Sri Lanka’s heavily pampered cricketers have now been given something that some of them were in need of but could not say it openly and in the process have even compromised on their own Colours and pride, if they still value it and have now decided to do what Indians do at their domestic and Indian Premier League (IPL) tournaments to play for the Orange cap.
With as many as eight so-called foreign experts, almost another team, the Sri Lankan players have realised they lacked they right colours and white is not the colour to show to race to take wickets, score runs and hold catches all for the sake of the colour Orange in the form of a cap that Indians are bestowed with for taking the highest number of wickets or runs at the IPL.
Sri Lanka Cricket’s media unit said in a Post that the team management has given the green light for orange “to encourage players to perform at the highest level and it intends to expand the recognition into other areas such as bowling and batting as well”.
The Message said that Charith Asalanka became the first recipient of the Orange cap after he held on to three catches that kept Sri Lanka in the running to beat Bangladesh in the first T20 International on Monday.
“Sri Lanka Team starts new initiative: recognizes on-field performances in the Dressing Room”, the Message said and added: “As part of a new initiative by the national team to recognize on-field excellence Charith Asalanka was awarded the Orange cap and the Coin by the team for his excellent fielding efforts during yesterday’s (Monday) game against Bangladesh”.
It can now be argued that while the custodians of cricket in Sri Lanka are living on borrowed time after Parliament voted overwhelmingly for their ouster over documented corruption, financial abuse and nepotism, its contracted players will now be living on stolen colours.
Upul Chandana the team’s new fielding coach is reported to have enticed schoolboys in the Sri Lanka under 19 team with the Orange cap, but to get down to the level of offering lollipops to a band of hardcore heavily paid professionals to catch balls could make some see red in the face.
