Tuesday 20th December, 2011 Thilanga pulls out, says not influenced the ministry of sports. contest for the secretary post. BY REEMUS FERNANDO “Mr. Sumathipala decided to pull out Dharmadasa has been nominated by Parliamentarian and former Sri Lanka of the elections due to personal reasons. the Galle District Cricket Club, while Sri Lanka’s pathetic Cricket president Thilanga Sumathipala But his team will remain in contention for Sumith Perera has been nominated by quit the race for SLC’s top post at the various posts,” Sumathipala’s secretary the Baduraliya Sports Club. eleventh hour leaving Upali Dharmadasa Priyantha Soysa told The Island yester- D.M.M.J. Paranathala, Mohan de a virtual single competitor for the presi- day. Silva, Michael de Zoysa, Asanga dency of the cash strapped sports body. It was reported that Sumathipala was Seneviratne and K. Mathiwanan have record in South The January 3rd elections for the SLC scheduled to meet president Mahinda handed in nominations for the post of was deemed to be a contest between Rajapaksa to seek his blessings on Vice President, according to the Ministry arch rivals Sumathipala and Sunday. But Soysa said that no such of Sports. Dharmadasa factions after both indicat- meeting had happened between Arvin Jayawardane, and Jerad ed their willingness for the top post. Sumathipala and the president. Hirantha Perera have handed in nomina- Africa continues With the deadline for nominations Sumathipala told reporters yesterday tions for Vice Secretary post, while Nushki total embarrassment within three tors need to take a serious look at expiring at 12 noon yesterday Upali that his decision was not politically influ- Mohammed has handed in nominations REX CLEMENTINE Dharmadasa and Sumith Perera were enced. reporting from Centurion days. The Christmas holiday sea- their opening combination as in for the post of Treasurer. son here in South Africa meant the whole of this year, in ten Test the only candidates who had submitted Meanwhile, Nishantha Ranathunga, Six will contest for the vice treasurer Successive Sri Lankan teams nominations for the presidency to Ranjini the former secretary of the Interim have struggled to compete in the that people had bought tickets for Matches, the openers have been post. They are Michael de Zoysa, H. J. S. Sunday, the fourth day of the Test able to add just one 100 plus part- Jayakody, the directress general of the Committee of the SLC, Michael de alien conditions of South Africa L. Weerasinghe, A. M. Pasqual, S. and with the game ending on nership for the first wicket. Other Department of Sports Development of Zoysa and Ravin Wickramaratne will Fernando, and L. Nihal Gurusinghe. and all their three previous tours to the country (1998, 2000, 2002) Saturday they were in for a huge than that, there’s only one other have been disastrous ones. Sri disappointment and no wonder 50 plus partnership while on ten Lanka have so far occasions the first Four original tender bids allegedly inflated played eight Tests in wicket has fallen before the total member group told The Island from Rs. 139,235,003 and Howael South Africa losing BY LAL GUNESEKERA reaching double that they have in their possession Rs. 366,770,157 from Rs. 152,773,737. seven of them and The mystery behind the con- figures and on four documentary evidence to prove four of them have troversial awarding of a tender for The bids made by five other of those instances that their original bids had been been by an innings the relaying of the 400 metre syn- tenderers have not been altered. the number three inflated and questioned whether with the innings and thetic track at the Sugathadasa They are Gahakola Landscaping batsman had the original tender bids were 229 run loss in Cape Stadium deepens further with (Rs. 113,213,750), Tudawe Trading walked out to bat taken into account when the eval- Town under Sanath four tenderers alleging that their Company (Pvt) Limited (Rs. in the first over uation was made or at what stage Jaysuriya ten years original bids have been inflated by 147,300,300), Star Construction and they were cursing the Sri itself. these bids were inflated. ago being Sri Lanka’s heaviest interested parties. Engineers (Rs. 147,992,099), State Lankans. Lack of preparation has been New Remini had quoted Rs. defeat in Test cricket. The four tenderers who have Engineering Corporation (Rs. True there have been quite a a point that has been always discovered that their original bids 148,418,840 and found to their sur- Their struggles are confirmed 322,452,138) and Islandwide few batting collapses in the last stressed but has received little had been inflated are New Remini prise that it had been inflated to by the fact that only one Sri Marketing (Rs. 169,833,511). six months like it happened in attention. Some of the senior (Pvt) Limited, Lanken Ceylon Rs. 163,388,385. Lankem’s original Lankan has made a Test hundred The tender was awarded to (Pvt) Limited, Link Engineering bid was Rs. 195,706,000 which had and Howael. been inflated to Rs. 204,332,000; Gahakola Landscaping under A spokesman for this four – Link Engineering Rs. 142,805,132 mysterious circumstances. Sri Lanka’s selectors need to take a seri- ous look at their opening combina- tion as in the whole of this year, in ten Test Matches, the openers have been able to add just one 100 plus partner- ship for the first wicket. Other than that, there’s only one other 50 plus partnership while on ten occasions the first wicket has fallen before the total reaching dou- ble figures and on four of those instances the num- ber three batsman had walked out to bat in the first over itself. Sri Lanka’s batting coach Marvan Atapattu makes some technical adjust- ments to captain Tillakaratne Dilshan during a net session. Both Dilshan and Atapattu called the Centurion wicket the greenish track they had seen. in South Africa (Hashan Cardiff, Southampton, Galle, players who arrived in England Tillakaratne in 2002). All Sri Pallekele and now Centurion. But late due to their IPL commitments Lankan batsmen, whether the unlike on the previous instances, struggled in the first two Tests current ones or the ones in the where application and commit- while Sri Lanka went into the previous decade have horrendous ment of the batsmen were ques- series against Australia after a T- records in South Africa with none tioned, here it was a case of 20 competition. Against Pakistan, of them averaging over 40 here. demanding conditions and the Sri Sri Lanka played a Test series Ironically, left-arm-spinner Lankans not being well equipped without even a warm up game Rangana Herath (37:00) has the to counter those demands. while here more than one and half best average for a Sri Lankan The Centurion wicket on day days of the warm up game was batsman in South Africa, followed one looked like a pool table with lost due to rain by Hashan Tillakaratne (35 in live grass on the wicket and both It also needs to be asked as to four Tests), Arjuna Ranatunga (34 Sri Lanka’s Batting Coach why when Australia come to Sri in two Tests), Thilan Marvan Atapattu and captain Lanka they play the ODIs and T- Samaraweera (34 in one Test), Tillakaratne Dilshan called it the 20s first enabling them to adjust greenish wicket they had seen Kumar Sangakkara (32 in six to the conditions before the Test and the Sri Lankans had to count- Tests), Aravinda de Silva (30 in series comes and why it happens er world’s number one bowler as three Tests), Mahela Jayawardene the other way around when Sri well after losing the toss under (29 in six Tests), Marvan Atapattu Lanka tours overseas. overcast conditions. (21 in seven Tests). That contains In playing in tough conditions, When faced with such condi- a list of all-time great Sri Lankan the team should also arrive two tions, the role of the openers batsmen with the exception of weeks prior to the first Test and Sanath Jayasuriya, who averages becomes extremely vital. Negotiating the opposition’s best play at least two warm up games an awful 15 in six Tests here. against quality sides before the The Sri Lankans were hard at bowlers, the new ball and the early assistance to seam bowlers real test begins. Sri Lanka did training at Centurion the last two none of those and paid the price days after the first Test ended in can be only countered by a solid opening pair. Sri Lanka’s selec- at Centurion. Tuesday 20th December, 2011.