{"id":211840,"date":"2020-07-16T03:45:01","date_gmt":"2020-07-15T22:15:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/?p=211840"},"modified":"2020-07-22T15:29:49","modified_gmt":"2020-07-22T09:59:49","slug":"does-sangakkara-give-precedence-to-money-over-country","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/does-sangakkara-give-precedence-to-money-over-country\/","title":{"rendered":"Does Sangakkara Give Precedence To Money Over Country?"},"content":{"rendered":"

By\u00a0<\/b>Amrit Muttukumaru<\/a> –<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Amrit Muttukumaru<\/p><\/div>\n

Kumar Sangakkara is undoubtedly an exceptional person. He had an impressive school career in Trinity College, Kandy where he was Head Prefect and recipient of the coveted Ryde Gold Medal as \u2018best all-rounder\u2019 in 1996 and also the \u2018The Trinity Lion\u2019 for sports. Although he was selected to the Faculty of Law of the University of Colombo, he had to abandon his law studies due to cricketing commitments. Perhaps the country has been deprived of the services of an outstanding legal mind. As a batsman, he was simply outstanding and could easily be placed among the greats to wield the willow.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It were these traits that got him invited to deliver the 2011 MCC \u2018Spirit of Cricket\u2019 Cowdrey Lecture, where he did the country proud by its lofty content and his eloquence. On 1 October 2019 he became the first non-British President of the Marylebone Cricket Club\u00a0better known as MCC. The MCC was previously the governing body of cricket in England, Scotland and Wales.\u00a0 <\/span>The Lord\u2019s cricket ground owned by MCC is widely considered the \u2018home of cricket\u2019.<\/p>\n

Cowdrey Lecture<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Sangakkara\u2019s 2011 \u2018Spirit of Cricket\u2019 Cowdrey Lecture is essentially on the history of Sri Lanka cricket with emphasis on the period after Sri Lanka\u2019s \u2018world cup\u2019 victory in 1996. It is a courageous and no-holds-barred lecture well articulated. The following are some highlights:<\/p>\n

\u201cIn Sri Lanka, cricket and politics have been synonymous.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWith the victory in 1996 came money and power to the board and players.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPlayers from within the team itself became involved in power games\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201ccorruption and wonton waste of cricket board finances and resources.\u201d<\/p>\n

The transcript of his speech can be accessed here<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

The delivery of the speech with reference to the highlights given above, can be accessed on:<\/p>\n

(3:35 onwards)<\/p>\n