Sri Lanka’s T-20 captain Dinesh Chandimal has opted not to play in the IPL. He stated that he wanted to work on his technique ahead of the Champions Trophy and due to his studies.
There’s no doubt that 23-year-old Dinesh Chandimal is the most promising young batsman in Sri Lanka at the moment.
Aged 21, he smashed a famous ODI hundred at Lord’s in 2011 and early this year became the youngest man to lead Sri Lanka. Many believe that if anyone comes close to breaking the batting records of Kumar Sangakkara or match the magical batting feats of Aravinda de Silva, it will be Chandimal.
After presenting Chandimal his Test cap in Durban in 2011, captain Tillekeratne Dilshan went onto say that he was not afraid to retire, as he was confident that Sri Lankan cricket was in safe hands with the likes of Chandimal around.
Chandimal smashed twin fifties on debut and Sri Lanka went onto win a first ever Test match in South Africa.
Barely 15 months after his Test debut, Chandimal was appointed captain of Sri Lanka’s T-20 side and vice-captain to Angelo Mathews in other formats.
Last month, when he led Sri Lanka in a T-20 International in Kandy, he became the youngest man to lead Sri Lanka.
While his on field achievements have been sufficiently appreciated, what excites most right thinking Sri Lankans is his stance in relation to the IPL.
The news that Chandimal had rejected a contract from IPL franchise Delhi Daredevils and instead wanted to stay back at home to work on his technique was music to the ears.
Chandimal’s actions are in fact an example to his more accomplished and erudite seniors. Most of Sri Lanka’s senior cricketers who are involved in the IPL have acted in an irresponsible manner, putting the interests of country to a side and giving IPL the prominence.
Sri Lanka Cricket, a fortnight ago, issued a statement where it was said that Chandimal was skipping the IPL to work on his batting technique ahead of the Champions Trophy and to concentrate on his studies. It is believed that Chandimal is taking English lessons.
Looking to the future, the examples set by Chandimal are very much the need of the hour.
Sri Lankan cricket has been at the receiving end, due to the self-centeredness of the country’s senior cricketers, since the dawn of the IPL. Let’s hope someone like Chandimal is able to change that course.
Sri Lankan players earning money at the IPL is fine. But where the players have got it terribly wrong is when they dictate to the board that there should be no international cricket when they are busy playing in the IPL.
Among others, there are Aussies, Englishmen and Kiwis in the IPL. But if they are involved in international cricket, they either leave the IPL early or arrive late, honouring their national commitments.
The Sri Lankans have been an exception in this regard. The English Cricket Board (ECB), showing firmness when Kevin Pietersen wanted to have his way as regards to IPL should be an example for other boards.
One of the darkest chapters in Sri Lankan cricket history was when the country’s contracted players turned activists in forcing the board to cancel the proposed tour of England in 2009, comprising two Tests and three ODIs.
Some players sought political intervention during that sordid episode and the tour of England was scrapped and the players were free to earn filthy lucre.
It is also alleged that during the standoff between SLC and the players, a senior Sri Lankan cricketer and a champion of the cause of Test cricket for that matter, threatened to ‘reconsider his international future’ if he was not allowed to take part in the IPL.
It has to be noted that the ECB invited West Indies as replacement after Sri Lanka pulled out of the tour, and the West Indies played the series without any incident, with their leading stars coming half way through the IPL.
In 2011, Sri Lanka’s national cricketers arrived in England late for a Test series, even missing a warm-up game. Needless to say, they were trounced by an innings in the opening Test in Cardiff.
Furthermore, last year, when England toured Sri Lanka, the Test series was reduced to two from the scheduled three, so that the IPL would not be hindered.
The county’s elite cricketers also have been ultra-sensitive to any of the criticism the IPL has attracted. Their fondness for the IPL has been such that one particular captain said that the reason why Thisara Perera transformed into a match winning bowler was because of the IPL.
against that backdrop, the stance taken by Chandimal needs the backing of all right thinking Sri Lankans, for the damage the IPL has done to Sri Lankan cricket is enormous and our captains since 2008 have acted in such a way that no one can be faulted for accusing them for being greedy for money.
It is up to Chandimal to show us the leadership that has been lacking on the IPL issue.
by Rex Clementine
Source: The Island (Sri Lanka)
