Date-stamped : 24 Mar95 - 14:32 Tour Match: Sri Lanka v Derbyshire Derby, 2, 3, 4 August 1991 ====> Day 2, 3 Aug 91 Bleak future for Sri Lanka - Robin Marlar Derbyshire (358) v Sri Lanka (174-3) ALMOST at the same time as the Sri Lankans began their third tour of England their unwritten objective to impress sufficient- ly to increase their Test-match allocation from one to three events in the latest election for the presidency of their control board produced such a bizarre result as to ensure that they can- not possibly achieve any such advance. First, always first, their cricketers are engaged in a stale- mate at Derby after a creditable draw against Yorkshire and a disappointing defeat at Worcester. Barnett continued the Der- byshire innings far into the second morning, doubtless hoping that 358 could be a platform for an innings victory, even though there was no Malcolm to lead his attack with pace. Goldsmith, once of Kent, completed his maiden century in five and a half hours, the achievement justifying and explaining the protracted hard work, which continued after the magical three figures, when he was still finding it hard to middle the ball. The score was swollen by an altogether punchier half-century from Warner, who feasted on seamers and spinners with sufficient rel- ish to suggest that the Sri Lankans have no world-beating bowler. When they batted, the tourists indicated, as they always do, that they will bat better than they bowl. The Sri Lankans are always at the top of one league, the diffi- cult names league, and their Test team could score a half-century of syllables. Similar names can confuse. For example, the attack was led by Ramesh Ratnayake, quicker but perhaps less durable and certainly less of an all-rounder than Ravi Ratnayeke, four years older at 31 and now settled in Australia. Wijegunawardene took four wickets and Ramanayake three, and these two will compete with Amangama for a bowling place. At home their spinners take second place, as they will here. Anurasiri, the left-armer, has toured before and there are two off-spinners, Madurasinghe and young Muralitheran, who impressed England`s A team last winter. The contest between the batsmen is equally stark. Aravinda de Silva, one of many bearing that name, is the captain and a key player, along with his deputy, Gurisinha, a left-hander who looked solidly impressive. Another left-hander, Jayasira, may bat at five, and Ataputtu will be the last of the specialist batsmen at six. The contest is therefore between the three openers, all playing in this match. By making only 14, Mahanama shot himself in the foot, going leg-before to a squatter from Base, who bowled so much quicker than his run to the wicket would indicate. This may have let in the uncapped Hathurusinghe to open with Kuruppu, top scorer with 76 yesterday. The way Sri Lanka have always responded when England are in trouble, as they were in Pakistan when the Gulf War started, must predispose everyone over here to positive thoughts about Sri Lan- kan cricket. When Ian Pieris, who played for Cambridge in the late 1950s, became board president last year and showed that, as a cricketer and businessman, he was prepared to tackle major issues like team management and the standard of umpiring, as well as over-rates, coaching and general behaviour, Sri Lankan cricket looked to be entering a new era of competence. Certainly there was much good will expressed towards the country at the recent Interna- tional Cricket Council meeting, with other countries in- creasingly prepared to take a chance on the civil strife. When Pieris returned to Sri Lanka, he found himself opposed by two candidates for the presidency, both of them politicians and both canvassing for votes all over the island. As a result the minister of justice, Dr Tyronne Fernando, will be present at the Test match. What Sri Lankan cricket needs is respected and in- formed continuity in administration, and the dedicated work of those like Pieris, cricketers who know what needs to be done. Pieris found himself a poor third in the election. Alas, offi- cial posts in Sri Lankan cricket are jealously pursued by those in search of position. All that means is that when matters get into a mess it is the cricketers who have to come back and pick up the pieces. Internationally, Sri Lanka must be harmed. Source :: Sunday Times Contributed by Gihan (Gihan.N.Wikramanayake@cm.cf.ac.uk)