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| Tuesday, 04 January 2005 |
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Take it to the Lord in prayer Comment by Elmo Rodrigopulle When Sri Lanka was playing New Zealand in the first one-dayer, a destructive tidal wave, called Tsunami struck Sri Lanka among other places causing death and devastation. From that moment, it was obvious that the tour had to be abandoned as no right thinking person would want to see sport being played when Tsunami had caused so much suffering, with thousands dead and injured and yet others missing. The Lankan cricketers were right in asking that the tour be aborted and they rush back to be with their loved ones during this calamity. True the International Cricket Council has its laws and dos and donts. But had Sri Lanka Cricket immediately called off the tour and rushed the players back home, the ICC too being humane would certainly have not taken the Sri Lankans to task. To be living in anxiety and fear for nearly four days in Kiwiland not knowing the trauma that their loved ones were living through, watching the destruction unfolding on TV, would have been heartbreaking to the cricketers. Like everything in life, one must not only be physically fit, but above all be mentally fit to perform. This would certainly have not been in the Lankan cricketers get up, and thank the Lord, wiser counsel finally prevailed and the tour which should have been called of after the first break of devastation was finally postponed. New Zealand Cricket and the International Cricket Council would certainly have realised the plight that the Lankan cricketers were in and although reluctantly, finally allowed the Lankan request to postpone the tour. Sri Lanka Cricket shown the way by its President Mohan de Silva and former President Thilanga Sumathipala are playing their innings to perfection and are doing everything possible to ease the pain of the affected. It is now up to the cricketers who have made enough and more to contribute lavishly to ease the burden and suffering of those hit by wicked Tsunami. We are pained no end by what we hear, read and see. Only those who suffered would know. Our hearts go out to those who have lost their loved ones, their belongings and everything. It is said that god's will must be done. It is now left for all to take it to the Lord in prayer and ask that the world be saved from such calamities that we have just seen. Spoil sports It is said that no side would want or like to lose. So it must be with the Pakistani and Bangaladeshi cricketers. They were fronting up to two of the best teams in the game today, and with nothing much to offer capitulated meekly. But while the Bangladeshi supporters seemed to be more understanding, their counterparts in Pakistan were not so. They burnt effigies of captain Inzamum and coach Bob Woolmer and even dashed TV sets on the ground, indicating that they would not want to watch such humilation being heaped on them and the game. And adding fuel to fire was their former firebrand of a captain and coach Javed Miandad, who was particularly severe on Woolmer and accusing him of this debacle hitting out that the coach did not understand the make up of the Pakistani cricketers and their game. During the ICC Champion Trophy in England, and when meeting with Qamar Ahmed one of the respected and widely read and heard Pakistani journalists I asked him for his comments on the appointment of former England player Bob Woolmer as coach. Without batting an eye lid, Ahamed said that Woolmer was a farce where Pakistan cricket was concerned. And hasn't he been proved right? |
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