SLC denies Dilshan blues
Published : 10:07 pm February 3, 2012 | 3,828 views | 20 comments | 
A top Sri Lanka Cricket official rejected speculation that Tillekaratne Dilshan had been disappointed and wanted to skip the Current Australian tour. He claimed that Dilshan’s decision to join the team late was done with prior approval. Sacked Sri Lanka skipper Dilshan had been present at the official religious function and other ceremonies at the SLC headquarters when the team departed for their month long tour of Australia for the Commonwealth Bank Tri-Nation series but had not left with the rest of the team.Instead, Dilshan stayed back a few days more in Sri Lanka and had left only last night to join the team after two warm-up tour games.
“There is nothing dramatic in that. After the South African tour, Dilshan wanted a few more days off and made a request to the SLC to join the team a few days later. It was approved by the team captain Mahela Jaywardene and also the SLC officially as the first few games are not that important” said a top SLC official.
However speculation was rife earlier that Dilshan had been disappointed after being sacked from captaincy and had contemplated skipping the Aussie tour due to mental trauma. Meanwhile former Sri Lanka skipper Sanath Jayasuriya claimed that Dilshan was probably asked by national chief selector Asantha de Mel to hand over his resignation before he was actually to be sacked.
“I believe the chief selector must have asked Dilshan “What are you doing? If you are staying tell that you are staying. If you are resigning, tell that you are resigning”. This is how I think. He would asked a resignation letter from Dilshan before he was sacked. Otherwise why did he have to resign? There was no reason for that as Dilshan had anyway been appointed till the South African tour. Why did he give a resignation letter? The only reason I can logically think is that someone should ask for it. Chief selector must have asked for the resignation. All of them are now trying to protect themselves” Jayasuriya speculated in an interview with our sister paper “Ada”. Jayasuriya also said that senior players did not support Dilshan during the South Africa tour, though they did not accept it.
“I did not see any Sri Lanka team player supporting Dilshan” said Jayasuriya. When he was told that both Jayawardene and Dilshan had refused this, Jayasuriya said it was no surprise. “It is like this. That is the usual practice. I have also been in that team. No one likes to accept anything though it is very much there. That is a usual thing. We don’t know. It also could not have been there.
But when we looked at the players, when we saw how they behaved, we can obviously say that no one supported Dilshan. But we saw a marked difference in the last ODI of the South Africa tour, because by then they had realized Dilshan would no longer be the captain” Jayasuriya said. Asked how that could be true when Dilshan claimed that he decided to resign only after completing the South Africa tour, Jayasuriya simply said that it had already been published in the media before the last match.
Jayasuriya told “Daily Mirror” yesterday that even the change of national selectors was a futile exercise. “What is the point of changing the selectors? The new selectors have brought in just two new players. Can anyone tell me what a new selection committee can do differently? Are they going to manufacture players? They also have to rotate the same players around” he said.
(By Channaka de Silva)
Sanath, you are not the part of the team anymore. Let the team play their natural game without any distraction. I lost the respect I had for you after becoming a politician and then meddling things with our team.
What is your point SJ? do you want dilshan to captain & sl to keep on loosing? as you rightly pointed out the last ODI proved the team wanted a change of captaincy , Dlishan is not a leader neither a team man.
Sanath is the chief destroyer of Sri Lankan cricket at the moment. Sanath was the main culprit behind sacking of Marsh. He wants a manager, coach and selector who can be control by himself. You moron
- Isuru Jayawardana from Melbourne
Hey Sanath ,
Please do not behave as a third class politician . There may have been some internal issues in the team and it was obvious that eventhough Dilshan is a good player , he is a very poor captian . So he has to go , that’s simple .
Do not try to hurt the rebuilding process of Sri Lankan cricket . We are at a very cruicial time of rebuilding process and being a player who over represented the country at highest level , you should give your support and encouragement to the team .
Please understand that we still love that great cricketer Sanath Jayasuriya and not the politician Sanath Jayasuriya . Please talk , behave and act like a sporting personality and not as one of those corrupted politicians .
If only this buffoon can keep his trap shut before matches…
Sanath,
Now that you have retired from cricket and a politico look after the interest of the citizens
I think in the best interest of Sri Lanka cricket that Dilshan be removed of his captaincy.Let us admit he was a flop as captain and the selectors did right
Sanna Boy and the Government Ministers keep off this lovely sport,Sanna you are putting the cat out of the box.Why did Sanga Resign?Because you Politicians were meddling.Dilshan accepted this with both hands but with 20 hands not supporting.You too were the same.When you were dropped as Captain you too didnt score too many runs trying to get the Captancy back.This is Srilankan.
Jayasuriya,you are talkig hru yor hat. U are talig bout Dlshan and also abut Asantha and newseleos. U have just retired for unpteenh time and just beuseu ar an MP, itdoes no gve u licence t0 query everything. U have done enough damage and that Sports Minister is so dumb that he dos notrealise. Go and serve Matara.
Ranjan Rodrigo Sydney
Dilshan was appointed captain until the end of SouthAfrican Tour.How can Mr “PUS MAN”speculatethat chief selector request resignation as the period of appointmet is over.
He is worried that he cannot manipulate the current selectors as he did with the previous selectors.
Jayasuriya is now worried that he cannot manipulate the current selectors.
Dirty politics have ruined everything in this country.
Hon. President look into this sad situation & should remove the invincible hands which corrupts entire system.
Jayasuriya should not be making comments like this and demoralize players, He should shut his mouth and do politics rather than talk utter rubbish. If you retired stay retired and don’t interfere in the running of the cricket administration!
SJ – is trying to tear the team as he will be not there any more. since he left the team, this is what he is keep practicing. be aware pls !!
SJ – we won 4 and 5 both games and almost we were there in 3rd game also. Bad luck, rain took that game away from us.
Sanath Jayasuriya might have been a good cricket-player, but he is one of the most reprehensible person in Sri Lankan sport. The vicious rubbish he spouts says it all
Dear Sanath, How about the sacking of Mash who helped SL to the first test win in South Africa ? Who is the mutt who orchestrated this ? You must be knowing this very well.
Sanath, Mind your own business. You have no role to play in cricket now. So leave the team matters to the current team. There is no respect you earn from speculating your own stupid thoughts. You lost all respect by hanging in to the team and using presidential incfluence to get back.
Nobody in the current team plays dirty politics like you . Get lost!
Sana pls get lost… u were unable play well in Parliament Group match as well.. still this sick guy is playing 4 Navy when his club denied him, as he is reaching in to mid 40′s… Nobody in the current team plays dirty politics like you …..
What an incompetent comment from a brainless politician. (That’s what you have become now, Mr Pas)