New Delhi: On 9 July, on the second day of the second Test between Sri Lanka and Australia at the Galle International Stadium, Australian batsman Steve Smith was at the crease when protesters climbed the Galle Fort walls around the stadium and raised slogans against the former Sri Lankan. President Gotabaya Rajapaksa.
“The protesters were not allowed to move around the Galle Fort ramparts, but no one could stop them from coming in numbers. However, he did not bother cricket at all. They shouted slogans from above and then moved on,” says Andrew Fidel Fernando, a senior sports journalist for the island nation.
The protest has made it to the fort overlooking the cricket. Police can’t stop such numbers pic.twitter.com/14HaQ2s7Qd
— Andrew Fidel Fernando (@afidelf) 9 July 2022
On the same day, Sri Lankan protesters stormed the President’s residence. He took a dip in the swimming pool to declare his ‘victory’ over the corrupt government.
Just outside the Mahinda Rajapaksa Pavilion at Galle International Stadium. pic.twitter.com/NJHUWYRsnL
— Andrew Fidel Fernando (@afidelf) 9 July 2022
Such contrasting scenes in Sri Lanka leave one wondering how a group of men from a country facing political turmoil and deep economic crisis made it to the finals of the Asia Cup 2022 and became the favorites of the tournament. defeated one.
Even the figures against Sri Lanka were piled up. The 2022 Asia Cup was a disappointing start for the team – they lost their first match against Afghanistan by eight wickets. The team also had a poor T20 record before the start of the Asia Cup this year, registering only two wins out of 11. In 2021, they had won just eight out of 20 matches. In a Covid-affected 2020, he lost 5 out of the 5 matches he played against India (3) and West Indies (2).
“Since the retirement of all three – Mahela Jayawardene, Kumar Sangakkara, and Tillakaratne Dilshan – the Sri Lankan team was witnessing a decline. From 2017, things were not looking promising at all,” Farvez Mahroof, former Sri Lanka all-rounder, told ThePrint.
“The economic crisis in the country has made everyone worried about the future of our country. Several Sri Lankan players tweeted about it and even staged protests with the people of Sri Lanka.
How cricket survived covid, financial crisis and much more
Sri Lanka deepened into crisis as countries around the world grapple with the pandemic – the island nation was facing shortages ranging from fuel to medicines, and inflation was skyrocketing under a corrupt government.
Speaking about the situation during the pandemic, Fernando says that women’s cricket in Sri Lanka was the most affected.
“Since the T20 World Cup in Australia, the Sri Lankan women’s cricket team has not played a single match. He faced this situation the most after the domestic circuit. World-class Sri Lankan batting all-rounder Chamari Athapaththu had to sit without playing cricket for at least one and a half years. For an athlete at the top of their game, but not being able to play is a recipe for frustration and talent becomes a waste of time.
Meanwhile, men’s cricket saw hope in the Lanka Premier League (LPL), which was held in 2020 and later in 2021 under a bio bubble.
“LPL 2020 was conducted after rescheduling of several dates. We wanted cricket to overcome the impact of the pandemic,” says former Sri Lankan sports minister Namal Rajapakse.
He further added, “When I took over as Sports Minister in 2020, the big challenges were sports events for the domestic circuit, LPL in cricket and emphasis on improving sports performance in cricket and other events.” Sri Lanka’s political experts criticize his role as sports minister.
The LPL was held at the Mahinda Rajapakse International Cricket Stadium in Hambantota, which has been in controversy for several environmental violations. It was built by the Rajapaksa government in the middle of the jungle in an attempt to ‘develop the game’ in the southern province of Sri Lanka. “LPL 2020 was organized by the government to extort money from sports. Although the cricket board also earned, but the ministers did not care much for the game and its spirit. Says a Sri Lankan political observer, who should not be named.
Cricket continued to play amidst these political allegations.
Cricket in Sri Lanka during the height of the pandemic was mostly played in empty stadiums for two years, although a 50 per cent capacity crowd was allowed for the Test series against the West Indies in Galle in December 2021. West Indies toured Sri Lanka. 4 November to 3 December 2021.
What does Sri Lankan cricket depend on?
When political and economic turmoil gripped Sri Lanka in 2022, came an Australian tour of the island nation. The development which the cricketing world appreciated, also led to some financial support for Sri Lanka.
cricket australia On July 11 it was said that the players of the men’s cricket team have donated their prize money of AUD 45,000 (Rs 25,36,294 lakh) towards relief work from nutrition, health care, safe drinking water and education.
“Like BCCI, SLC (Sri Lanka Cricket) also runs as a private body, hence, the economic crisis in the country did not affect the board much. However, during the pandemic, they cut the salaries of cricketers based on performance, but most of the earnings come from broadcasting rights, advertising, media rights and ICC (International Cricket Council) funds,” says Mahroof.
Of. Srinivasa Rao, Sports Editor times of India Explains how the ICC funds concerned and full-time members based on the state of cricket in the country concerned, where the amount is updated over time.
SLC has already donated $2 million to the health sector to buy essential medicines. Not only this, but also for the athletes heading for the Commonwealth Games, it is Sri Lanka Cricket which has released funds to supplement their transportation and lodging facilities in Birmingham, UK. Rao explains that the ICC also monitors the functioning of the National Cricket Board.
When corruption happened on the cricket board
When allegations of corruption and match-fixing broke out in Sri Lankan cricket between 2015 and 2017, the ICC conducted several investigations against the players involved.
The ICC’s anti-corruption unit has been conducting a long-standing investigation in Sri Lanka and found former cricketers Sanath Jayasuriya, Nuwan Joysa, Dilhara Lokuhettige as well as Jayananda Varnaweera guilty of violating the Anti-Corruption Code.
When the Sri Lankan government appointed unelected officials in 2018 after bitter disputes between rival candidates, the ICC pooled the funds. In 2019, Sri Lankan cricket’s beleaguered governing body announced that it had secured an $11.5 million release, which was put on hold by the ICC for eight months due to a row over its leadership. Late elections were finally held in February 2019; Shammi Silva became the president.
Later, Gunawardene became the first person to be cleared of all charges in 2021.
Andrew has said that the anti-corruption bill in sports was passed in the Sri Lankan Parliament in 2019. However, the ICC investigation played a major role in bringing down the level of corruption in the board.
In May 2021, Sri Lanka’s top cricketers, including Test captain Dimuth Karunaratne, Dinesh Chandimal and Angelo Mathews, refused to sign central contracts that would lead to a 40 per cent pay cut. The board cut the salaries of 24 national players citing performance. Just a month before the limited overs series with India, all the Sri Lankan cricketers signed the contracts.
revival of domestic cricket
Farveez Mahroof says, “Earlier we used to rely on club cricket, but now, after the introduction of the National Super League and of course, we have the Lanka Premier League, more cricket for youngsters to play and improve their game. Are getting.”
This has allowed Sri Lankan cricket to discover new talent – like spinner Mahesh Thekshana who was first seen in the LPL, says Andrew Fernando. Not only this, the performance of foreign leagues like the Indian Premier League also inspired Sri Lanka to explore new possibilities.
“During the pandemic, it was the then head coach Mickey Arthur and Grant Flower (the batting coach) who did not go to their home (South Africa and Zimbabwe) but stayed with the Sri Lankan cricketers and really changed their game. Later the efforts of the captains and the persistence of new coach Chris Silverwood to stick to the same set of players for two years got us this Asia Cup,” says Mahroof.
Yet, it is the fighting spirit of Sri Lankan cricketers that continues to propel them through everything – whether it is the 1996 Colombo Central Bank bombing during the civil war or the humiliation Muttiah Muralitharan faced for his bowling action . Yet Sri Lanka won the 1996 World Cup and now, during the Asia Cup – when the country’s pitch is bouncy, zigzag and full of uncertainties, Sri Lankan players were ready to crease and win a thrilling final against Pakistan .
Suryanshi is a freelance journalist based in New Delhi. She tweets @UnfilteredSP