There has been much publicity given these past few weeks to the MCC Spirit of Cricket Cowdrey Lecture delivered by Kumar Sangakkara on July 4th this year.
Those knowledgeable about cricket, those who know next to nothing about cricket and also those who (in the words of the famous West Indian writer C.L.R James) "only cricket know" – have been talking at length about what he said, what others felt about what he said, and what yet others who felt compelled to react to what he said are doing. It all made for interesting reading and listening!
His speech in its entirety is available on the web and is well worth reading.
Kumar Sangakkara, Cricketer par Excellence
I have always enjoyed watching Kumar Sangakkara’s skill with the bat, I have admired his ability to express an opinion eloquently and clearly whenever I have listened to him speak before an audience and I have great respect for him as a gentleman. It was certainly an honour that the organizers bestowed on him – and through him on his country - by inviting him to deliver the MCC Spirit of Cricket Cowdrey oration this year.
Story of Sri Lankan Cricket
And how well he spoke, taking his audience masterfully through the story of Sri Lankan cricket. He traced the country's beginnings as a cricketing nation, he drew a parallel between Sri lanka's cricket and the Sri Lankan way of life - the confidence peiople in this nation have in their 2500 year old history and culture, their toughness and resilience in the face of adversity, even their unorthodox way of doing things.
He gave credit where credit was due – to Arjuna Ranatunga who welded the players into a team unafraid to take on the world and enjoying the backing of a loyal nation, to players like Sanath Jayasuriya and Muttiah Muralidaran who changed the very face of the game, to Gamini Dissanayake who played such a big role in Sri Lanka achieving full member status of the ICC – and also to those who served in this nation’s armed forces, ensuring that her people can liveand move freely in this country today devoid of the spectre of terrorist attacks.
Sri Lanka Cricket Administration
And, where something needed to be said about what was wrong with Sri Lanka cricket, he used his status and his courage to say what had to be said. Those who have eyes to see must be constantly amazed about the prominent role that politicians play in the day to day life of this country. Soldiers before they go into battle are trained for their role, teachers are trained to teach before they are entrusted with a class, doctors have to be trained and pass exams before they can prescribe and operate. But politicians – they are entrusted by the people with making important decisions (sometimes involving millions of rupees as well as the lives and futures of people) with nary a training course on how to do these tasks.
Quaifications to be a Minister
I recall not long ago the case of two sisters, daughters of a popular politician who after many years of service as an elected member of the House of Representatives became a cabinet minister. One of his daughters passed the Advanced Level exam, entered medical college and went on to graduate as a doctor. The other daughter failed to enter university and so spent her time after she left school assisting her father in his electoral activities. In a few years when the father retired from politics, this daughter contested his seat, entered parliament, and in the course of time became a minister – with responsibility for the ministry of health What a farce! If one passes the University Entrance exam one becomes a doctor, but if one fails the University Entrance exam one can become Minister of Health!
National Cricket Team Selection Must be Approved by Minister
Similarly, if a person understands cricket and can play cricket well, he or she might expect someday to play cricket for the country. On the other hand, if a person has no qualifications except that he or she has conned a group of gullible voters into electing him to parliament, he can become a minister of sports – with the authority of selecting the selectors and even having the final word on the selection of the national team!
Many years ago, C.L.R. James in his book Beyond A Boundary wrote "What do they know of cricket who only cricket know?" Perhaps one could be forgiven for slightly modifying his words and saying of Ministers of Sport "What can they do for cricket who do not cricket know?"
I personally was very impressed by Kumar Sangakkara’s speech and can only commend him for his words.
I am sure there are many like me who, having listened to what he had to say, felt exactly as he did – proud to be Sri Lankan.
Sanjiva Wijesinha - Dr. Sanjiva Wijesinha, Associate Professor at Monash University medical school, writes on health, travel and medical topics.
