Hardly has play begun in Colombo than thoughts are turning to Galle and the poignant moment when international cricket returns there. It is inevitable. Nearly three years have passed since the tsunami that killed 40,000 and devastated much of the southen resort and its cricket ground on the way.
Teams of labourers are working round the clock to ensure the new ground will be ready in time. It is said that it will be a close run thing. To coincide with the match several admirable tsunami related events are being run.
Surrey County Cricket Club were the first out of the blocks with the opening of the Surrey Cricket Village in the small settlement of Magonna, a few kilometres and 90 minutes south of Colombo. Thanks to £1m raised in a tsunami relief match in 2005, Surrey have been able to fund the provision of 45 new homes. It is a wholly wonderful project.
It also deflects attention from Surrey's recent, controversial decision, to sign the West Indies Test bowler, Pedro Collins as a Kolpak player. Under EU regulations this means he can play for the county as a non-overseas player although he is not qualified to play for England. Surrey already have on their books a highly promising fast bowler, Chris Jordan, who was born in Barbados but was offered a place at Dulwich College when he was spotted bowling in a match at home.
He may now qualify for England at a time when the West Indies' cricketing stocks are already severely depleted. Neither decision sits comfortably with those who know that the game needs a vibrant West Indies and think that Surrey, a great club of the English game should nurture their own.
This does not detract from their housing project and only an utter cynic would suggest that the Sri Lankans had better watch out unless Surrey use it as cover to ghost away some of their players.
Isn't it up to Chris Jordan to make his own choices? If the Windies have let their cricket slide into a morass of incompetence and corrupt backbiting, why should a promising bowler waste time on a team of losers? If he qualifies for England and makes them his first choice, then good for him, and maybe the Windies will get a bit of a wakeup call. Being sentimental about what was is well and good - but the Windies have no-one to blame but themselves for their present sorry state.
Posted by: frasersdoosra | 10 December 2007 at 09:12 AM
Good luck to Galle, and to Sri Lankan cricket! Have you considered a link to cricinfo? You might get more traffic that way. Just a thought...
Posted by: anotherdayanotherduck | 10 December 2007 at 09:15 AM