In never before witnessed scenes of shady conduct and unholy behavior, Sri Lanka’s once adored cricketers have unwittingly revealed another world, a secret world to their conduct that runs deeper, wider and darker to which little or no attention was paid in the past until a social media cameraman blew the lid open capturing some of their off-field frolics in England.
For years cricketers with little or no education, no social responsibility or regards for national dignity, unable to handle fame and wealth have ruled the roost and even dictated terms to their keepers who themselves have plenty of skeletons in their own cupboards that has now culminated in a public outrage amid calls for a complete clean-up of the rot
Administrators of cricket are now being asked that if their players can indulge in sleazy behaviour during a current healthcare and pandemic awareness, it can be imagined how they conducted themselves in the pre-Covid era as they made headlines for the wrong reasons.
For critics of the administration of Sri Lanka Cricket with an axe to grind, the revelations have brought them plenty of fodder at a time they did not have even a straw to cling to that has now forced the decision makers to realise they don’t need to sit tight any longer while the public have already given their verdict.
“When it comes to indiscipline or rule violation on the part of players, our stand is zero tolerance,” said Sri Lanka Cricket Chief Executive Ashley de Silva.
“When an inquiry is conducted over any player we also take into account their past records of misconduct, warnings and all other decisions taken against them.”
But none of the administrators of Sri Lanka Cricket over the past 10 years will be able to hide the fact that a complete breakdown of morals, standards and responsibility took place with none of the miscreants subjected to stringent sanction.
Two months ago one of the players with a perverse history was ordered to follow counselling, a far cry from the days of gentlemen cricketers like Roy Dias, Sidat Wettimuny, Rumesh Ratnayake, Ranjan Madugalle, Graeme Labrooy and several others who took pride in sporting the emblem of ambassadorship.
“We knew that people watched us not for bad conduct but for what they wanted to see in us and we were honoured when they came to us for autographs and photographs. Our signatures and pictures must now be worth the weight in gold for them (cricket followers) today”, said one of them.
Last week former World Cup champion of 1996, Sanath Jayasuriya dropped a bombshell when he declared at a video discussion that kickbacks and under-the-table deals were rampant among some players and their private managers who are seen as commission agents for authorised corruption.
Insiders claim that private business in the form of product endorsements and the numerous T20 franchise cricket leagues taking place in various cricket-playing countries have corrupted the minds of mismanaged players that led to a current contract row with Sri Lanka Cricket.