Friday 16th December, 2011 Fernando will be key Minister slams player agent to Sri Lanka’s success in Tests – Kaushal mafia at Parliament REX CLEMENTINE reporting from Centurion Sri Lanka’s wicketkeep- Silva, who was dismissed er batsman Kaushal Silva for a first ball duck told Squad politics, bickering and undue influence believes fast bowler Dilhara journalists yesterday. by player agents are to blame for the Sri Lanka Fernando will be the key to Silva said a total in the cricket team’s plummeting form, according to Sri Lanka’s dreams of win- range of 250 to 300 would Sports Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage. ning their first Test Match have given Sri Lanka the in South African soil. edge on a wicket that had Aluthgamage told parliament on Wednesday Fernando bowled exception- some assistance for seam that, by the players’ own admission, disunity and ally well after Sri Lanka bowlers. “The way Mahela miscommunication were causing the team’s losing were bowled out for 180 and Thilan were batting we streak and not government interference — as some runs in their first innings of were planning to get close to critics have argued. the first Test here at the 300. If we scored beyond 250 Diego Maradona Sri Lanka has not won a Test in the 14 matches Centurion yesterday trou- it would have been a very since ace spin bowler Muttiah Muralitharan bling the batsmen with his good total for us,” Silva, the pace and the occasional replacement wicket keeper retired last year. It has lost series to England, well-disguised slower ball. for the injured Prasanna UAE committee to Australia and Pakistan while drawing a largely Eventually he claimed Jayawardene further said. rain-curtailed series against the West Indies. Player agent Charlie Austin (right) is said to have had con- the only South African South Africa required It has also lost three one-day international trol on many facets of Sri Lankan cricket ranging from wicket to fall on day one only two sessions to bowl hear complaint series during the period. selections to the retirement of Lasith Malinga from Test when he had captain out Sri Lanka and Kaushal Much of the downturn has coincided with a cricket and when some of the injured Sri Lankan bowlers Graeme Smith trapped leg felt losing three quick wick- failure to pay national team players their wages will resume bowling while Roshan Abeysinghe (left) is before wicket. ets in the second session “He’s a superb bowler put the Sri Lankans out of against Maradona and match fees. believed to have had a major impact on team selection and he has done well in the the game. “The kind of and the choice of vice-captain for Sri Lanka’s tour of Sri Lanka Cricket owes its players $6 million last few months for us. Even bowlers they have got and England in May. DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) ( 4.5 million), according to the Federation of in the UAE against Pakistan the wicket they gave us — A complaint against Diego Maradona International Cricketers’ Associations, and has not he did really well and today made things tough for us. for calling a rival coach “rude” is expect- paid them since March. “It (commercialization) has become a cancer to he bowled a good spell and The first couple of hours ed to be heard by a United Arab Aluthgamage said that he summoned a meeting the entire game of cricket.” in the end took a vital wick- we did well. But after the Emirates league disciplinary committee of captain Tillakaratne Dilshan, senior players, “These days it has become a problem that crick- et. I believe he is at his peak water break in the second and hopefully he will do session we lost three wick- next week. coaches and the management to discuss the rea- et players play cricket according to the way their well tomorrow. If he bowls ets quickly and that was the Maradona, who coaches UAE club Al sons for the poor performance and the players agents want them to. These persons influence the well and takes the vital thing that turned the game Wasl, has been feuding with Al Ain admitted to several shortcomings. selection of the teams. They have become so strong wickets he will be the key against us,” Silva further coach Cosmin Olaroiu since losing an “At this moment, senior players stated that as to even influence the selection of the team cap- man for us in the series,” said. ill-tempered match. The 1986 World Cup- there’s a communication gap between the captain tain,” Aluthgamage said. winning Argentine complained that and the main coach,” Aluthgamage said. “It was He also warned that a failure to deal with this Olaroiu and his staff celebrated the win- also highlighted that there was a communication situation would lead to even greater problems. ning goal in an unprofessional manner gap between the main coach and the other coaches, Sri Lanka’s government has been accused of Swiss club Sion loses Europa League legal fight and he later called Olaroiu rude. that there was no proper understanding between politicizing the game, appointing its favorites to The committee is also slated to hear the senior players and the new comers, and that the run the sport and turning a blind eye to allegations GENEVA (AP) — FC The Court of Sion lost its lengthy legal Arbitration for Sport a complaint from Al Wasl, which accuses captain does not get the fullest support from the of mismanagement. fight with UEFA on upheld UEFA’s right to kick Al Ain fans of pelting its fans with senior players.” Sri Lanka Cricket, once the richest sports body Thursday, failing to win Sion out of the competition stones after the match. “This is the true story. This is the politics with- in the country, has run up a debt of $69 million (51 reinstatement to the because the Swiss club The decision could come Monday but in sports,” he said. million euros), mainly because it constructed two Europa League in a player fielded ineligible players in it is unclear what sanctions Maradona Aluthgamage also said extensive commercial- new grounds and renovated a third for the World eligibility dispute which a playoff victory over would face if found guilty. ization of the game and the interference of player Cup held earlier this year. had threatened football’s Celtic. agents were also causing problems. AP legal structures. Sri Lankans at sea on green top Rex Clementine own downfall with some poor shot The day began in disastrous fashion Paranavithana showed some character Mathews and Thilan Samaraweera, who reporting from Centurion selection starting from the captain. for the Sri Lankans when Dilshan in T- taking a couple of blows on the body had been earlier caught behind off a no The playing surface at Centurion on South Africa started their innings 20 mode attempted to pull world’s num- and went onto complete 1500 Test runs. ball, helped Sri Lanka steady things, the opening day of the first Test after the tea break and the openers ber one ranked bowler Dale Steyn and When he flicked one off Philander for but they lost three wickets in the space between Sri Lanka and South Africa were solid adding 88 runs for the first was caught at short mid-on. World’s four with 15 minutes to go for lunch, of five deliveries to help South Africa looked like a pool table and the tourists wicket before Graeme Smith was dis- number one ranked batsman Kumar some got the feeling that Sri Lanka right back into the game. Samaraweera were bundled out for 180 runs inside missed five minutes from stumps. With Sangakkara departed in the next over were regaining lost ground, but the and Kaushal Silva were among the bats- two sessions here yesterday. the when he was very next moment he defended a full men dismissed and both had been given The Sri Lankans who have gone troubled by delivery without getting the bat close to not out by umpire Rod Tucker, but the through an 18 month lean period with- extra bounce of pad and the ball went through the gate out winning a Test Match have had a Vernon to make a mess of the stumps. few things going against them with five Philander and Jayawardene, departed after lunch, of their leading fast bowlers and num- was caught at once again caught behind, a regular ber one wicketkeeper injured. The second slip by form of dismissal for the former cap- tourists have never won a Test Match in Jacques Kallis. tain who has failed to score a Test half- South Africa and when captain A 44 run century away from Sri Lanka for more Tillakaratne Dilshan lost a crucial toss exception of Dilhara Fernando, none of stand between Mahela Jayawardene and than two years now. in the morning, it was evident that they the Sri Lankan bowlers were able to Tharanga Paranavithana assured some A 65 run stand between Angelo were in for a tough day’s play. trouble the Proteas. Fernando, the only resistance by the tourist bowler to have previous experi- tourists and the No doubt the wicket offered plenty SCOREBOARD of assistance for South Africa’s seam- ence in South Africa, troubled both opener in particular ers, who in the last moment decided not batsmen and had Smith trapped leg looked good. Sri Lanka Innings to go with an all seam attack, but Sri before wicket when he came on for a Criticized as lazy T.