I don’t see light at the end of this tunnel for Sri Lankan cricket: Marvan Atapattu

Sri Lanka have now lost a home series to England 3-0, then away to New Zealand 1-0 coupled with their two defeats in Australia.

Sri Lanka’s latest defeat in the second Test against Australia has extended a dire run of Test results for the troubled Island nation, who were missing their three injured strike bowlers in Canberra.

Sri Lanka have now lost a home series to England 3-0, then away to New Zealand 1-0 coupled with their two defeats in Australia. Add to the surmounting problems on the field is the off-field issues that has been grappling Sri Lanka. (ALSO READ: Mitchell Starc’s ten bowls Australia to 2-0 win over Sri Lanka)

In the wake of a series of corruption cases involving Sri Lankan internationals and administrators, that has embroiled Sri Lankan cricket, the ICC announced amnesty in the corrupt investigation.

“Players can be suspended for failing to pass on information about corruption, but anything reported between January 16-31 will not attract a charge,” the ICC said in a statement.

With no vision and no proper planning, according to former Sri Lanka captain Marvan Attapattu, it will take a long while, and may be never, for Sri Lankan cricket to see light at the end of the long tunnel.

“Honestly, I would say there have been bad times. But we always could see a light at the end of the tunnel. But the way things are being handled and what I see now, there’s nothing like that. There are more than a few reasons why I say that. It’s coming from outside, it’s within the team, it’s something to do with planning, and it’s something to do with people outside waiting to come into the board.

“Everybody having different ideas and agendas. I think you can have a million ideas, but you have to arrive at one common place and give it a go. It’s no good doing something today and saying tomorrow what we did yesterday was wrong and going on,” Atapattu told Cricbuzz on Monday. (ALSO READ: Chandimal urges Sri Lanka batsmen to buck up ahead of South Africa series)

“I don’t see light. I am inside the tunnel, but I don’t see light. I am not surprised, and I hope I’m wrong, but for some of these players and support staff who are in the system and are the face of Sri Lanka cricket at the moment, it’s the same and that’s dangerous. For somebody in the system to not know where they are going is dangerous,” he explained.

Asked if Sri Lankan cricket has fallen to deplorable levels due to any blame game, Atapattu, who scored 5502 runs in 90 Tests at an average of 39.02, said: “You can’t point a finger at an individual. It’s about keeping your differences aside. At the moment, everybody is trying to get everybody’s vote. It’s about saying ‘yes, I have got this one on my side.”

“It’s not about having a national policy for cricket right now. It’s not about ‘if I come into power, I will come and change things’. But if you are an ex-cricketer, you want cricket to do well. So why wait until only you come into power to help or contribute.”

While suggesting a way of out of this rut for Sri Lanka cricket, Atapattu reckoned that administrators should keep political differences aside. (ALSO READ: Pat Cummins ‘pretty close to’ being the best in the world: Tim Paine)

“Treat cricket as a different entity and as the pride of your nation. We would want the rest of the world to know our country for our cricket. It’s not tea anymore. It used to be a Sanath Jayasuriya country, Arjuna Ranatunga country, de Silva country. We want that again. Get more minds together and have one ambition and vision,” he asserted.

“Give the future cricketers a clear path. Don’t message coaches and send Whatsapps saying “include this player, and you’ll be rewarded” which some ministers have done. Look at the support cricketers get in Australia, and they know who is coming next from Pucovski and Patterson. We are totally blind at the moment, only darkness.”