DS may not last long by Nirgunan Tiruchelvam
DS may not last long
The Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has been dismissed by his critics as a puppet. The opposition claim that he is a powerless figurehead, who is controlled by the Congress Leader Mrs. Sonia Gandhi.
As Dr. Manmohan Singh faces elections, a puppet may have been made the head of Sri Lanka Cricket. DS de Silva was appointed as the Chairman this month. He will lead yet another interim committee. Some people fear that DS may be a proxy for others.
The cricket administration resembles that of a Latin American country in the 70s.There are frequent coups. This has ensured that every administration will be short-lived. Even if an election is held, it is unlikely that it will last more than a year.
That DS was briefly Sri Lanka’s captain and a superb leg-spinner is not widely remembered. DS de Silva is a long forgotten cricketer. Having retired in 1985, no member of the present team has watched him play.
His brief spell as captain for the 1983 tour to New Zealand tour may give us some clues to DS the administrator.
The captain Duleep Mendis and his deputy Roy Dias were injured. The team was already depleted, having lost several players to the rebel tour to South Africa. DS was named the stand-in captain. The Kiwis were strong, particularly at home, with Richard Hadlee in his prime.
DS had no independent authority. He was captain only in name. Mendis and Dias, though sidelined, were not sent back. They stayed in the pavillion and looked over DS’s shoulder. Abu Fuard , the manager called the shots. Fuard was a dictator, whose word could not be questioned.
Unsurprisingly, Sri Lanka were trounced in both matches. The players were rudderless. In the second test, Rumesh Ratnayake jolted the Kiwis with his slinging pace. The teenaged Ratnayake, who was 23 years younger than his captain, broke the veteran batsman John Wright’s nose. He claimed four wickets.
However, the Sri Lankans squandered a 39 run first innings lead and lost the match by a huge margin. The basic problem was DS did not have power on the field. He was undermined.
It is a pity that he has not got more recognition as a player. DS was a standard-bearer for leg-spin bowling. Apart from Abdul Qadir, there were no other leg-spinner in international cricket. He bowled at a quick pace, like Anil Kumble.Though he lacked Kumble’s height and bounce, DS could turn the ball.
He was considered the least talented of the three spinners who appeared in the inaugural test against England in 1982. But, he was the only one who excelled at the highest level. Ajit de Silva and Lalith Kaluperuma shamed the country, soon after making their debut. They went on the rebel tour to South Africa and were banned for 25 years.
In his short test career of 12 tests and 41 ODIs, DS troubled the game’s best batsmen. Greg Chappell struggled against him. He nearly bowled us to our first test victory in Pakistan in 82. Allan Border was another who could not read him.
DS was supremely fit, despite making his test debut when he was almost 40. The others in the team were hard pressed to match his athleticism and his fearless attitude. He was inventive with the bat, scoring two fifties in tight situations.
He was also an honest man, who was not tempted by the money of the apartheid regime. As the only professional in the team and an ancient player, he would been ideal for the rebel tour. However, DS chose not to sell his soul.
Despite his fine pedigree, his administrative skills are limited. In fact, his record as Bloomfield’s and the under 19 team’s coach suggest that he is quarrelsome. He may not get along with the players. Ranatunga, another former player, failed to do so.
So, a long spell at the helm will elude him. It will take a brave man to bet that DS lasts more than a year. That is the way of Sri Lankan cricket, especially its puppets.
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