SLC TELLS VAAS ‘REGRET AND REPENT’ -by Rex Clementine
Source:Island
Former fast bowling great Chaminda Vaas and Sri Lanka Cricket seem to have buried the hatchet and there is a possibility of the nation’s most successful fast bowler returning as a coach soon but SLC seems to be insisting on Vaas agreeing to issue a public apology before he could be roped in, again.
When Vaas withdrew as Sri Lanka’s Fast Bowling Coach hours before the tour of West Indies last month, SLC attacked the bowler in public. The board’s move was severely criticized by cricket fans and even leading businessman and former SLC Chairman Hemaka Amarasuriya wrote to this paper in support of Vaas.
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The bone of contention was SLC refusing to heed to Vaas’ demand of paying him US$ 5000 for the tour. The board had later claimed that it had offered Rs. 750,000 but this had not been put in writing and leading SLC officials had even refused to give Vaas a meeting.
Sports Minister Namal Rajapaksa had defended SLC’s action in Parliament but after full media exposure of behind the door happenings, Rajapaksa had softened his stance and had even met Vaas. It was following this meeting that SLC chief Shammi Silva had met Vaas, The Island learns. It was not clear whether the Sports Ministry had requested SLC to bring Vaas back on board.
“Vaas is contracted with SLC and there are protocols that he has to follow. Clearly he has breached these protocols and we would have been more than happy had he negotiated his terms after the tour,” an SLC official said when contacted by The Island. The official, however, agreed that the controversial press release issued by the board was highly unnecessary. “We shouldn’t have washed dirty linen in public,” he added.
SLC is willing to accommodate Vaas but in the fresh media release they wanted to issue, the board had asked Vaas to agree to add words such as that he ‘repented and regretted’ his actions. Vaas, one of five Sri Lankans to play over 100 Tests matches, was not available for comment. However, a former Sri Lanka cricketer who played with him for more than ten years told The Island that Vaas would rather beg on the streets than ‘regret and repent’ his actions.
When Vaas pulled out of the tour of West Indies, some SLC officials had claimed that he was doing so in order to take part in the ongoing Masters series in India. However, that has been proven wrong as Vaas has remained in Colombo although several former Sri Lankan players travelled to India.
