Cricket and politics or cricket politics

By Leonard Ratnayake

Cricket and politics; what is worse than the other or both are the same? Cricket is said to be the gentlemen’s game, while politics, widely known as a dirty game, is supposed to be democratic.

No matter of a win or a loss, cricket has always been the most interesting game with a huge following in Sri Lanka. This summer Sri Lankan cricket fans were immensely blessed with the fortune to host twin tours first by the Pakistanis and then the Indians. After all, these home tours were organized following a World Cup tournament, where Sri Lanka was among the favourites with some record-breaking individuals in the team. In the past, tours by neighbouring India and Pakistan were the most entertaining; most followed and cheered for the fact, Sri Lankans are a multi-ethnic country with origins from its Asian sub-continent.

Alas! What happened to the public enthusiasm in cricket in Sri Lanka today, which was almost a religion and a pastime for its countrymen? The cricket administration has also failed to combine the twin tours to make it a much-awaited and entertaining triangular series. While the rest of the cricket world is working hard to change rules and formats to popularize the game, dirty politics in Sri Lanka is taking away its excitement and hype from the most loved sport in the country. 

Come 2015, the two tours are meanly being served or used as a platform to promote the political race to the parliament. One, who follows the ongoing cricket series in Sri Lanka on electronic media, would only see many politicians are scoring while the cricketers are engaged in a low-profile exhibition.

From the inception of Sri Lanka cricket administration, politicians have played a major role for its development. Unfortunately, since 1999, politics in Sri Lanka have overshadowed the glamour of the game completely in all areas with their vested interests in the administration for profile boosting, control over broadcasting rights for financial commissions and now the advantage of its popularity for political propaganda. Thus it seems cricket and politics are now so inseparable and united in manner to be named as “dirty cricket politics”.

The recent mess by Sports Minister Navin Dissanayake is Sri Lanka Cricket with his political interfering which has left the nation with almost near suspended status from the sport’s international governing body. To add salt to the wounds of the ardent cricket fans, it was pity to note that even the renowned cricketers of the past influenced by the political patronage are misleading the public about the actual situation of Sri Lanka Cricket’s international position.

While the country is engaged in a series of anticipated political elections, the International Cricket Council has directed the Sports Minister to hold the postponed cricket elections before the end of October if Sri Lanka wants to continue as an ICC member. Hence, next on the cards will be a cricket election, while the sport merely continues to isolate and confine within the boundary lines.

Gone are the days that politicians lend a helping hand towards cricket for its development and in return they enjoyed the advantage of the popularity in guiding the gentlemen’s game of cricket to stamp their position in political circle. Leaders like Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu, J.R. Jayawardena, Robert Senanayake, Dr. N.M. Perera, Gamini Dissanayake, Lakshman Jayakody and Tyronne Fernando were at the helm to drive cricket to what it was in ’90s. Their successful tenures in cricket aided to boost public image individually and politically, while in contrary nowadays cricketing figures like Arjuna Ranatunga also for his family ties with politics and Thilanga Sumathipala are left with no choice other than to pull their political socks high to enter an eternal frey of controlling’s country cricket.

Although not involved directly into country’s politics, to leave the Dharmadasa family out from this topic would make the story incomplete. They are largely responsible for ushering political interference to cricket and aiding to form interim committees to Sri Lanka cricket administration. The recent moves of former star cricketer turned politician Sanath Jayasuriya by relinquishing his political and cricket duties while making new political allies should also be taken into consideration. Would this mean whether Sanath Jayasuriya is preparing his ground to be the next candidate for SLC presidency? 

(Source – www.srilankasports.com)