It is a typical case of giving the wrong man the wrong job to perform and as a result having to face the inevitable consequences.

The Galle wicket generally is a good one, though it has been result-oriented. However during this Test match it was not a case of one side dominating the entire proceedings, but batsmen of both teams tottering on an unpredictable wicket that took spin almost on the first session of the first day’s play. The result was that though there was no Muthiah Muralitharan or Shane Warne, both Sri Lanka and Australia got their opponents out twice within four days and the visitors won the match and the series.

In Sri Lanka there is a National curator in Anuruddha Polonnowita and he was even in charge of the local wickets for the 2011 Cricket World Cup matches that were played in Sri Lanka in February this year. In spite of the wicket at the Premadasa Stadium being re-laid and the pitches at Pallekelle and Hambantota being new and unknown all played well and the authorities paid their unstinted tribute to the experienced grounds man.

Strangely when it came to Sri Lanka’s next international cricket exchange and the important series against Australia, chief curator Polonnowita was kept back in Colombo and the task of preparing the wicket for the first Test match was handed over to former test cricketer Jayananda Warnaweera, a man who does not have professional qualifications regarding the preparation of wickets even though like Alagasamy and Deen he has been handling the work as groundsman for some time now. The prolonged drought that brought on the dry conditions made it a bit awkward when preparing the initial wicket. Had a man with all-round experience in ground preparation been in charge maybe the wicket would have been prepared differently and Sri Lanka wouldn’t have had the ignominy of facing a direct reprimand by the ICC over the preparation of the Galle wicket.

In the aftermath officials of Sri Lanka Cricket were running for cover and giving lame excuses like, “We are looking into the matter and will take necessary remedial action”, but thankfully Sports Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage took a stance and said he had directed the SLC to send an official apology to the ICC on the incident and assure that such an incident would not recur.

The high-ups at the SLC should also take serious note that they are gearing up to organise the 2012 World T-20 Championships. Ironically, the Galle Cricket Stadium will be the venue for the Women’s Championship matches of the tournament.

We hope that the authorities will not succumb to pressure and hand over the work of the Stadium to an unqualified man once again and make a mess of the T-20 women’s tournament in Galle. We are also aware of some other moves that are unacceptable in the T-20 preparations. We will keep our eyes and ears open and if and when they occur we will keep the people of Sri Lanka informed about it.

Source: Daily Mirror - Sri Lanka