{"id":47590,"date":"2016-07-30T20:32:17","date_gmt":"2016-07-31T00:32:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/?p=47590"},"modified":"2016-07-30T20:35:05","modified_gmt":"2016-07-31T00:35:05","slug":"australia-is-not-sri-lankas-enemy-and-muttiah-muralitharan-has-not-committed-treason","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/?p=47590","title":{"rendered":"Australia is not Sri Lanka’s Enemy and Muttiah Muralitharan is not a Traitor to his Country"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Gamini Weerakoon<\/strong><\/p>\n

Muttiah Muralitharan, who brought unparalleled fame and glory in cricket to Sri Lanka not so long ago, was last week being accused by this country\u2019s cricketing nincompoops, fanatical nationalists and bookie associates of treason! It was indeed ironic that while this baying at the moon was continuing, the supreme body for Cricket, the ICC announced that he would be inducted into its Hall of Fame along with three other Greats of the Game.<\/p>\n

When Murali (as he is called in the cricketing world) turned out for Sri Lanka his bowling action appeared to be suspect to the most spectators but those well informed in cricket strongly believed that his delivery was \u2018 legal\u2019 and was in accordance to the rules of cricket. Had he been thrashed all-round the wicket and out of the grounds he would surely have disappeared. But Murali kept taking wickets and the best batsmen in international cricket were bamboozled by him.<\/p>\n

Unplayable Murali, dubbed the \u2018Smiling Assassin\u2019 was accused of \u2018Chucking\u2019 and our friends across the Palk Strait was quick to award him the honorific Indian title of \u2018Chuckravarthi\u2019.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Naturally when the Sri Lankan team toured Australia, the fiercely combative Aussie spectators, cricketers, their umpires and even high ranking politicians took on Murali to see him out of the game. But his captain, Captain Cool, the entire country including then Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar stood by him. Sri Lankan born doctor B. G. Reid was able to demonstrate to experts that Murali was no Chucker.<\/p>\n

The rest is history. Murali ended his career with a world record of 800 test wickets which remains unbroken. Much water has flowed in the oceans between Australia and Sri Lanka since then and the Aussies have patched up with us Lankans. The two arch rivals, Shane Warne and Murali are jointly awarding a trophy named after them for the test series between the two countries that is now being played here.<\/p>\n

Patriotic Frenzy<\/strong><\/p>\n

But some frenzied \u2018patriots\u2019 have got a bee in their bonnet about Murali being a consultant coach to the touring Aussie team identified as \u2018the enemy\u2019 and is accusing him of treason! This is the giddy limit. Are we fighting a war or playing a game of cricket? Even nations that have warred over the years forget their enmities and establish cordial relations. Past enmities are forgotten for present and future interests. Japanese who suffered two nuclear attacks by the United States rebuilt their devastated country with their former enemy\u2019s assistance and became a world economic power.<\/p>\n

True, there are loony patriots of our kind the world over as evident from the rowdy soccer wars on the streets of Western capitals. But those are the hoi polloi that riot on streets not the kind who write letters to the editor such as ours. .<\/p>\n

Not Good Enough?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Those who developed apoplexy over Murali taking over a coaching assignment for the Aussies should ask our cricket administrators why they did not seek the assistance of the acknowledged best bowler in the world at this time when Sri Lankan cricket is \u2018going down the pallang\u2019.<\/p>\n

Have these patriots forgotten that the coach of the team that won the World Cup for Sri Lanka was an Australian citizen, Dave Whatmore who migrated Down Under when he was a kid? Whatmore brought in a completely new strategy to enable Sri Lanka to win the World Cup and the rest of the world adopted that strategy in one day cricket, cricket pundits say. Sri Lanka showed little gratitude in acknowledging his contribution to our success and not even asked him to continue as our coach.<\/p>\n

Contrary to the belief that \u2018Aussies are our enemies\u2019 we have had two of them as our coaches: Rod Marsh and Tom Moody.<\/p>\n

Non-entities and shady characters in our cricket administration have contributed greatly to our downfall. The sole qualification of some of those at the top has been the power of the purse and those in lower ranks being bootlickers of the fat cats at the top.<\/p>\n

In terms of cricketing achievements on the field what are those of our critics?<\/p>\n

India shows the way<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sri Lankan cricket has to be resurrected and India has shown us the way. Two weeks ago the Indian Supreme Court upheld the majority of recommendations of a Commission appointed to probe and make recommendations on Indian cricket. The Supreme Court gave the Board of Control of Cricket in India (BCCI) 4 to 6 months to implement the recommendations. The Commission was headed by a former Chief Justice R. M. Lodha. The court order was made by a two-judge bench: Chief Justice T. S. Thakur and Justice Ibrahim Kalifulla and the implementation of the decisions they ordered to be supervised by the former Chief Justice \u2014 the architect of the recommendations \u2013 while the Supreme Court will oversee the implementation. India does take its cricket very seriously.<\/p>\n

Some of the recommendations that are of much relevance to Sri Lanka are:<\/p>\n

* Ministers and Civil Servants cannot hold office in the BCCI<\/p>\n

* No person can hold office in the BCCI and State Associations simultaneously<\/p>\n

* No person can hold office for more than BCCI<\/p>\n

* No official can serve consecutive terms of office in the BCCI<\/em><\/p>\n

It does appear that cricketing problems in Sri Lanka and India are very similar.<\/p>\n

The ban on ministers holding office is obviously to stop politicization of cricket. Sri Lanka needs amendments to the Sports Law as well to prevent politicians who have not even played cricket with a \u2018Polpithi bat and Kaduru ball\u2019 being the final arbiter of not only cricket but all games. Limitation recommended on the duration of the number of times an office and the prevention of an office being held for consecutive terms could prevent those like our status seeking money bags as well as others making megabucks on the side being presidents for life.<\/p>\n

Indians are serious about their cricket. Are we?<\/p>\n

Courtesy:The Sunday Leader<\/em><\/p>\n

Tweet<\/a><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Gamini Weerakoon Muttiah Muralitharan, who brought unparalleled fame and glory in cricket to Sri Lanka not so long ago, was last week being accused by this country\u2019s cricketing nincompoops, fanatical nationalists and bookie associates of treason! It was indeed ironic that while this baying at the moon was continuing, the supreme body for Cricket, …<\/p>\n

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