There seems to be some discrepancy creeping up in the squash set up these days with the approach of the South Asian Games in Nepal next month.
The Sri Lanka Squash Federation held trails about two months ago and picked their two squads. Those who emerged winners at the trials were picked fairly and squarely without discrimination and were undergoing coaching and training under the guidance of the coach.
The training sessions lasted about two and a half hours each day as deemed necessary so the player will peak in time for the major event.
Two women players who were selected after their success at the trials were Sameera Deen and Yehini Kuruppu. But at the recently concluded SSC Open squash tournament one of them was beaten and now the parents of the player who won are requesting the Federation to conduct trials again so that their daughter can be picked.
But whoever had won at the SSC Open is not entitled to contest another trial after it was held two months ago and there is no rule to say that another trial should be held as those players had already lost all their matches at the first trials.
Besides this, if a player is reported to have sustained an injury during the training period and is not likely to recover before the SA Games then a replacement can be found with the inclusion of the next best player which is reasonable criteria.
Officials said that to conduct another trial just because some player won at the SSC Open is not a criteria to abide by.
There is speculation going around that Mihiliya Methsarani will be made the captain of the women’s team for the SA Games as she is the best women’s player in the country.
But she has been away in the USA for nearly one year now and whether she should have faced the trials or not has been best decided by the Squash Federation and not the parents of any player according to the sport’s governing body.