Where Gentlemen's Game Gone ?

After repeated dismal performances by Sri Lankan cricketers, everybody talks about Sri Lanka Cricket, how bad the players' performances are, and how corrupt its officials are on social media platforms.

I have not played much serious cricket in my life, and simply because of that, some call us the “keyboard cricketers”.

I gave up watching Sri Lanka Cricket after what happened at the 2010 World Cup final and have had no interest in the game whatsoever after that, knowing all matches are fixed in some way.

But when those who carry the country's name and do things to tarnish it, whether you are a hardball player or not, and whatever the name was given to us, I think our voices should not be stifled and we should not hesitate to express our feelings and opinions.

I remember some decades ago, one Sri Lankan politician wanted to enter the cricket board, but the rule barred him because he had not played club cricket.

A few days later, I saw him on the field in full attire, and he was placed in a position where the ball was very unlikely to come.

After playing like that for two or three matches, he got eligibility and finally managed to get into the board.

There was an Australian Cricket Board head a few decades ago, but he has not much cricketing background to boast about, just like our politician. 

Still, he was very successful in Australian basketball and took their game to great heights. 

Finally, the Cricket Board decided to call him to take over the board, and during his time, Australians were unbeatable.

That itself is enough proof that all you need is a good leader, not necessarily someone who can Wack a ball out of the park or throw balls down at great speed.

Those who reach the national level have come thus far after going through many fine combs; why do we need a specialized coach in that state?

In exceptional cases, if someone really needs a bit of tweaking, that is where the coach comes in.

Trying to change someone’s natural stance or accent will do more harm than good to the player as well as to the game.

I know someone who was asked to change his bowling accent by our very infamous Mr "No Ball" when he was the bowling coach at that school, and finally, the boy lost his rhythm, pace, and accuracy and ended up with a permanent back injury that shortened his very likely prospective career in cricket.

If national players level too, if we need to fine-tune them, it says that there is a big fault in our filtering system.

Most players who gain access to the national level have poor financial backgrounds, and this is where the usefulness of life coaching comes into play.

Teach them how to stay in their right boot size and try not to mentally outgrow it, how to improve their physical and mental health, and how to manage their reputations, finances, etc.

All that we need is the service of a qualified Life Coach and not any religious bias creeps into the form of life coaching.

Those religious cults have already done enough damage and make sure that all their tentacles are cut so they will not rise like the Phoenix.

If a national player fails to deliver, then the board asks him to play a few local tournament matches and somehow regain his place in the team with some stunning performances.

Have they really played that well, or has any invisible force helped them indirectly reach those milestones?

That is another debatable question.

The level of umpiring at the school and domestic club levels is something that needs to improve significantly if we want real results and real performances, but favouring certain schools, clubs, or individuals openly will not certainly lead to the desired results.

I come from a town where many great cricketers were produced and they have represented Ceylon as well as Sri Lanka, and some of them are well-known to me.

The reference I made regarding the standard of umpiring at the domestic level was based on some of the true stories shared by some of them and my own observations.

Finally, taking the game island-wide and unearthing real talents will be easy.

So, to summarise this in a few points, there are as follows:

• To manage and establish, all you need is someone with proven records, not someone who can only Wack or throw balls at high speed.
• Needing a life coach more than any specialised coach,
• Not to change anyone’s natural stance or accent,
• Improve the level of umpiring at the domestic level,
• Not to confine the game to a few predefined places but to spread it far and wide.