India and Sri Lankan Cricket Boards hope to resolve IPL row

India’s and Sri Lanka’s cricket boards are aiming to resolve the row of participation of Sri Lankan players in the Indian Premier League (IPL) after the Sport Ministry in consultation with the cricket board decided to call back its players from India.

According to reports emanating from the two countries there is a resolution being drafted, this was confirmed by the Chairman of the IPL Commission, Chirayu Amin. He stated that a common ground is being found for the resolutions of all issues with the hope that the two boards would work together for the wider interest of the game in both countries.

The IPL supremo told Indian media that efforts were underway in this regard, and the needful was being done. "The BCCI top brass is in touch with SLC and they will resolve the issue", Amin told the Times of India. "It is an issue between SLC and its players, who are playing in IPL four. We are expecting that the issue will get solved by next week".

The Sport Ministry in Sri Lanka asked the players taking part in the cash rich league to report for training at the start of next month. The training camp is being established to help the team prepare for the tour of England set to start at the end of next month.

The national team is due to depart for England on May 10 where they will play three Tests, five ODIs and one Twenty20. The tour is of great importance for the Islanders, who are keen on reaching the top three in both ODIs and Test match format, additionally the tour is a real challenge for them considering the fact that they have not won a single Test series at the home of cricket.  

The call to bring players home has been made to make the players work on the challenges of playing with the red ball compared to the white ones that are used in limited overs cricket, something that the players have been exposed to regularly in the last few months.

Mendis, who is the Chairman of the selectors, stated that the players needed to concentrate on getting used to the change of playing with white balls rather than red.

Meanwhile, the greatest spin bowler of all time off spinner, Muttiah Muralitharan, who is playing for Kochi Tuskers Kerala in the IPL, has slammed the board's decision. The recently retired champion stated that the decision by the Board defies logic as players needed to play more in the league and guide their respective franchises towards the business end of the tournament.

"I think the board [SLC] has given them permission till May 20", Murali told a TV channel. "I don't know what happened suddenly. The players were told to come on May 5. It is the fault of SLC because they signed the NOC [No Objection certificate] till May 20 so if they change it to May 5 it is wrong. Players will get demoralized, because if they go back on May 5, they play half of the IPL and they are going to miss a lot [of it]”.

He felt that the players would be returning home half hearted and that might backfire for the team as they head out to England for what can be a real gruelling series against a vastly improved team.

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DULEEP MENDIS VOWS TO INDUCT FRESH BLOOD IN SRI LANKAN TEAM

After a succession of resignations the Sri Lankan Cricket Board is on the lookout for replacements at the helm of national cricket.

In this regard the Board has announced a new selection panel that is headed by former captain and manager, Duleep Mendis.

The veteran is of the opinion that a new team needs to be prepared for the next World Cup and the 2011 finalists would have to be on the look-out from now and build towards their long term goals.

However, there are some imminent challenges that need to be dealt with. The Lankans have two big Test series scheduled this year. They are to take on England in their backyard in a three Test match series, which would be followed by a duel at home against Australia.

For the moment no major overhaul is expected for the two assignments, yet Mendis stated that work for the long term goals needs to start now.

"Rebuilding is going to be the key in the coming months", Mendis said. "Some things may not work, some tactics may pay off".

The amiable former batsman, who was touted as the best Sri Lankan talent in his playing days in the early and mid-eighties has been asked to head a strong selection panel that has four former international cricketers besides him, the panel includes Brendon Kuruppu, Don Arunasiri, Ranjith Madurasinghe, and, Chaminda Mendis.

The biggest hole in the scheme of things would be the absence of spin king, Muttiah Muralitharan, the man from Kandy, who amassed a staggering tally of more than 1300 international wickets, has quit all formats of the game.

On the other hand, the outgoing T20 and One Day International (ODI) captain, Kumar Sangakkara, and his deputy former captain, Mahela Jayawardene, are both aged 33.

There are no guarantees about the long term future of opening batsman, Tillakaratne Dilshan, who is 34.

Besides senior players retiring, another major worry is the right-arm pacer, Lasith Malinga, who is the best fast bowler in the country. He already has had an injury plagued career and has claimed that he will not be around for the next World Cup.

In such a scenario the new selection panel would have to spend considerable time keeping a close watch on players, who take part in the domestic first class, and, limited overs competitions.

Mendis thinks that to build for the 2015 World Cup, Sri Lanka, had to set some important goals, as they needed to have players from junior squads become a part of the plans.

"Right now, the A team is the most important feeder mechanism for the main team. Our job in the months ahead is to scout for talent to replace some of the older players as we face several tours in the coming months. Our cricket calendar is full in the coming months, but our task is also to build a pool to face the 2015 World Cup”.

The tour to England is the first international assignment for the team after their World Cup final run.  The tour starts in May, 2011, while the Australians are set to tour in July and August later in the year.

Meanwhile, some of the leading players, who are to don national colours, for these series are presently part of the grueling Indian Premier League. Kumar Sangakkara and Jayawardene are leading two of the teams, while Dilshan and Malinga are also pivotal players for their teams in the lucrative 10 team cricket bonanza that would run till the end of May.

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