LMD’s Sri Lankan of the Year is ‘The Sri Lankan Cricketer’

Thursday, 4 December 2014 01:09 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Pioneering business magazine LMD announced yesterday that its Sri Lankan of The Year for 2014 is ‘The Sri Lankan Cricketer’. It is the first time that the magazine has not nominated an individual, except when ‘Arjuna and the Boys’ won the award in 1996 for their heroics at the Cricket World Cup.

LMD December cover sketch

“The Sri Lankan Cricketer has been an inspiration to a nation that is still coming to terms with the aftermath of war and striving to carve out a national identity,” says the magazine, in its December issue. LMD adds: “Not only have our cricketers had to contend with extreme weather conditions, both here and abroad, they’ve also had to withstand the blistering climate off the pitch – mainly in the form of an antagonistic executive body that has gone so far as to deny the players their dues – only a month ahead of a major international tournament, no less.” “Sri Lanka’s national cricketers have been the one and only unifying force for years on end,” LMD’s lead article states, adding, “To cap it all, in April this year, the national team finally broke a habit of faltering at title-deciding encounters by going on to win the ICC T20 World Cup, in Bangladesh.” The magazine quotes Jayantha Dhanapala, a regular columnist: “Individual brilliance and performance isn’t enough. The team has been selected on merit, with no ethnic, religious, class or political bias, which is an unforgettable and salutary lesson to be learned in all aspects of our country’s governance.” The full-length feature on LMD’s 2014 nomination appears in the latest edition of the magazine, which is being released to bookstores and selected supermarkets this week (It is also featured on line at www. lmd.lk).