There had been and are disparaging letters in all news papers on the defeat of our cricket team in the finals of Twenty-20 match played at Lords. Out of all letters, I pick up the letter of Fr. Vimal Tirimanne, CSs R, Kandy where he says, "I must register my utter disgust at the way our national cricket team threw away the finals of the twenty-20 at Lords." His disgust appears to be at the inclusion of Jehan Mubarak and Chamara Silva, when he says, "What on earth both Chamara Silva and Jehan Mubarak were doing with regard to their batting, no one knows". If Fr. Tirimanne does not know what the two batsmen were doing, let me remind him of Mubarak’s contribution in one of the matches where he carried the bat away with the skipper Kumar Sangakkara after sending the ball over the ropes repeatedly. Then coming to Chamara Silva, Fr. Trimanne has forgotten the contribution made by Chamara Silva for Dilshan to score 96 runs not out, but rotating the runs and giving Dilshan most of the balls to face and had a partnership of 50 runs.

These uncharitable remarks make the players demoralized.

What is required is to play the game. It is not the win or loss that matters but the spirit in which it is played. Well done Kumara Sangakkara and his team.

In conclusion, your editorial Losing to a Friend is no Pain is praiseworthy and gentlemanly. That should be the spirit,