SL: BCCSL Must Make Use Of Lamb's TCCB Appointment (8 Jun 1996)

8 June 1996

S Thawfeeq

BCCSL must make best use of Tim Lamb`s TCCB appointment

The Board of Control for Cricket in Sri Lanka (BCCSL) should get moving and try to make the maximum use of the appointment of Tim Lamb as the next chief executive of the Test and County Cricket Board (TCCB).

Lamb, a former Middlesex and Northamptonshire cricketer and administrator is due to take over the post from former England cricketer Alan Smith on November 1.

Smith who succeeded Donald Carr to the post in 1987 is due to retire on reaching 60 at the end of October.

Lamb`s appointment to the post of TCCB`s chief executive may just be the blessing the BCCSL needs in its endeavour for a three-Test series with England and, there`s no better person to take on the task to pursue the matter than the former BCCSL secretary Nuski Mohamed.

Mohamed who is residing in England, is a close friend of Lamb, the friendship going back to the days when the late Gamini Dissanayake was the president of the BCCSL in the eighties.

It is no secret that the relationship the BCCSL developed with the TCCB during Mohamed`s tenure of office as secretary during the Dissanayake era is still strong. Mohamed is still a respected figure at Lord`s being an invitee to the important games played on that hallowed ground.

This is where the BCCSL has a responsibility of making use of Mohamed`s connection`s with the new TCCB executive secretary to pursue the task of not only getting Sri Lanka a three-Test series, but also tours at junior level - an area which the BCCSL has overlooked in the past.

Smith has been accused by the London-based `Sri Lanka Today` magazine of refusing to alter the TCCB plan to include a three- Test series in Sri Lanka although the TCCB altered their plan to give South Africa and the West Indies more matches.

Sri Lanka are due to play only one-off Tests during their visits to England in 1998 and 2002.

Since Sri Lanka won the World Cup in March this year, pressure has been mounting on the TCCB to grant a three-Test series, which is long overdue.

Since playing the inaugural Test in February 1982, England has treated Sri Lanka rather shabbily in relation to where Test cricket is concerned. They have given the World Cup champions only four further one-off Tests in 13 years, the last of which played in 1993 was won by Sri Lanka.

Over 100 members of parliament from the House of Commons signed an early day motion backing the campaign launched by `Sri Lanka Today` magazine urging the TCCB to grant a three-Test series to Sri Lanka.

Further, the following two letters published in the April and May issues of `Wisden Cricket Monthly` prove that even the Englishmen feel that a great injustice is being done to Sri Lanka.

David J. Drinkwater of Belmont, Durham writes: "In the light of recent events, when will the cricket fans of this country be allowed the pleasure of seeing the most entertaining international cricket team of the moment welcomed here for a full tour ?

"The TCCB`s treatment of Sri Lanka in recent years has been unfair in most eyes, and Aravinda de Silva`s contribution to last season`s B & H Cup final merely proved the point. There is no need to worry - the world champions will generate gate receipts, and would have done so over the last two or three years``.

Jason Dare of Wolverhampton, West Midlands writes : "I have enjoyed the TV coverage of the World Cup, especially the glimpses of the `minor` teams like Holland and Kenya. I know Holland take part in our NatWest Trophy, but why don`t we ask Kenya to come here for a tour ?

"And when will the exciting Sri Lankans be back here ? I rang the TCCB to ask when Sri Lanka`s next tour here would be, and they thought it would be some time early in the next century ! What more do they have to do to earn a proper tour of England``?

Lamb (44) is no stranger to Sri Lanka having come here twice - first as manager of the England Under 19 side captained by Michael Atherton in 1986-7 and then as the TCCB`s cricket secretary during the England `A` tour in 1990-91. He has been a close follower of Sri Lanka cricket and his last visit here five years ago, was to meet the then elected officials of the BCCSL and, to keep in touch with the development of the game here. Such is his concern towards Sri Lanka cricket.

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