Principles to Guide the Choice of Lanka’s Cricket Selectors-by Michael Roberts
Source:Thuppahis
Rather exceptionally for a lad from the plantation Tamil peoples in the mid-20th century Chandra Schaffter was educated at St. Thomas College, Mount Lavinia. He excelled at hockey and cricket in particular and went on to represent Ceylon in both sports in the 1950s.
He became one of the Cricket Selection Committee headed by DWL Lieversz and others in the 1960s. He went on to found the JANASHAKTHI insurance company in 1994 — an enterprise that has been so solid that it gave him time to serve as the Manager of Sri Lankan cricket teams in the decade 2000s.
Chandra also took the meaningful step of organising SS ‘Chandra’ Perera’s unique collection of cricketing memorabilia and cuttings in the Janashakthi Book of Cricket in the year 1999 … ……….. a godsend to historians of cricket as well as those involved in social history.
I was involved in writing articles on cricket in the 1990s and 2000s and happened to be in Taunton, UK when the SL touring team led by Mahela Jayawardene played a one-day match at that city on the 21stJune 2002.** I had a long chat with Chandra at the team hotel on that occasion and our friendship matured subsequently when I visited him at the “Lighthouse Hotel” off Galle during some ODI matches circa 2003/04 (dates forgotten).
Set in this background, I can attest to the wisdom reposing within Chandra’s thinking and experience. What he has to say about the principles we should follow in choosing those who select the island’s cricket squads are worth their weight in gold …. and a form of insurance against gross idiocy.
Read ….. muse …. weigh ….
Jaffna youths mob Murali during Janashakthi’s ‘reconciliation match’ in 2002
