Former World Cup champions of the Sri Lanka team Chaminda Vaas and Hashan Tillekeratne have become the latest crusaders calling for a purge of abuse and corruption at Sri Lanka Cricket just days after the Cabinet of Ministers approved both an Investigative Report and a Recommendation submitted by Supreme Court Judge KT Chitrasiri for major changes in the governance of the sport.
Of the two veterans, Vaas was initially at the receiving end of sub-standard treatment when he was appointed as bowling coach of the Sri Lanka team on a tour of the West Indies in 2021 with differences with Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) officials standing in the way while his case created a major uproar in Parliament which marked the first time a cricketer’s unjust plight was taken up in the National Assembly.
“When I entered the Sri Lanka team in 1993 there was a leader in Arjuna Ranatunga. But today there are squabbles to see who is the best among equals.
“This country is yours and you are the next set of leaders, so think intelligently and make the right decision and you and the country will have a bright future,” Vaas told a large group of young boys and girls at a Forum in Kolonnawa in an apparent reference to the upcoming Presidential election.
Vaas stands out as Sri Lanka’s foremost fast bowler and grabber of 761 wickets on the international scene and revealed he too came close to quitting the country in retirement but hope gave him the strength to stay on for an off-field crusade.
Tillekaratne however broke his silence after many years of watching from the sidelines as a mere spectator and admitted he can no longer turn his back on a set-up that is in contrast to 1996 when he and the rest of the team stood proudly on the World Cup podium.
“As a player I was always opposed to corruption. The Auditor General’s Report (on Sri Lanka Cricket) was presented in Parliament and debated and all 225 MPs were in favour of replacing a corrupt administration.
“Unfortunately the Sports Minister (Roshan Ranasinghe) had to go home after making a concerted effort in the battle against corruption. I am now positive of a change”, Tillekaratne told journalists at a Press Conference on Tuesday.
Tillekaratne made 4545 Test runs and accumulated 3789 ODI runs before retiring in 2004.
In a daring mission after retirement Tillekaratne as director of a humanitarian project called Cricket Aid drove his car from Polonaruwa to Batticaloa in the dead of night during the height of the civil war in 2005 so he could be present to supervise the presentation of welfare benefits for orphaned or semi orphaned children in the aftermath of the 2004 Asian Tsunami.
