Ranatunga Sets Up Trust To Help Sri Lankan Cricketers (13 Jul 1996)

13 July 1996

Ranatunga sets up trust to help Sri Lankan cricketers

P Jayaram in Colombo

Sri Lankan captain Arjuna Ranatunga has launched a trust for the advancement of cricket on the island.

The Arjuna Ranatunga Trust is designed to provide facilities for players selected for the national pool, the skipper said.

Despite winning the World Cup, the plight of Sri Lankan cricketers, particularly out-station players selected for the national pool, remained pathetic, Ranatunga added.

These players had to find their own accommodation and fend for themselves while in Colombo. Recently, when he went with his son to call on one of the players he was busy cooking, the skipper said.

"It is very, very said that players have to often cook for themselves. I, too, had to struggle for a long time," he said, recalling his early days in cricket and added, "these things worked very badly on my mind."

The trust would provide accommodation and nourishment to the players by setting up a residential complex.

He said the trust would approach the government for a plot of land in Colombo to set up a building to accommodate 30 players. If there was sufficient land, the complex would also have an indoor net, gymnasium and a swimming pool.

Stressing the need for proper nourishment for players, particularly fast bowlers, Ranatunga said he had seen Sri Lankan players chosen for the MRF training programme in India coming back after putting on weight in just three months. "But in just three days here they lose all that extra weight," he said.

Ranatunga said he and other players had contributed Rs 100,000 for the trust after the Singer Cup series and all of them were keen to do more.

He did not think the Sri Lanka Cricket Board could take up the task and, in an implied criticism, said the board which changed every two years could not expected to have any long-term policy.

"I have gained both material and mental satisfaction from cricket, though the hard way. In order to give back something to the game I love I propose to take upon myself the responsibility of finding the necessary finances for the building," he said.

Source :: Rediff On The NeT (https://www.redifindia.com)