The Chesterfield Files

As for the appointment of a ‘shadow coach,’ is this to help the fielding coach? Or the bowling coach? Or is this one of those ad-hoc appointments that means nothing?

It has been quite an interesting seven days. New coaching positions announced and with it an amusing conundrum over a title.

Along with this is Ijaz Butt and Pakistan throwing more toys over the International Cricket Council decision to strip Pakistan of their hosting rights and Rajasthan Royals having a second bowler cited with a suspect action.

Yet as we move towards the ICC World T20 (get it Yahaluweni – there is only one World Cup and ICC T20 is not a World Cup event), there is word out in Maitland Place suggesting that these days, only Colombo and Dambulla have international venues of note and this, among other decisions, makes you wonder about those running the Interim Committee.

Perhaps they are losing their marbles as well. Not too surprising when in the itinerary of the Pakistan tour, Galle is to host the first Test. Perhaps, the Interim Committee’s secretary Nishantha Ranatunga might like to explain this in detail. Galle is a recognised Test and international venue, although it is some time since they have played a limited overs international at the venue.

Or just maybe Sri Lanka Cricket’s IC members, in their ‘wisdom’ feel that Galle doesn’t exist. That the tsunami of 2004 wiped the town off the map as it were and the United Nations living heritage site is a figment of over-imaginative tourists. And that Virender Sehwag scored the double century he rates as his best Test innings against Sri Lanka last year in cloud cuckoo land.

Or just maybe those in Maitland Place don’t want to acknowledge Galle International with the best facilities in the country as an international venue. In history, it is far older than Colombo and the people in the town are not out to rip you off, as they do in some snobbish areas of Colombo. There are genuine types in Galle.

Anyway, Sri Lanka Cricket recently announced their contracted players for 2009 and this comes after much talk coming from the now not so new Interim Committee about the selection process. What this suggests is how so little has changed except for the names on the interim committee and one which produces a world first: As for the appointment of a ‘shadow coach’ is this to help the fielding coach? Or the bowling coach? Or is this one of those ad-hoc appointments that mean nothing?

Apart from being more gibberish and gobbledegook, a couple of contacts in South Africa would like to know just what the purpose of a ‘shadow coach’ is other than a freebie trip for ‘A’ Team coach Chandika Haturasinghe to England next month. Just who came up with the cockeyed idea is going to make the team’s management, already overloaded, look a little foolish with nine members. Is this really necessary?

Maybe because the term ‘assistant to the assistant’ didn’t seem quite right, so they came up with a ghostly name like ‘shadow coach’ as if it genuinely means anything at all. Or is it something out of the closet at SLC headquarters, as there are enough of them?

Or just maybe, the Interim Committee, has picked up on John Buchanan’s idea with the Kolkata Knight Riders, and have decided to have multiple coaches instead of multiple captains. The word around SLC is that Haturasinghe has been rewarded for all the favours he has performed for friends and obviously influential supporters around the club scene, at the expense of good honest Sri Lankan players who perform year after year without reward, or recognition.

Firstly, as an ex-employee of a particular Sri Lanka bank, it is known that he has joined forces with selector Don Anurasiri, another employee of the same bank, to help promote players from the bank to earn contract status within SLC’s squads. It is also known how he aided the Tamil Union Cricket and Athletic Club’s Influential cricket administrators in advancing his position within SLC, in exchange for directing young players to play with TUAC, and helping players with influential parents’ advance, when it is patently obvious such players fail to impress.

The first example is how Haturasinghe opposed the inclusion of Tharanga Paranavithana in the ‘A’ team in 2008, demanding instead that Kanchana Gunawardene be included.

Fortunately, chairman of selectors, Ashantha de Mel stood his ground on this selection issue and rightly included Paranavithana in the ‘A’ team. However, Haturasinghe sought the aid of K. Mathivanan to intervene and demand that the selectors include Paranavithana and Gunawardene in the ‘A’ squad. Maybe the relationship between Haturasinghe and Anurasiri with the Gunawardene family is the reason for his devotion to young Kanchana.

It is known that Paranavithana is the top performing batsman in domestic cricket and should have been awarded a national contract, ahead of Upul Tharanga, who has not performed for some time, but who obviously enjoys the support of the influential members of his club, who ensure that he stays in the fold.

Take also the case of Isuru Udana, the young and inexperienced medium pace bowler, from Tamil Union, who has had a rapid rise to national scene, as has Suranga Lakmal, another Tamil Union player. Let us have a good a look at their performances in detail. Udana took 16 wickets in the premier league, 10 in the provincial arena, and 16 in the provincial T20 series.

Yet Suranga Lakmal took 23 wickets at premier league level and 11 provincial T20 wickets. Lakmal toured Pakistan with the national side and Udana is going to the ICC T20 event in England.

Now for something that was brought to my attention while paying a courtesy call to a club in Colombo where they say how national fast bowling coach Anusha Samaranayake is now suggesting that Udana is the replacement for Chaminda Vass. As Udana has just played his first game against the Bangladesh Academy for the SLC development squad and failed to take any wickets, it makes you wonder on what does he base these claims.

Little wonder is it not, that there are those in Sri Lanka senior club circles who view Samaranayake’s comments as an insult to Vass, Sri Lanka’s great pace bowler who is internationally respected. If this then is his opinion, maybe the spotlight should now turn on Samaranayake and his ability to do this job competently. It is felt by insiders that he has neither the ability nor experience and is failing in his role. You do not make such claims about bowlers like Vaas unless there is a good reason. Well, that is their opinion, and it may have some substance.

Looking through the list of pace bowlers missing out on senior and ‘A’ team contracts, I came across the name Tharanga Lakshitha, in the Premier League who took 35 wickets, and 12 at provincial level and in the domestic T20 there were 11 wickets to his name. He also has the best Individual performance with the ball in provincial cricket (7 for 59) and the best individual performance in provincial T20 of five for 16, yet he only warrants a development squad contract.

It is obvious that he does not need development – instead he needs opportunity, and Udana and Lakmal need development. Maybe this is why when the development squad tour to Bangladesh was announced, Udana, an ‘A’ team contracted player was included in the development squad and development squad member, Lakshitha was left at home. Questions no one wants to answer.

Tharanga Lakshitha is from the small town of Matara, in what is also known as ‘Sanath Country’ and where Mahinda Rajapakse, the Sri Lankan president is from. Now Lakshitha is overlooked by the current selection committee. He is deserving at least of an ‘A’team contract, while Jewan Mendis, another from the same bank as Anurasiri has been rewarded with a contract for under achieving.

As for other issues, Butt and the Pakistan Cricket Board have been blamed for the security problems surrounding the Lahore Test on day three. In an unsourced story that also hit the internet in South Africa, Butt and his sycophant scoundrels have been fingered by Mr. Justice Shabbar Raza Rizvi who led a tribunal into the security arrangements and found the PCB wanting.

In this, they should take full blame and think about this as they tackle the ICC over stripping them on their hosting rights of CWC11. The way matters are progressing in Pakistan, the country is battling for its ‘political life’ and who knows who will be in charge 22 months down the line. You had better hope that the murderous Taliban are not in control. That would be the end of cricket as we know it in Pakistan. They have no respect for human rights and blow up statues of the Buddha.

While all this is going on, the Indian Premier League have another bowler cited for a suspect action. Rajasthan Royals bowler Amit Singh has been reported twice by the umpires, but the IPL technical committee now say that the bowler will not be subject to corrective action. Although reported under note three of Law 24, there is little difference between the actions of Kamran Khan and Amit Singh. It really makes you wonder if umpires unhappy with the action should not take action and call them on the field. It might shake up the IPL and its technical committee.