Friday 4th January, 2008 Cricket, even at junior level has become a business – Arjuna by Rex Clementine and sex problems have cropped up as early as at the Under-19 Soon after assuming duties level and Ranatunga believed as Chairman of the Cricket that younger players are get- Interim Committee, former Sri ting their priorities mixed up. Lanka captain Arjuna “The major issue is cricket Ranatunga said that one of the has become a business now. priorities during his tenure Players have got interested in will be to address the woes of money at the Under-19 level junior cricket. itself. Discipline should start Ranatunga stormed into at school level and I am sad to international cricket as an 18- say that parents are not play- year-old schoolboy and made ing a major role in disciplin- history by scoring Sri Lanka’s ing youngsters. I am not talk- first half-century against a ing of every parent, but over- world famous attack that con- all, it’s been the case and it’s a sisted of Bob Willis, Ian tragedy. This is something Botham, John Embury and very dangerous and the main Derek Underwood. The very problem is that players are get- Shiv sets first day at office, Ranatunga ting money before achieving had spent time having lengthy anything.” world record! discussions, on how to develop After months of disagree- school cricket and at yester- ments and serious clashes by Russell Palipane day’s media briefing he sat between the national selection down with all four members of committee and cricket offi- Former West Indies captain, the the national selection commit- cials, de Mel categorically stat- diminutive Shivnarine Chanderpaul tee and looked determined to ed that he has no problem set a new record for the most con- take school cricket back to its Chairman of the Interim Committee of Sri Lanka Cricket, Arjuna Ranatunga (L) stresses a point to Chairman working with the new cricket secutive Test half-centuries when glory days. of the National Selection Committee Asantha de Mel (R) at yesterday’s media briefing at SLC headquarters in chief. he reached 50 on the first day of Along with Ranatunga, a Colombo. The Secretary of the Interim Committee K. Mathivanan is in the middle. “I have played under the second Test against South host of other players in the (Pic by Nishan S. Priyantha) Arjuna and he knows his stuff Africa, on Wednesday. 1980s and 1990s represented Sri and you don’t have to tell him In the first Test at Port Lanka either while still at gone down very badly. Today, coaches left our shores. I don’t ing Youth World Cup in what to do. We will all work to Elizabeth, the Trinidad-born left school or soon after school and not a single school cricketer is want to go into history, but our Malaysia and that’s seen as help Sri Lanka Cricket devel- hander scored his seventh consecu- Ranatunga was ruing that able to represent a decent club. loss is their gain,” Ranatunga one of the major steps towards op,” de Mel, the chairman of tive score of 50 or better, equalling from such high standards, Today we have to compare our- said. correcting some of the faulty the selection committee said. a mark set by fellow West Indian today Sri Lanka had to com- selves with Bangladesh and SLC has requested the serv- techniques of the players. Ranatunga also stressed on Everton Weekes in 1948 and 1949 pare itself with Test minnows their standard has gone up ices of former batting great In the recent past, it has the importance of ex-crick- and repeated by Andy Flower of Bangladesh. because our coaches have gone Aravinda de Silva, who func- also been reported that the dis- eters coming together to work Zimbabwe in 2000 and 2001. Andy “I must tell you that the their and brought the best out tions as the Under-19 batting cipline of the under-19 squad for the betterment of Sri Flower is the current batting coach standard of school cricket has of them. It’s sad that all those coach leading up to the upcom- was not at its best. Drinking Lanka cricket. of the England team and was in Sri Lanka recently, when England toured the island nation. Chanderpaul's sequence started when he made 69 against Pakistan Rajasuriya 7 wicket haul Bravo ‘hits’ in Karachi in November 2006 and continued when he had scores of 74, 50, 116 not out, 136 not out gives Joes the edge Kallis and Amla and 70 in a series in England earlier by Reemus Fernando which ended in a draw at Bambalapitiya this year. on Thursday. Dwayne Bravo took two crucial wick- Daren Powell and Edwards in the morn- Left arm paceman Treshan Declaring at their overnight score of ets to swing the momentum in the West ing session to wrap up the tourists' Rajasuriya produced his best figures of 147 for 5, the Petes couldn’t repeat their Indies' favour on day two of the second innings. the season, an impressive 7 wickets for 27 first day’s performance, but managed to Test against South Africa in Cape Town. The West Indies had resumed on 240 Lara faces runs, as St. Joseph’s skittled out St. take the gloss off the Bens fightback as The all-rounder claimed the scalps of for eight but the tail was unable to sup- Sebastian’s for 101 on the first day of Srimantha Wijeratne scored back to Jacques Kallis and Hashim Amla to dis- port Shivnarine Chanderpaul (65 not their Inter School First XI match which back half tons for the home team to post mantle a 59-run third-wicket partner- out) and added just three runs to their fitness test commenced at Darley Road, on 114 for 1 at close. ship to leave the Proteas on 125 for four overnight score. (cricket365.com) Thursday. The Petes were set 237 runs to win at tea. SCOREBOARD by Russell Palipane In reply, St. Joseph’s had reached 221 and Wijeratne was unbeaten on 75 at Openers Graeme Smith and Neil A fitness test is all that stands West Indies, 1st Innings for 4 at close with opener Dimuth close. McKenzie started the hosts' response to between Brian Lara and the opening (Overnight 240-8) Karunaratne striking a brisk 71 (in 67 Scores: the tourists' first-innings total of 243 but Carib Beer Series contest against Chris Gayle c McKenzie b Nel 46 balls) and skipper Ruwantha St. Benedict’s 140 all out in 49.1 after an initial flourish struggled to get Guyana at the Queen's Park Oval, Darren Ganga c Boucher b Steyn 3 overs (Dilanka Auwardt 36, A. Fernando the Windies' bowling attack away. today, writes Kern De Freitas in the Fernandopulle contributing with an Runako Morton c Ntini b Kallis 23 unbeaten 52. 60; Nilochana Perera 5/30, Vinod Perera McKenzie, recalled to the side after a Trinidad&Tobago Express. three-year absence in place of Marlon Samuels c Boucher b Ntini 51 Lara was named in the 14-man Scores: 3/53, Anuk Silva 2/09) and 243 all out in Shivnarine Chanderpaul not out 65 Herschelle Gibbs, failed to build on a Trinidad and Tobago squad that will St. Sebastian’s 101 all out in 42.5 80 overs (Waruna Fernando 64, Ashen Dwayne Bravo c Kallis b Ntini 0 solid start and was dismissed for 23. take on the Guyanese, pending a fit- overs (Deshan Dias 14, Ayeshan Perera Sirimanne 87; Vinod Perera 2/42, Denesh Ramdin lbw b Steyn 21 The right-hander poked forward at a 31, Brian Paul 27; Treshan Rajasuriya Chanaka Fernando 2/75, Thivanka Silva Rawl Lewis b Steyn 0 ness test today concerning his shoul- 7/25, Anton de Livera 2/24) 2/38, Akshu Fernando 2/46) good length delivery from Jerome Taylor Jerome Taylor c & b Steyn 8 der injury. Once a decision has been St. Joseph’s 221 for 4 at close in 50 St. Peter’s 147 for 5 overnight and nicked the ball to captain Chris Daren Powell c Kallis b Nel 0 made on his fitness, the squad will overs (Dimuth Karunaratne 71, Hareen declared (Srimantha Wijeratne 58, Anuk Gayle, who took a comfortable catch at Fidel Edwards c De Villiers b Nel 2 be trimmed to 13 players for the Silva 27, Anton de Livera 36, Ruwantha Silva 36, Ruwan Wickramanayake 22; first slip. Extras: (5b, 10lb, 8nb, 1w) 24 Guyana match. Fernandopulle 52 n.o, Jaan Jayasinghe Dilanka Auwardt 2/48, Surein Silva 2/36) Taylor struck again to remove Smith TOTAL: 243 T&T will be led by allrounder 21; Anuk de Silva 2/66) and 114 for 1 at close in 18 overs for 28 after he edged a ball behind in the Overs: 92 Rayad Emrit in the absence of Daren (Srimantha Wijeratne 75 n.o, Andry fourth over after lunch. Fall of wickets: 1-12, 2-71, 3-77, 4-183, 5-185, Ganga, who is currently on tour with Berenger 20) Smith failed to use his feet to a ball 6-220, 7-220, 8-237, 9-241, 10-243. West Indies in South Africa. Bens fightback before Wijeratne’s back angled across his body and wicketkeeper Bowling: Dale Steyn 20-5-60-4 (8nb), Makhaya Noticeably absent from the T&T to back half tons Ntini 22-7-63-2, Andre Nel 22-5-61-3 (1w), Ananda Sastralaya force a draw Denesh Ramdin took a brilliant diving squad is veteran fast bowler Mervyn St.