Wednesday 23rd April, 2008 15

Should Mahela be axed as ? Sajay for Kenya born Sajay Senanayake has been chosen to represent Kenya Mahela’s head U-15 team in the CLICO International tournament in the West Indies from April 19 to May 4. Twelve-year-old Sajay, who plays for his school Mombasa Academy and Kenya Coast U-15 teams has been selected after a domestic tour- too big for hat! nament in Kenya. The participating teams in the Many of us genuinely con- bowlers who had to wait in the coaches with CLICO International tournament in West Indies are Zimbabwe, cerned with the progress of sport doldrums. Why? One particular Australian certifi- , Holland, ICC Americas, have felt that there should have spin bowler was permitted to keep cates. They have an Kenya, Pakistan, Ireland, Malaysia been a change in the cricket cap- one end of the as his free- excellent record as and hosts West Indies. taincy. hold, bowling more than 50 overs, school cricketers. Sajay, a stylish right hand bats- man, is the son of former Sri Lanka When Marvan Atapattu conceding close upon a hundred Why not invite them as Test cricketer, Charith Senanayake. returned after injury why was he runs, and capturing one solitary coach and assistant coach to not asked to continue as captain? wicket of a tail-ender! handle our affairs? Instead, they Any other ‘Gentlemanly There were good spin bowlers seek greener pastures abroad. If Cricketer’ would have done so. like Sanath who were kept in cold Mahela is axed, will he be able Bandarawela Open Tennis 2008 Instead, he was asked to be the storage. When everything was to find a place in the team? In a ‘water carrier’. Despite this lost, he was given just one over, team game, there is no place for Jithmie, Sankha insult, Marvan continued silently, and in the very first ball, he clean selfishness. until he came to a breaking point. bowled the batsman! The welfare of the team is In school cricket, when an injured It is a fallacy to appoint cricket of paramount importance, in impressive feat captain returns, will not he revert coaches from abroad, at a stupen- not one’s idiosyncrasies. by Revata S. Silva to the captaincy? dous cost. There are in our coun- R. Ranjen, Sri Lanka’s reigning women’s There were excellent spin try quite a member of Level Two 9. national champion Jithmie Jayawickrema and last year’s Davis Cup team member Sankha Atukorale recorded impressive feats by winning the plum women’s and men’s open sin- gles titles at the second leg of this sea- Mahela takes SL cricket son’s three-phased upcountry circuit What confidence in MJ? tennis tournament that was concluded at Bandarawela Tennis Club on Sunday down the ‘pallang’ (20). of jokers and muppets, the last six months is lost Michael Siyaguna, a Davis Cup was appointed captain due which was given wide pub- ten, four wins and two Rex Clementine’s us rapidly down the poolist this year, and Nilupul to an injury sustained by licity. Mahela tried to abandoned and from sec- article in ‘The Island’ is ‘Pallang’. Team selec- Goonasekara emerged victorious in Marvan Atapattu. Marvan absolve him, but the ond place in the Rankings, quite factual, but a tion and on field deci- the respective events at the opening leg recovered after treatment ardent cricketing fans of Sri Lanka is relegated to salient point of consider- sions are often baffling held at Hill Club, Nuwara Eliya, the and was selected to partic- Sri Lanka knew the cul- the sixth position. This is able import has been to everybody but the cap- previous weekend, but they were the losing finalists at Bandarawela. ipate in the World Cup in prit behind this move. a sad reflection on the cap- missed, and I offer it as tain. Though Atukorale was convincing the West Indies. He was Marvan will have the last tain. worthy of debate. His performance as in his win, Jayawickrema was selected only for a practice laugh very soon. Mahela is haughty, Put very plainly, batsman and skipper is, stretched to the third set which was a match and was overlooked When Vaas, the work- arrogant, vindictive and Mahela is a usurper. like our ‘top’ batsmen’s first-to-reach-ten-games tie-breaker for all the other matches. horse of the Sri Lanka self centered. His com- Both Atapattu and Vaas, performance, lacking in according to this year’s circuit tourna- In some matches, he was team was appointed vice ments on TV at interviews with very superior the vital element of con- ment format. The final leg of the tour- the twelfth man and the captain, Mahela rebelled after defeat is to comment claims were nudged sistency. What a differ- ney will be held this week at Matale DTC. previous captain went and did not cooperate with on positives, instead of aside and with the cor- ence Marvan’s presence Results of Finals: through the ignominy of him. Vaas the docile per- delving into the causes for rect backing Mahela was at the top would have Women’s Open Singles: Jithmie carrying drinks for the sonality, relented and the defeat and the remedi- placed in the all impor- made. Unfortunately, Jayawickrema bt Nilupul Goonasekara team. On TV, I observed resigned. When Mahela al action that would be tant position of skipper. team acceptance of our 7/5, 4/6, 10/4 the anguish on his face treats seniors with con- taken. The board of con- With a thrashing of min- present skipper seems to Men’s Open Singles: Sankha when seated in the pavil- tempt, what is the confi- trol should appoint a cap- nows Bangladesh, syco- be low, too, with enthusi- Atukorale bt Michael Siyaguna 6-3, 6-2 Mixed Doubles: Jithmie ion. dence the juniors will have tain with qualities of lead- phant scribes put him on asm being only ankle Jayawickrema & Sankha Atukorale bt Marvan, the gentle- in him? ership, to harness the the ‘Murunga’ branch, high. Nilupul Goonasekara & Sohan Patrick man cricketer and one of A cricketer has to per- maximum potential from hailing him as the best Ashantha and the 6-1, 6-4 the most technically cor- form if he is to be select- the team. captain in the world. selectors must take the Girls U-12 Singles: Thisuri rect and elegant batsman ed. A captain has a dual Mahela maybe consid- Marvan and task to hand and make Molligoda bt Thilini Atapattu 6-2, 6-2 who had served the coun- role. His individual per- ered for the job of com- Chaminda, were too gen- the necessary decisions Boys U-12 Singles: Nishangan try for a long period, left formance as a cricketer mentator, after he hangs tlemanly to wage the bat- to restore our one-day Nadarajah bt Sharmal Dissanayake Girls U-14 Singles: Dhanya frustrated due to the and his role as a captain. up his boots. tle for their rights. team to its rightful place. Madugalle bt Samendri de Silva 6-3, 6-0 humiliating treatment The dismal performance Mahela continued, Boys U-14 Singles: Sharmal meted out to him. He of the Sri Lanka team in Edither G. Perera, and his morose and total- ‘A n u ’ , Dissanayake bt Chinthaka Shaveen 6-1, dubbed his detractors a set the 16 ODIs played over Moratuwa. itarian style has taken Dehiwala. 6-1 Girls U-18 Singles: Nilupul Goonasekara bt Shennelle Abeysekara 6-1, 6-2 The problem lies with the batsmen

It is time that many of our ble shots. Mahela dragged the is not used despite many runs that the West Indies could not senior players went back to the ball form way out of his off scored in boundaries in this have reached. drawing board. More often than stump on to his wicket, besides, position. The only batsmen who not, they have been out as they very often he is out playing What happened to Vass and played well were those un-recog- have not got in line, the very back with both his legs square his Yorkers? nised batsmen. basic ingredient required of a of the wicket. Kumar in the 2nd test 2nd The changing of a Captain is good batsmen. Until they learn His field placing as a played a ball which was not going to win us Tests or one to do so they are going to get Captain is a question mark. shoulder high to point and was dayers, unless and until our out in the slip cordon. Take for instance the 2nd one caught. batsmen learn to get in line and Take the second test against day which we could have easily We had two and a half days play long innings giving the the West Indies. In the 2nd won. There was no long mid on to go. All what the senior play- Captain and bowlers adequate Sankha Atukorale in action in the finals of this innings both Mahela and Kumar or off, for the last two balls in ers had to do was to put their runs to play around with. year’s Bandarawela Open Tennis Men’s got out to the most irresponsi- the over. Many a time a sweeper heads down and achieve a score G.V.T. Singles finals which he won beating Michael Siyaguna 6-3, 6-2.

‘High and mighty’ owned by Anura Delgoda ridden by Jockey K. Ganesh won the race for Thoroughbred horses The ‘Mobitel Chief Minister’s Cup’ won by ‘Keep Looking’ owned by Aruna Priyankara and rid- in Class IV - distance 7 Furlongs. The cup was presented by Lalith Fonseka, Managing Director Mackwoods den by Jockey A Dilip Kumar. The cup was presented by Wijesiri Ambawatta (Board Director, Plantations (Pvt) Ltd. (L to R): Senarath Devendra (Director/CEO Agalawatte Plantations Plc), Rajah Sinnathuray Mobitel (Pvt) Ltd). Also in the picture are Rajah Sinathuray (Hony. Secretary, SLTC), Dhammika (Hony. Secretary, SLTC), Dhammika Attygalle (President, SLTC) and Sirimevan Senanayake (Acting Chairman, Attygalle (President, SLTC), Gamini Jayaratne (Hony Treasurer, SLTC) and the Mobitel Board of Stewards, SLTC). (Pic by Jayakody Ratnayake - N’Eliya Correspondent) Marketing team. (Pic by Jayakody Ratnayake - N’Eliya Correspondent)