Good that the Kiwis have confirmed tour

Cricketers,administrators and cricket fans heaved a sigh of relief when it was known that the New Zealanders have confirmed their tour of Sri Lanka from August 10 to September 20 for Three Test matches and Five one-day internationals.

A few days before the International Cricket Council meeting in Dubai last week, New Zealand Cricket had voiced security concerns and said they would be making a study of the security situation here before committing. But at the ICC meeting the Kiwis confirmed the tour to Sri Lanka.

Great news

Now that was great news and the Kiwis can expect water tight security during their tour and they would be free to concentrate and play the game,keeping in mind that the game”s the thing.

On two previous tours the New Zealand cricketers were witness to two bomb blasts and so their security concerns could be understood. Now the security situation in the country has improved and when Kiwi tour time comes around, Sri Lanka would be a free country again and teams could tour without any fear and play the game.

With the Kiwis confirming, Pakistan too have confirmed their tour here from June 27 to August 10 which means that there would be a surfeit of cricket in the country, with more tours from foreign countries likely. Cricket fans in the country will have the opportunity of watching their heroes in action.

Much improved

The Kiwis under left arm spinning allrounder Daniel Vettori are a much improved side and have in their ranks many exciting performers in Ross Tayeor. Jesse Ryder and Brendon McCallum whose names come to mind. They too are concentrating on youth facing their challenges of the future.

When the Kiwis fly in,one incident that those cricketers were witness too would come to mind. And that was this. When Muttiah Muralitheran left his crease to congratulate Kumar Sangakkara who reached his century in the first of two runs they ran.a fielder threw the ball to wicklet keeoper McCallumwho whipped off the bails and appealed and the umpire ruled Muralitheran out.

While the action of the Kiwis and the decision of the umpire was legal, it was the spirit of the game that was lowered.

Having said that, it must and what is accepted today is that winning is the thing and to hell with the spirit and all that jazz.

Gamini Dissanayake

My comments on the late Gamini Dissanayake”s farewell speech to the Cricket Board officials last week. Prompted an avalanche of calls congratulating me for remembering an hero of our times and to whom Sri Lanka”s cricket should be eternally grateful.

More unforgettable moments of the great man come to mind and one that is still vivid in my memory was what he told me once. In those days too,like now there were splits in the administration. Not only did he have to solve the cricketing problems, but he had to also endeavour to cure a cancer that was existing in the administration with one man against another.

At one time he was so annoyed and disgusted that prompted him to tell me: “Elmo, it is easy to do politics than to administer the Cricket Board. But Dissanayake who reveled in meeting and facing challenges, rode it all and took cricket to the promised land.

Gratitude

One man who showed his gratitude to Dissanayake was Captain cool Arjuna Ranatunga. The moment Ranatunga and his World Cup winning team of 1995/96 touched down at Katunayake, Ranatunga made it a point to rush with the trophy and let Dissanayake hold it aloft. That was great of Ranatunga.

Ranatunga then also did not forget the man who steered the game in its early stages, the one and only Abu Fuard who also wore himself to the ground to see the game reach the top one-day. The President of the Criket Board at that time was Ana Punchihewa and what happened to Punchihewa a few weeks after this memorable World Cup victory was that he was unceremoniously dethroned, which when the history of the game is written, will find a place in a chapter of the game that should be titled - Cricket”s greatest shame.

First tour

After achieving Test status and after suffering defeat at the hands of the Englishmen in the inaugural Test at the Colombo Oval, the first tour that the Lankan cricketers undertook was the one for a Three Test tour of Pakistan.

I pride myself of being the first journalist to tour and cover that tour for the now defunct ‘Times Group”, like I did scoring the first century when one-day cricket was introduced to the country in 1972. That was the Browns Group trophy. I scored the century for Saracens against my old club the Tamil Union at Rifle Green.

Man for all seasons

Stung to the quick by the defeat in Pakistan,Dissanayake was determined to avenge that defeat and the next tour was to England. Dissanayake handed over the team to that man for all seasons R. Rajamahendren who also held the post of vice president of the Cricket Board. What Rajamahendren did to that team and to see to its success is history now.

And the cricketers obliged by proving that they were going to be cricketers to be feared in the future by thrashing the England attack for well over 400 runs and stunning the Englishmen by holding them to a draw in their own back yard and grabbing the major honours. The happiest men were Dissanayake and Rajamahendren.