The Sunday Observer-SLT Mobitel School Cricketer Awards Ceremony, considered the pinnacle event in the school cricket calendar, at the BMICH, on December 15 on a grand scale. The Chief Guest was former Sri Lanka Cricket Captain Aravinda de Silva. Transport, Highways and Mass Media Minister Dr. Bandula Gunawardena, Sports and Youth Affairs Minister Roshan Ranasinghe and Media Ministry Secretary and ANCL Chairman Anusha Palpita were among the distinguished gathering. The event culminated with Dunith Wellalage of St. Joseph’s College, Colombo and Vishmi Gunaratne of Gampaha Ratnavali M.V. being crowned Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year and Schoolgirl Cricketer of the Year.
Many awards ceremonies are held in Sri Lanka annually in the fields of literature, beauty, drama, cinema, television and sports. But the Sunday Observer-SLT Mobitel School Cricketer of the Year Awards are different in that it recognises the talents of school cricketers who may one day go on to represent the country at national level. The selections here are done only on merit and no canvassing is possible. No favours are granted to any player(s) under any circumstances. In other words, this is completely different from the average run-of-the-mill awards ceremonies we see in other sectors. Trying to sabotage such an awards ceremony is an ignominy of the highest order.
Cricket in Sri Lanka is administered by Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC). At school level, this is done by the Sri Lanka Schools Cricket Association (SLSCA). Its President is Thilak Waththuhewa, the Principal of Nalanda College, Colombo. Waththuhewa and other officials of the SLSCA boycotted the Sunday Observer-SLT Mobitel School Cricket Awards ceremony held on Thursday.
In Sri Lanka, the word boycott has no real meaning. There are many people who boycott work the next day if they could not sleep properly the previous night. Several trade unionists of the serial loss-making Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) have threatened to boycott work if they are not given their annual bonuses. The country has to go forward with, and in spite of, certain people who do not have the Nation’s interests at heart or any idea about the economic crisis. As far as we know, Waththuhewa and Co. boycotted the Awards Ceremony apparently because they were not given front row seats at the BMICH. However, the organisers had reserved 11 front row seats for Waththuhewa and other SLSCA officials.
However, let us imagine that 20 seats are available in the front row and 40 distinguished persons had been invited. In such a situation, there are two ways in which the seats can be allocated. One such way is to allocate seats according to the official ranking of the invitees. In the other method, one invitee can be seated on the lap of another. This method is not practical at all. It will be completely unbecoming for a SLSCA official to sit on the lap of a VIP invitee or the Lake House Chairman. The alternative, then, is to allocate the 20 seats in the front row according to the official rankings and then allocate seats in the second row for the others. If the SLSCA officials think that the entire front row of the BMICH should have been allocated to them, their next demand might be an award for the SLSCA itself at next year’s awards ceremony.
In other words, the biggest issue here seems to be that some persons who do not have an iota of knowledge on the rules and morals of cricket – on and off the field – are steering the SLSCA. Those who participate in this type of Awards Ceremony must not think of their own comfort for a few hours, but instead share the joy of success with the school cricketers who have won awards for their brilliant performances.
It is indeed doubtful whether these officials even know about concepts such as fair play, an integral part of cricket. The authorities must rescue school cricket from those who have no knowledge or experience of cricket. This type of maladministration and incompetence indeed exists in many other national sports and other bodies. We suggest that the Government should have oversight powers over the selection of officials to bodies such as the SLSCA. Otherwise, these bodies will face decay and neglect.
It is now up to the Education Minister, Sports Minister and Education Authorities to take stern action against the SLSCA President and other SLSCA officials who boycotted the biggest night in the school cricket calendar on flimsy and untenable grounds. Nothing can be more dangerous than having cricket officials who think more of their posterior than the future of emerging school cricket stars who may one day represent the country. Hence, a probe should be conducted against those who blackened an otherwise memorable night and stern action taken.
However, lest this be interpreted as an attempt to interfere with the workings of an independent sports body, an impartial investigative panel possibly with no connection to cricket must be appointed. They can be given a specific time frame to complete their task. Moreover, this could be a good opportunity to take a long, hard look at sport administration at school level (not just cricket) and rectify any shortcomings. It was heartening to note that many of the winners on Thursday night were from outstation schools – the Government and sports authorities must provide all facilities for developing sports in remote schools. It is worth remembering that some of Sri Lanka’s brightest stars in the sports arena came from outstation schools. The authorities should thus ensure a level playing field for emerging sportsmen and women in more ways than one.