11 coaches in 10 years, a legend banned for corruption, political mayhem - Sri Lankan Cricket is on its knees
Steve Rixon, one of the most respected voices in the game, was hired to revive a Sri Lankan cricket team dogged by corruption, internal chaos and poor results. He need not have bothered.
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Earlier this year Steve Rixon signed up to try and revive the flagging fortunes of a battling Sri Lankan cricket team. He need not have bothered.
Former Australian keeper Rixon is known throughout the cricket world as a man with old-fashioned, hard-nosed work ethic backed up by the piercing voice of sergeant major but his words fell silent after he accepted a seven-month contract to be an assistant coach for Sri Lanka leading up to the World Cup.
“I was very disappointed that I not was allowed to do what I can do,’’ Rixon told News Corp on Monday.
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“What I have done for Pakistan, for New Zealand and wherever I have gone I was not allowed to do for a number of reasons.
“I was not involved or allowed to help a system that needs help and I cannot see it changing.’’
Rixon declined to elaborate on the persons who undermined his progress but you sense he was paddling in quicksand the whole time.
He’s not Robinson Crusoe. Including interim appointments Sri Lanka has had 11 head coaches in 10 years.
Turmoil and uncertainty follows them around the globe. Former Test bowler Ashantha de Mel has had five separate stints as a selector raising the question whether any selector is bad enough to be sacked four times or good enough to be hired five.
Despite the constant uncertainty Sri Lanka still manage to pluck out the occasional gold stud such as two wonderful Test victories in South Africa this year but these deeds are produced despite the system not because of it.
The famously receptive Adelaide Oval crowd gave Australia a rousing ovation for its summer-opening T20 win against Australia but the flip side to the story was the dreadful performance by the tourists who finished 9-99 chasing Australia’s 2-233.
Fast bowling great Wasim Akram once described Sri Lanka as “heaven on earth’’ but its been heavy going for a group of players who shackled with the task of following a group of recently retired global stars.
For many years champion players such as Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene and Muttiah Muralitharan masked the fragile and flawed nature of Sri Lanka’s domestic cricket system by growing from boys to men on the international circuit.
Sri Lanka has been lucky to have an outstanding school system which produces well-rounded players of class and admirably pure techniques but many are lost in the cracks of a disjointed first class system.
Unlike other countries such as India, Australia and Pakistan, Sri Lanka never had a deep seated inquiry into match fixing even though it was suspected that illegal Indian bookies were frequent visitors.
The ICC’s anti-corruption swept in above the local authorities to suspend former great Sanath Jayasuriya for two years for tampering with evidence after he failed to produce his mobile phone for investigators who would download material.
Originally published as 11 coaches in 10 years, a legend banned for corruption, political mayhem - Sri Lankan Cricket is on its knees
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