SLC in talks with Hampshire County and Dandenong DCA for player exchange program

Hampshire County CC Chairman Rob Bransgrove (centre) with Sarath Abeysundera and Alan Wahab at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton

By Sa’adi Thawfeeq

Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) is exploring the possibilities of sending some of their young up-and-coming cricketers to play in English counties, leagues and in Australian state and district teams.

As an initial move, SLC’s UK Chairman Sarath Abeysundera, and Alan Wahab, who has for a number of years helped promote Sri Lanka cricket, met up with Hampshire County Cricket Club Chairman Rob Bransgrove during the third and final T20I between Sri Lanka and England played at the Ageas Bowl and had a fruitful discussion with regard to a player exchange program to be implemented from next year and for Hampshire to come to Sri Lanka on a pre-season tour, subject to the ease of COVID-19 restrictions.

Chairman Bransgrove responded very positively and requested to work on this proposal without delay. He was joined by Hampshire County CC Director Lord Mark Lancaster and they stated that they would help to make this a success, according to Wahab.

After the meeting, Chairman Bransgrove had a telephone conversation with SLC Secretary Mohan de Silva to take the discussion further.

“It was initiated by Alan Wahab and Sarath Abeysundera and Sri Lanka Cricket are exploring opportunities of sending our young cricketers to gain that initial experience. Hampshire has shown a positive response and we will start negotiations with them once the ExCo meets. For the moment, it is Hampshire, but we are looking at other counties as well,” said de Silva.

“This is what we should be doing. Kusal Mendis – how did he blossom into an international cricketer? It was after his stint in England. Earlier, SLC had a program for young cricketers to go and play in England and learn to play in those conditions, but nobody is taking any interest now,” he said.

“I am working hard with the Australian states sides to send these guys who are just out of school to give them the necessary exposure and experience. You have to give them tough situations to experience. They experience pressure only once they come to the ‘A’ team or the Sri Lanka team and they struggle,” he continued.

“We want to send some of our young emerging cricketers to play in the English counties and leagues and in Australia also. We have a program with Dandenong District Cricket Association (DCA) of Australia. Unfortunately, we couldn’t go ahead with it because of COVID-19 last year. Once the situation improves, hopefully, we will try and send some players before the start of their domestic season this year.”

De Silva said that he was working with the Dandenong DCA with whom SLC has signed an MoU where eight emerging young cricketers from Sri Lanka will play a full season of cricket with the Dandenong DCA and in return a Dandenong DCA Under-19 representative team will make a tour of Sri Lanka.

The lack of exposure to English conditions and pitches was starkly revealed during Sri Lanka’s tour of England where their batsmen were all at sea against pace, bounce and swing, and cut a very sorry figure in the minds of the English public to the point that former England Captain Michael Atherton queried whether this team was the best that Sri Lanka could put out.