With no new World Cup to celebrate, Sri Lanka’s ageing cricket champions of 1996 are frowning on both the sport’s administration and the team whose pride has sunk to the bottom of the rankings 25 years down the line at a time when its keepers aim to stick around for two more years.
For the silver-haired Arjuna Ranatunga and his band of one time heart throbs, the environment they find themselves in could not have been more toxic as the former south paw wished he was not around to mark the occasion in the presence of one of the country’s die hard fans Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa.
Confessing he was forced to hold back his emotions after seeing some of the faces in the current cricket administration who are facing a public investigation over financial misdeeds and power abuse, Ranatunga rued his worst fears could lie ahead.
“When I saw some faces I wanted to turn back,” declared Ranatunga. “But out of concern for you (Prime Minister) who patronised us when we were a team with less recognition, I decided not to”.
Wednesday’s ceremony was initiated by Prime Minister Rajapaksa who was a man of less importance in 1996 than he is today.
Referring to what he called ‘foreign garbage’ at the expense of home grown coaching expertise, Ranatunga said the country was been drained of its precious dollars and it was time the rot is cleaned up.
“I don’t think anyone outside Sri Lanka can tell us how to bat better than we can say and do. If this is not checked I see worse times ahead”, Ranatunga warned.
His outburst for currently serving administrators to move out, put him on a growing list of super elite cricket followers who have sought a court intervention to abolish a governing system that provides a breeding ground for the personal gains of officials who are seen as private keepers voted in by clubs.
But common cricket followers have their reservations and are skeptical in a highly charged political climate.
“I used to spend most of my time watching cricket and was well rewarded when Sri Lanka won the World Cup 25 years ago. But today, not anymore. I don’t even know the names of some of the players in the team today,” said Justin Kulasekera outside the Prime Minister’s office where the citation was being held as he waited at a bus stop to catch a glimpse of his former heroes pass by.
Like many he sees cricket moving in a direction of no-return.