Tissera declines Cricket Committee post

Sri Lanka Cricket’s new Cricket Committee comprising former Sri Lanka fast bowler Graeme Labrooy (Chairman), Amal Silva, Kapila Wijegunawardena, Eric Upashantha and Ranjith Fernando sat for the first time on Thursday evening to set upon the new thinking for the game.

Earlier former Sri Lanka cricket captain and well known administrator Michael Tissera who previously headed the Cricket Committee turned down the appointment re-instituting him as the chairman of the Cricket Committee. He headed the last Cricket Committee of the SLC during last Interim Committee which was also headed by the incumbent SLC President Upali Dharmadasa himself.

Tissera in a letter written to the SLC President Upali Dharmadasa had come up with several points.

First Tissera had had stated his displeasure about the incessant political interference to the game and the non accountability of misdeeds during the recent past.

Then he had been very surprised with the manner in which the present administration had ended the services of the previous National Cricket coach Geoff Marsh whom the previous Cricket Committee had interviewed and given employment.

Previously the present National Coach Graham Ford had turned down the Lankan offer to employ him stating that he had overseen the fact that he had to give his the then employers six months notice.

Another fact that had upset the previous Cricket Committee chairman was the fact that why the present committee had done away with the Provincial four-day tournament – a programme which had been passed in agenda which the present Cricket Board President Upali Dharmadasa himself was part and parcel. Along with Tissera Sidath Wettimuny who was a member of the then Interim Committee and the then Cricket Committee declined to accept positions in the present Cricket Committee.