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PM tosses for the captains

By Sa'adi Thawfeeq

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe was given the rare honour of tossing on behalf of the two captains for the opening match of the ICC Champions trophy between Sri Lanka and Pakistan at the R. Premadasa yesterday.

A fast low flick of the coin sent it spinning into the hot and humid air.

The Prime Minister's hand favoured the Pakistan captain Waqar Younis who called correctly and chose to bat first.

Seldom does a head of a government or state participate in the onfield activities of a cricket match. If not the captains, it is the ICC match referee who performs it.

But it had happened before in an ICC conducted tournament. The second mini-World Cup held in Nairobi two years ago saw Kenyan Prime Minister performing a similar task.

Prior to the toss, the Prime Minister Wickremesinghe had declared open the third edition of the ICC's mini World Cup after the Champions trophy was handed over to him by ICC chairman Malcolm Gray.

"What you see before you is a presentation of what Sri Lanka can offer you," the Prime Minister told the large gathering that was present to witness the opening ceremony. He then accompanied the two captains Sanath Jayasuriya and Waqar Younis to the middle for the toss. Following a splendid and colourful cultural display where around 1500 men and women participated, the ICC trophy was brought on a palanquin carried by four men and accompanied by brightly garbed elephants to the podium, where it was awaited by a distinguished gathering comprising among them, the Prime Minister, Sports Minister Johnston Fernando, the ICC chairman, ICC chief executive Malcolm Speed and Board of Control for Cricket in Sri Lanka interim committee chairman Hemaka Amarasuriya. With the black flag 'ICC Champions trophy Sri Lanka 2002' clearly printed across its span, fluttering strongly in the mid-day breeze, the official song "Rainbow out of sight" was sung by Wildfire, one of Sri Lanka's popular rock bands.

The opening ceremony was performed in grandeur and splendour and, appreciated by the thousands present for the occasion.

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