National captain needs a cabin

Should a national captain of any sport have a cabin of his own in that sport's headquarters?. That was the question that was posed to me while taking in the action in the Compac Cup match between New Zealand and Sri Lanka at the R. Premadasa Stadium.

Now that question made a lot of sense. My answer to that question was 'Yes'. Today cricket being Sri Lanka's number one sport, the captain Kumar Sangakkara is a much sought after man.

So he must be allowed a cabin at Sri Lanka Cricket Headquarters to meet dignitaries, visitors, to give interviews, answer questions and being the captain he must be having a strong fan mail.

Considering this heavy work load, it will be good if the captain is allowed a cabin for this purpose. Captains of other sport in the country are not in demand or do they have a heavy work load like the national cricket captain does.

Make onerous job of captain that much easy

If a cabin is provided and with a secretary, he or she can take down the appointments, arrange for interviews, answer mail etc. and that will make the onerous job of captain Sangakkara that much easy.

Now what happens is that when interviews are sought, one has to wait for the captain to finish his practice session and then seek cover under some roof or tree to meet the media and give interviews and answer questions.

So Sri Lanka Cricket Interim Committee Chairman D.S. de Silva will do well to give this matter a thought and arrange for a special cabin for the captain. Other cricket playing countries too should give this matter a thought, especially England and Australia whose captains have a heavy work load.

Good on the President and his brother

President Mahinda Rajapaksa and his brother and Presidential Adviser Basil Rajapaksa will earn the encomiums of all sportsmen, women and sport lovers for the special interest that they are showing in sport.

President Rajapaksa is very keen to see to the finishing of the Hambantota Stadium so that it could conduct a 2011 World Cup match. Work on this stadium is going on at a pace and according to Chairman of Sri Lanka Cricket Interim Committee D.S. de Silva, once completed it will be one if not the best in Asia.

Then Basil Rajapaksa on a visit to Jaffna had ordered that the Alfred Duraiappa Stadium should be restored to international standard. At the moment there are sportsmen and women from the North and East participating in sports events held in Colombo which augurs well for sport in these places that were renowned for producing top notch sportsmen and women before the dreaded war broke out.

The Government is keen to see that children take to sport so that their minds won't wander.

And talking of sport it is good to recall what a former Prime Minister of Australia said when two countries were at war. Robert Menezes who was the Aussie PM said that if any one of their leaders had played sport this war would not have been. How true.

That is why it is said that sport is the great leveler.

Day- night Test cricket

The International Cricket Council's latest insult to that wonderful and much respected and venerated game of Test cricket is the toying with the idea of playing day-night Test cricket.

Ask any cricketer or cricket fan and they will blast the ICC calling them names and questioning whether this is how they hope to bring back the dwindling spectators from Test cricket which is now playing second fiddle to 50 over and Twenty20 cricket.

Apparently the ICC is at a dead end not knowing how to resurrect Test cricket. When or where was Test cricket played with first a red ball and then a white one?.

And supporting this laughable venture by the ICC is Bangladesh who it has been reported are willing to play a day/night Test in England when they tour there.

Bangladesh are a less attractive team and even if the ICC were to experiment with a day/night Test, Bangladesh would not be a draw and it would back pedal the ICC idea.

Tony Greig is back

It was soothing indeed listening to former England captain Tony Greig doing TV commentary for Ten Sport in the Compac Trophy cricket triangular that was concluded yesterday at the R.Premadasa Stadium.

Greig with his wonderful style and delivering and describing what is taking place in the middle has been a big hit with Sri Lankan listeners and cricket fans. When on air he adds pepper and salt to commentary and cricket fans sit glued to their TV sets listening and lapping up his superb comments.

To Greig there are no sacred cows. He will tell as and how he sees it, and who ever powerful the cricketer or the administrator, if they are found wanting he would not hesitate to hit them for six in cricketing parlance.

Similarly he will shower praise where praise is due.

Excellent all-rounder

Incidentally South African born Greig was an excellent allrounder playing for Sussex and England. He was at his peak when the South Africans were practicing the wicked apartheid.

He moved over to England, where he forced the England selectors to take note of his talent and the England cap was not long in coming and what followed was the England captaincy. He would have continued to lead England had he not thrown in his lot with the great Kerry Packer.

But Greig is best remembered for the remarks he cast at Clive Lloyd's West Indies when they were touring England.

Greig said he would make the Windies grovel. But what the West Indians did rubbing the Englishmen into the dust 5-nil told the story.Greig an admirer of Sri Lanka cricket should be here more often.