in an elite Colombo school, the little boy was asked by his class teacher, for the purpose of filling up a standard form, the basic family details and when it came to the question of 'Father's Occupation', the teacher asked: 'Tissa, what does your father do?' to which the junior unhesitatingly replied, 'He plays golf!' Well, that's the shape of things to come, the only difference would be that 'he would then be playing cricket!'

Professional cricket, if we must have it that way, let's go ahead but we have got to follow a set of norms - rules and regulations that should guide the cricketers in their day to day lives and business. And, if cricket be their profession, let's have a code of ethics, and play the game well, to the best of one's ability and in accordance to the laws laid down and practising it to preserve its good name and healthy public relations like any other growing public enterprise.

Professionalism needs both education and experience, and quite a few of our all island cricketers have been educated and trained in the art and mechanics of the willow and the power and the potential of the leather ball for better for worse in Test cricket and the one-day game, and experience they have in surfeit with most of them in their 'thirties' counted as 'senior players.'

Limited over cricket is predominantly in favour of the batsmen, and there is no limit to his batsmanship, whereas the bowler is restricted to 10 overs and in a delayed or interrupted match even less, with a restricted field in the first fifteen overs. Furthermore, the bowler cannot stray outside the stumps as wides are called by the umpire. Under these circumstances, since our forte is batting, we should have done very much better. With such a team comprising a few of international repute and led by one who had been looked upon as one of the best in the world, we fared so shamelessly in the first round of the '99 World Cup to lose every match except the two played against Zimbabwe and Kenya.

The team's worst performance was with India - a humiliating massacre at Taunton. The contribution made by each member of the team has already gone into the record books as their overwhelming generosity for others to have created cricketing records for posterity, against Sri Lanka.

It is true the climatic conditions were not in their favour, the pitches were uneven and wet, and the ball swung, making it rather difficult for the batsmen to negotiate, and the ball was not the usual one used in these encounters - and we might also add that often the toss did not come off the way the team wanted. But surely, the team could have had a taste of the conditions on their international tours, and a special study should have been made of the conditions pertaining to the English weather vis-a-vis the World Cup tournament venues. After all, BCCSL has had enough resources to carry out a comprehensive World Cup survey of this nature. Wasn't the retention of the World Cup we won in 1996, our primary objective? If so, how far had we gone or what steps did we take towards achieving the target? Almost every match our cricketers played cost all Sri Lankans their national pride at international level, with so much frustration and agony.

We have been fooled and badly let down, for, everyone of us, in no small measure, with even the 'cup that cheers' in relaxed moments, we have contributed in the form of a subtle tax, to that 'Fund' to make our 'team' the best cricket playing nation in the world by the year 2000. Before we live to see the reverse of this target, let's all pull together to lift Sri Lanka out of the rut it has fallen into.

In the sports world of Sri Lanka, there are sportsmen of unblemished quality who, with a sincerity of purpose are willing to sacrifice their time, wealth and energy, for the sake of the uplift of cricket in the country. Let's pick on them to reconstitute a strong, knowledgeable and innovative Board brimming with integrity and honesty to guide the destiny of the genletmen's game in this part of the world. Behaviour important

If our main stream cricketers have tagged themselves as 'professionals' or 'chartered cricketers' as the present trend goes, then, for God's sake let them have a sense of responsibility while out their in the field like any other professional - and why not, for, they comprise a national team representing the country as a whole. So, whatever that do in batting, bowling or fielding, or in any other capacity, each and everyone of them is responsible to the State. It may be well for them to pay a little more attention to their behaviour, their attitudes and platitudes while out there in the field in the eyes of the world through the electronic media. They are paid handsomely to do a job of work and let them like all professionals make optimum use of their skills and learning to 'deliver the goods' in the best possible manner. If not, it's time we organise a retiring or pension scheme for them, for, there are so many with so much talent around the country to do Sri Lanka proud in this hour of shame!

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