The Chief Executive of the England and Wales Cricket Board, Tim Lamb said they would receive a very warm welcome in the UK. This is the first official appearance by the Sri Lankan team after they won the Wills World Cup in 1996. All eyes will be on Sri Lanka's talented cricketers to see if they could sustain their performance on the field and rise to the occasion.
Certainly England will be very careful not to dismiss Sri Lanka. Alec Stewart leads the England team for the one test match and Adam Hollioake will captain the one day side against the Sri Lankans. Sri Lanka's cricketing performances since the World Cup have gone through moments of glory and despair - I was present in Colombo to see Arjuna and the team trounce the Australians for a second time. That was sheer joy - the dejected look of the Australian team said it all.
Since then the cricketrs have had their ups and downs. The main thing is for the team to maintain discipline and fitness and avoid anything that damages the reputation of the side. Discipline is imperative and the 'hunger' to win. Sri Lanka had that hunger in the World Cup. For too long they were dismissed by the western cricketing world. In the UK the tabloids called them the cricketers from the 'tea bag republic' and the broadsheets dismissed them as 'minnows.' But the tea bags are biting back and England are keeping a discreet silence because the 'underdogs' have become a cricketing power to be reckoned with. The students are showing the masters how to play the game.
There have been those who were quick to criticise the cricketers it's human frailty but we do build up our heroes and then knock them down. Sportsmen and women find it difficult to be consistent throughout their sporting lives and it is not fair to expect them to do so - yes, they do have a moral duty to strive to be good cricketers and to represent the country with pride ...
What has been the supreme factor where Sri Lanka is concerned is that our cricketers have played the game like gentlemen. They have steered clear of 'dirty cricket' on the field and have brought in old fashioned values. It is a sad fact of life that Sri Lanka has been at the receiving end of severe and vicious sledging. This practice has been denounced it has no place in the civilised world of cricket. Sledging is a form of verbal thuggery.
The 130,000 strong Sri Lankan Community are preparing to welcome Sri Lanka's cricketers. One social event has been organised and that is a grand dinner dance at the Hilton in London in August.
Sri Lankans from as far a field as Canada, United States and Australia are flying in to London to catch the cricketers in action in the UK. Whilst many feel that it is a shame that England are giving Sri Lanka only one test match - the ECB are to give the Sri Lankans a 3 test series after the year 2000. Even Arjuna Ranataunga has said that a 'one test match series made no sense to him' and many British cricket magazines agreed with him. Sri Lankan cricket has a new team at the crease with the very able Thilanga Sumathipala taking the helm at the Board of Control for Cricket in Sri Lanka. Also in the team are distinguished officials Anu Polonowitta, Abu Fuard, the respected Saliya Ahangama and Nuski Mohamed among them. The BCCSL are determined to take Sri Lankan cricket into the millennium with a new emphasis and strategy. The BCCSL are also revamping structures in Australia, Sharjah and the UK by appointing high powered committees in these countries.
In the UK the BCCSL Representative Committee is chaired by the distinguished cricketer, the ex-Royal captain Asitha Jayaweera who is determined to rise above petty politics and take the cause of Sri Lankan cricket onto a higher playing field. Asitha Jayaweera and the new committee have already smashed the ball to the boundary by launching a whole series of initiatives in the UK aimed at bringing in sponsorship, heralding a new PR and marketing campaign, providing technical support and generally raising awareness about Sri Lanka's cricketers. The BCCSL Representative Committee in the UK are going high-tech by launching a website on the Internet. This is certainly a new area for the cause of Sri Lankan cricket.
The social event - the dinner organised by the dinner dance committee promises to be the event of the year with distinguished dignitaries including billionaire Sir Paul Getty and others attending function at the Hilton. Wide media coverage is also expected.
Another cricketing event also happening in July is a Diana memorial cricket match honouring the late Diana, Princess of Wales organised by the MCC at Lord's. Sanath Jayasuriya and Aravinda de Silva will be playing in the Rest of the World team so wherever you look the very best of Sri Lankan cricket is in the spotlight in the UK.
Sri Lanka tour to UK 1998
Final Itinerary July Wed 8 (approx) Arrive in London Thu 9 - Sat 11 Practice (venue(s) TBC) Sun 12 V Hampshire at Southampton or Somerset at Taunton or Goucestershire at Bristol (1 day) depending on outcome of B and H Cup qualifying matches Tue 14 - Thu 18 v Somerset at Taunton (3 days) Sat 18 - Mon 20 v Glamorgan at Cardiff (3 days) Fri 24 - Mon 27 v Leicestershire at Leicester (4 days) Fri 31 - Mon 3 Aug v Middlesex at Lord's (4 days)August Wed 5 v ECB XI at Lakenham (1 day) Fri 7 v Northamptonshire at Northampton (1 day) Sun 9 v Northamptonshire at Milton Keynes (1 day) Tue 11 v Kent at Canterbury or Lancashire at Old Trafford or Warwickshire at Edgbaston (1 day) depending on outcome of NatWest Trophy qualifying matches.
Triangular Tournament
Fri 14 (Reserve day Sat 15) Sri Lanka v South Africa at Trent Bridge Sun 16 (Reserve day Mon 17) England v Sri Lanka at Lord's Tue 18 (Reserve day Wed 19) England v South Africa at Edgbaston Thu 20 (Reserve day Fri 21) Final at Lord's Wed 19 - Fri 21 v Sussex at Hove (3 days) in the event that Sri Lanka fail to quality for the Triangular Tournament final. (May be played as 2-day match Thu 20 - Fri 21 Aug depending on when Sri Lanka know whether they have qualified for the final or not)
Sat 22 - Mon 24 v Hampshire at Southampton (3 days)
Thu 27 - Mon 31 CORNHILL TEST MATCH AT THE OVAL
Tue 1 Sept Depart
N.B. The three and four-day matches against First Class Countries will form part of the 1998 Vodafone Challenge.