Blunder, mess, mistake—these were some of the terms used by Sri Lankan pace legend Chaminda Vaas to describe the instability in Sri Lankan cricket as well as the economic and political turmoil that has engulfed the island nation.
Sri Lanka has plunged into its worst economic crisis with an acute shortage of even daily essentials. It led to public protests against the administration that resulted in the resignation of Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa earlier this month. Many current and former Sri Lanka cricketers—from Mahela Jayawardene, Kumar Sangakkara and Bhanuka Rajapaksa on social media to the likes Roshan Mahanama and Marvan Attapattu on the streets there—have spoken up. Vaas did too here on Wednesday.
“I’m not actually into politics but this issue is a bigger mess in Sri Lanka,” Vaas said on the sidelines of a coaching clinic with kids at the Mumbai Cricket Club and Jwala Sports Foundation. “What I see is the mistake our politicians had done in our country. The benefit has gone to them many times, while the people of Sri Lanka are suffering. It’s time to change everything and have the best people and best governance in the country and do something for the future.”
The 48-year-old Sri Lankan painted a concerning picture of the situation in his country while hoping that things turn for the better over the next “3-4 months”.
“It’s not easy. People are lining up in queues waiting for petrol, gas, diesel, even food. But it will take time. It can’t happen in one day. We have to sacrifice for the moment and hopefully better times will come soon,” he said.
Sri Lankan cricket too hasn’t seen much stability in recent times, and Vaas himself has dealt with it. The former left-arm pacer with 355 Test and 400 ODI wickets resigned days after being appointed as Sri Lanka’s fast bowling coach last year over a pay dispute with the board. Sri Lanka Cricket then convinced him to continue as a “fast bowling consultant” after the issues were “amicably resolved”.
Sri Lanka, currently playing a Test in Bangladesh, haven’t had too much success lately. They were whitewashed on their tour to India, lost the T20I series in Australia and also lost to Zimbabwe in an ODI in January. Sri Lanka are playing in the first Test in Bangladesh.
“It’s up to the Sri Lanka administrators and the government to look after it (cricket) and do something better for the future. If they can do that, I think our cricket will be in good hands again,” Vaas said.
“We have enough talent in Sri Lanka. Because of the recent politics, it has been a huge blunder for Sri Lankan cricket when it comes to selection and the players. If Sri Lanka can get those things right, if Sri Lanka can work as a team, we can definitely produce more cricketers in the future.”
Sri Lanka exited in the group stage of last year’s T20 World Cup in the UAE, but their national players are shining in this Indian Premier League. Wanindu Hasaranga, Dushmantha Chameera, Bhanuka Rajapaksa and Maheesh Theekshana have done well for their respective franchises, while Matheesha Pathirana—with his Lasith Malinga-like slingy action—impressed on debut for Chennai Super Kings.
“I’m so glad that in this IPL most of the Sri Lankans have got opportunities and they believe that they can play a bigger role in IPL cricket. The best example is Wanindu; he is a star and has been performing well in the Sri Lankan team as well. The others also are playing their part. It’s good for the future players of Sri Lanka to come and play in the IPL,” Vaas said
courtesy www.hindustantimes.com
