14 Tuesday 28th November, 2006

Appreciation Ranjan sorely Smith and Sammy give missed Windies ‘A’ the advantage West Indies A ended day run partnership against testing Lankan effort. West Indies’ con- three of their first four day bowling from Andrew fidence was up and it showed in SCOREBOARD match against Sri Lanka A on Richardson and Sammy. But their batting. West Indies A (267 all out) Rampaul 14.2-2-50-1 (5nb), Kelly 4-0-20- 178 for 3 in their second after scratching around for an Even though Sewnarine Sri Lanka A 1st innings (184/4 overnight) 0, Hinds 20-3-55-2, Sammy 17-5-50-5 innings, a lead of 193 built on additional 26 runs, Sammy’s Chattergoon departed after giv- D. Gunawardene ct Hinds b Sammy 53 (5nb), Deonarine 3-1-10-0. ’s well-paced cen- inspired spell and Richardson’s ing a catch to wicketkeeper M. Udawatte b Sammy 39 West Indies A 2nd innings tury. This was after Sri Lanka solid support made the break- Silva, Smith and Hinds batted J. Mendis ct Joseph b Hinds 12 D. Smith 104 A had been limited to 252 in through that ensured that Sri competently for a 72-run part- T. S’weera ct Browne b Richardson 47 S. Chattergoon c Silva b Perera 6 their first innings on the Lanka would not surpass their nership during which Smith J. Mubarak ct Sammy b Hinds 7 W. Hinds b Weerakoon 29 strength of Daren Sammy’s 5 first-innings total. brought up his half century G. Wijekoon b Sammy 35 S. Joseph c Samaraweera b W’koon 29 for 50. Wijekoon (35) became with a lofted six over the long- J. Silva b Sammy 14 Extras (b 3, lb 4, nb 3) 10 West Indies’ efforts with bat Sammy’s third victim when he on boundary. K. Lokuarachchi lbw b Sammy 1 Total (3 ; 50.5 overs) 178 November 29th 2006 marks the first and ball continued their resur- sent his off stump cartwheel- Smith’s innings was a mix- N. Kulasekara ct Browne b Richardson 2 Overs: 50.5 death anniversary of Superintendent gence started by Sammy on day ing towards wicketkeeper ture of well-considered shots, S W’koon ct Chattergoon b Rampaul 15 To bat: R. Hinds, N. Deonarine, P. Browne, of police R.E.C Ranjan affectionately two. Sammy adopted the atti- Patrick Browne with the score swift running between the R. Perera not out 1 D. Sammy, R. Kelly, R. Rampaul, A. known and called as Ranjan by his tude of ‘don’t fix it if it ain’t on 210. Richardson got wickets and good shot selection Extras (b 1, lb 8, nb 17) 26 Richardson. friends. Ranjan was an efficient police broke.’ And his consistently Samaraweera (47) to narrowly and placement that frustrated Total 252 Fall of wickets1-19, 2-91, 3-178. officer being a specialist in Traffic good line and length broke the edge one through to Browne the Sri Lankan bowlers no end. Overs: 76.2 Bowling: Kulasekara 10-2-40-0 (2nb), Administration and a keen sportsman back of the Sri Lankan with the total unchanged. And when Hinds was Fall of wickets: 1-96, 2-103, 3-132, 4- Perera 6-1-19-1 (1nb), Weerakoon 9.5-1- having represented Sri Lanka in bas- response and gave his team- Two runs later, Kaushal bowled by a delivery that kept 148, 5-210, 6-210, 7-212, 8-223, 9-238, 40-2, Mubarak 5-1-23-0, Wijekoon 7-2- ketball. mate Smith the opportunity to Silva was trapped lbw by low from left-arm spinner 10-252. 15-0, Lokuarachchi 10-1-22- 0, Mendis 3- He was a product of St. Patrick’s build a solid foundation for the Sammy. Two wickets in three Weerakoon, Sylvester Joseph Bowling: Richardson 18-2-58-2 (7nb), 0-12-0. College, Jaffna where he excelled in second innings. overs broke Sri Lanka’s resist- picked up where Hinds had left spanned 211 minutes and 157 ment would have been Joseph’s his studies and sports. Although he Resuming on 184 for 4, cap- ance and that helped off with some positive shot balls included nine fours and dismissal to Weerakoon on the was an all round sportsman, the game tain Tilan Samaraweera and Richardson, Sammy and Ravi making and running. Smith’s one six. The only disappoint- final ball of the day. closest to his heart was basketball. He Gayan Wijekoon grafted a 62- Rampaul polish off the Sri much-deserved ton that captained the College basketball team and represented Sri Lanka in several international events. Although I had Vidanage turns learnt about his basketball talents Chappell comments spark anger whilst in college, I first spotted him orator down under whilst playing at the police court. This NEW DELHI (AP) - India (Snni) – was in the year 1980. coach Greg Chappell Melbourne: He was enlisted as a sub-inspector came under fire from Indian law- David and in the latter part of 1979 and he was makers Monday after they were Cathy Cruse promptly inducted to police basket- offended by comments he made were hosts to ball. about them following his team’s an action- As a police officer, Ranjan was out- second successive drubbing at packed evening standing. In his formative years in the hands of South Africa. at the Knox Police, his superiors identified his tal- The politicians took excep- Tavern on ents in the administration of traffic so tion to Chappell’s response at a Friday much so he continued in this capacity media conference Sunday in November 24 in honour of even as an inspector, chief inspector Cape Town after India’s 106-run Chinthana Vidanage - Sri and Asst. Superintendent and defeat in the third one-day inter- Lanka’s Commonwealth Games Superintendent of Police until his national when he was asked how Gold Medallist. untimely demise last year. he felt about India’s poor cricket- The highlight of the night I had followed his career from the ing performance being debated was Chinthana’s ability to time I spotted him in the police basket- in parliament respond in English with a word ball court in the year 1979. His contri- “I am not surprised,” of thanks to all those who had bution to basketball was outstanding. Chappell replied. “They (the law- made his stay in Melbourne pos- He served as the Secretary of the makers) are paid to do so in par- sible. He particularly spoke of Police basketball club after I assumed liament.” Uncle Bandu and Aunty the chairmanship in the year 1990 on Parliamentarians said the Padmini who have been his “fos- my promotion to the rank of DIG former Australian test ter parents” and have looked Police. It was during that period Police had no business commenting on after him as they do their own repeatedly emerged the National the workings of Indian democra- son. Chinthana was asked to Champions. Ranjan put his heart and cy and renewed calls for him to speak in Sinhalese after he had soul for the game and if not for his be replaced. first spoken in English. He has services Police basketball couldn’t His remarks succeeded in certainly come a long way since have reached such great heights. alienating opposing politicians. he was first here and he now In 1994 I was elected the President Communist Party Member of exudes confidence and enthusi- of Sri Lanka Basketball Federation Parliament Gurudas Dasgupta asm. and there was an urgent need to said that as an outsider, Chappell Four magnificent prizes in revamp the organization and I “had no business” making com- the raffle were drawn by required officers of caliber. My choice ments about India’s parliament.” Chinthana and by Dilan for the post of Assistant Secretary was “Chappell doesn’t under- Galapaththi - a visiting nine- Ranjan. I continued in this position till stand the nuances of democra- Activists of National Student Union of India burn an effigy of Indian cricket team coach Greg Chappell and teen year old karate champion 1998 and Ranjan continued to serve the cy,” he told the Press Trust of posters of Indian cricket players to protest the teams’s poor performance in Ahmadabad, India, on Monday. from Sri Lanka. Federation in various capacities. India news agency. Chappell came under withering fire Monday from Indian lawmakers after making a dismissive comment about Chinthana will shortly com- He was a source of strength to the Mohan Singh of the them following his team’s second successive drubbing at the hands of South Africa. (AP Photo/Ajit Solanki) plete an English Language schol- national teams in his capacity as man- Samajwadi (Socialist) Party Monday. political capital out of the issue. of batsman Mohammad Kaif, arship offered by AMES ager on numerous international tours raised the issue of Chappell’s Chappell received some sup- “Those who follow cricket throwing tomatoes and shouted International in Melbourne. He undertaken by the Federation. leadership in parliament last port from Rajeev Shukla, the have every right to speak, but slogans against him, Chappell continues to train at the Mermet The police department too lost an week after India’s 157-run loss in media committee chairman of there are certain MPs who don’t and BCCI chairman Sharad Weightlifting Stadium in intelligent and dedicated police officer. the second match in Durban last the Board of Control for Cricket know A-B-C-D of cricket and Pawar. Hawthorn Victoria under the Ranjan was a gentle cop but was hard week. in India and a member of the they are abusing them (the play- “Greg Chappell go back watchful eye of Sam Coffa - an on traffic offenders. He was very popu- “Under Chappell’s leadership upper house of parliament. ers and the coach),” he told PTI. home,” and “Sharad Pawar Olympic Gold Medallist. lar amongst all ranks and was much the performance of the team has Shukla said he felt that while The Indian public was also resign” they chanted until one of Chinthana appears to be well loved. He was an out and out police had a demoralizing effect on the Chappell’s comments were out of unhappy with the team’s per- Kaif ’s family members threw a on his way to a medal lift in the officer. country. We had only demanded place, he did not mean to disre- formance. bucket of water at them. Beijing Olympics of 2008. His Ignatius T. Canagaretnam that Chappell as the coach spect the country’s parliament. In the northern city of Kaif, a top order batsman, humility and friendliness has Retired DIG & Vice President should be reconsidered,” Singh Shukla also criticized some Allahabad, dozens of angry citi- was dismissed for just 10 runs on endeared himself to many Sri SLBF told the CNN-IBN channel on parliamentarians for making zens gathered outside the home Sunday. Lankans in Melbourne. Cricket to the fore or is it just another folklore by Imtiaz Zafardeen Emirates cricket board governs the game games would go on but on a surreal thought relief measure to the aspiring kids who earlier, next only to the great sport of soccer. users obviously understood the waiting fate, here with an affiliate each in Abu Dhabi, what lies beneath for the future unless you dreamed big without knowing of the impend- It has enriched the lives of countless millions the youngsters hadn’t a clue what to expect Not so long ago if you were seeking Dubai, Sharjah and Ajman. After plenty of groom, nurse and develop youngsters to take ing implications. It’s hard to explain to kids and enhanced the balance of many business even whilst the last sessions were conduct- greener pastures ‘Go West’ would be the apt misdirected roots the Dubai Cricket Council on the mantle of UAE cricket. With this in why the Dubai coastline is fast becoming organizations whilst creating stars out of ed. Any sane individual who witnessed the direction. But times have changed geographi- came into formation in the ‘90s and thus far hindsight the DCC began it’s junior academy inhabited. But its even more harder to make unknown and unheard of gully’s. Cricket has solemn parting good-bye’s between the emo- cally. In the Persian Gulf on a not so particu- the most well represented of the lot. UAE was in its own backyard in Al Jadaf with a count of them understand why bulldozers would simply become a profession in itself. Every tionally charged DCC academy coach’s and larly oil-rich piece of desert sits the capital of one of the 3 associate member teams to just 6 young bucks in 2004 that swelled swamp a cricket field to tear down every sem- aspiring kid wants to be a Lara or a Murali the day’s assembled 30 odd kids would have dreams. Or you can call it the desert of make its debut at the 1996 World Cup fully month-on-month to a reaping 50 plus by the blance of it. Land here in the sprawling desert perhaps a Ronaldinho or a Beckham if inter- had a heartache the size of a football. dreams. They say sky is the limit here in comprising of expatriates albeit their skipper time tragedy struck local cricket last month is certainly not hard to come by. But an inces- est sways. What’s more the attempts by these usually Dubai. In it’s world full of impossible luxury Sultan Zarwani, a proclaimed but self with the proposed demolition of the very DCC sant keenness to stick to the cosmopolitan You can easily argue it would need more calm but popular men to hide away their loss schemes ranging from the man made archi- obsessed cricketer in his own right. grounds setup. business bay buffer has given warranty to than just ‘The Apprentice’ show to unearth of words was as visibly obvious as the tower- pelago ‘The World’ to ‘The Palm’ to ‘The Ski A decade on and with fragmented ICC The once dusty sand pit has been trans- clamp down and pull apart anything unworthy too many wanna be Donald Trump’s instead. ing skyscrapers across the metropolis of dome’ it’s quite hard to fathom why the word imposed player eligibility criteria, at best UAE formed into a cricketing hub with DCC forking to reach goals and measures. Sports, if you like, is not just a time pass any- Sheikh Zayed Road. The kids weren’t entire- ‘Sports’ is just a mere byline. has been on top rung in the Asian Cricket out a significant amount of funds with the aid It’s true that cities were built over the more. It can teach you the high and low of the ly teary eyed but suspicion was enough Soccer has the most sincere and insane Council version. Half the squad is now filtered of Emirates Airlines as a primary sponsor, in course of decades and some even centuries. life chart elevating to stardom to villain with- aroused that this was a no-return send off. It fan base across the globe. Cricket fight’s a with either naturalized or native locals, a creating two solid and well laid turf wickets But in Dubai there is no sense of period. It’s in an act. Kids learn to balance between was brutal to behold, the utterly sudden close second and it’s no different here in the clear testimony to the magnitude of the inter- besides the 5 cement tracks. The matches more like an architectural delight. What is ethics, morals and discipline whilst savouring change of mood from joy to despair. The end Gulf. Across the sprawling sand bases, kids to est and spurring growth of the game in the played there have been countless. Some call flat and bare must rise. But as the skyline the very enjoyment it brings to the inner sanc- of session group photograph had ‘em all in adults primarily made up from the expatriate region. But as Dubai promises to take itself it the encounter zone, especially since deepens so does many questions. What could tum. So in reverting back to the point of dis- smiles though but the soreness behind that community pursue an amazing allure for this beyond history and imagination, a boom in Sharjah’s fade out of fashion as time wore be the repercussions and in at the behest of cussion, to take away this joy from a growing grin was evident to the naked eye. As night game of cricket all through the year holding economy and infrastructure does not neces- on. In a land abuzz with a flux of business what other? kid is akin to depriving a child of its mother’s fell and the kids strutted off for the last time against the benign truth of the wicked heat. sarily have to be a boon for certain sectors. propositions, sponsorship should have been A game of cricket played right across the love. To home in further, the thought in itself the floodlit arena was still glistening with so At times the temperature rises well over Here’s the vindication. Ever since the least aspect of argument. But that very best part of the sun-filled sessions of the day to demolish a well established sports envi- much euphoria but with a million reasons to 50 degrees but no matter what the ther- Abdulrehman Bukhatir laid that artificial strip fact got in the way of DCC’s attempts to is not just another sport that can be thrown to ronment in DCC is not only a crime but leaves cry than a thousand reasons to smile !!! Lack mometer indicates, the official temperature in Sharjah infusing unbridled interest in the organize and stage many inter-school cricket the out-backs for the want of structures and the entire organization in pure limbo. Whilst of sporting options may only drive these kids rarely exceeds 49 degrees. But the game of game the equilibrium of cricket here changed tournaments, the only base of talent spotting growth. It’s an obsession in India while it has offering an alternative to pursue remains a to join the playstation generation. At a time cricket never stops as does the teeming con- forever. DCC followed on heels and besides afforded to absorb fresh talent. fast become the national sport of Pakistan, blessing, the lack of it clearly has left the when the world is caught in a quagmire full struction. The advent of the World cricket gov- the countless number of matches played over Local dairy products giants Al Rawabi earned Sri Lanka instant recognition the game in a bow-less rudder. of ethnic, religious, nuclear and political con- erning body, ICC moving base here perma- the weekends, the birth of a junior cricket were patronized enough to sponsor age-group world over, remains a passion for the Apparently the eviction notice’s to flicts, kids in a park is a better solution and nently must be breaking new boundary. academy was a mooting process to create, tournaments for four years till 2004 but their Australians besides being a tradition in vacate the premises kept pouring in but the image than kids let loose out on the streets. Awe inspiring as it could be, the game build and develop the game at grassroots sudden pull out left scars rather than a tradi- England, the godfathers of the game. resistance was self-evident as the games Has cricket died a natural death here in should flourish, you would expect. The level. I mean the passionate enough weekend tion. The DCC academy became more of a It’s a huge money spinner and as stated continued till the last straw. While the aged Dubai? Time hold’s the answer…