Punchihewa's Record An Enviable One "Our country is too small to have splits in the Cricket Board. I don`t want the AGM to turn out into a mudslinging match because cricket is going to be the loser at the end of the day,`` said Cricket Board President Ana Punchihewa, who is facing a contest for the presidency from a former vice president Upali Dharmadasa at the 48th annual general meeting of the Board of Control for Cricket in Sri Lanka which will be held at the BMICH on Sunday at 10 a.m.. "The national team has done wonderfully well by winning the World Cup and it is just not fair for us, the administrators, to start fighting at each other. We must be together. I am sure goodwill will triumph at the end of the day,`` said Punchihewa, who in his first term in office has established a record which is to be envied. Based on a five-year plan which was conceived to attain the status of `The Best Cricketing Nation by the Year 2000`, several administrative steps taken by the present Executive committee of the Board has brought healthy results. The infrastructure development at Premadasa Stadium, Kandy, Galle and SSC, the development of the Cricket Board headquarters, construction of VVIP boxes and formation of MCM for quick implementation are some of the steps already taken to improve the standards in the administrative field. At grass roots level, the Cricket Board has provided Rs. 79,000 to each of the 31 division clubs, Rs. 24,000 to each of the under 24 clubs, Rs. 10,000 each for each of the division II clubs, clubs allowed to organise and host international matches to obtain funds, three Test venues to be developed outside Colombo, turf practice wickets for outstation clubs and Colombo, imported covers for all turf wicket clubs and Rs. 50,000 worth of material for all clubs. The Sri Lanka team too has been performing at its very best during the past 12 months with skipper Arjuna Ranatunga going on record stating that there is an excellent rapport between the Board and the team, and manager Duleep Mendis saying, that the Cricket Board had played a very big part (in Sri Lanka`s victory) and that a solution to their problems have always been found by the Cricket Board. The team`s achievement over the past 12 months: New Zealand - first ever Test win abroad; Pakistan - Test and One-day series wins; Sharjah - winners of Singer champions trophy; Australia - reached Benson and Hedges World Series Cup final for first time; and Wills World Cup champions in tournament conducted in sub-continent. Some of the reasons for such good performances were the appointment of a professional coach and professional physio (both from Australia) for the national team, financial incentives to players, appointment of a permanent manager, prompt action to ensure that Muthiah Muralitharan was cleared from allegations of `chucking`. The Board also organised a limited-over match between Sri Lanka and Wills XI at short notice when two nations refused to play their Wills World Cup match in Sri Lanka. Punchihewa who is entitled to carry on as president for another year, is seeking another term to finish off the work he has already started towards achieving the goal he has set for the year 2000. "Now that the team has performed, on the administration side I have to do a few things to make the five-year plan more professional,,`` he said. "If I am given the opportunity I am sure in my mind, I will be leaving the Board in a better position than what it was when I came in. Basically, I want the Board to be run like a private sector company, a very dynamic organisation, very flexible and adaptable. I`ve sacrificed a lot of my personal time and company time during the past year, largely because we did not have chief executive. When Anura Tennekoon (who was then secretary) went over to the Foundation, I found I had to spend 80 per cent of my time at the Cricket Board. I must say that it is very gratifying that all the time I`ve spent are shown in the results we have achieved during the past year,`` said Punchihewa. What he felt sad about was the split that has taken place closer to the AGM. "The split in the Cricket Board is something which I least expected. I invited Upali to join me as a vice-president about three weeks before the nominations and told him let`s work together. I spoke to him about three times and he said that he will let me know. Then at the World Cup game against Kenya in Kandy, he announced that he was going to contest me for the presidency,`` said Punchihewa. "I even told Thilanga Sumathipala (present vice president) to come forward, but he told me that there were a few people in the ExCo he did not like and that he would step down this year and come back the next, he said. "In the one year I was there I know that I didn`t do anything wrong. Eventually at the end of the day right will overcome wrong and goodwill will triumph,`` said Punchihewa. One of the most senior contestants at the Sri Lanka Cricket Board`s annual general meeting will be M. Sivaratnam. `Siva` as he is fondly referred to is stepping down from serving as chairman of the tournament committee after six years. At tomorrow`s AGM, `Siva` will be contesting for the post of assistant secretary with Ajith Abeygunawardena. Source:: Daily News (http://www.lanka.net) Contributed by vg (vpg0001@jove.acs.unt.edu)