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Message: <blockquote data-quote="emes" data-source="post: 17673256" data-attributes="member: 1822">TM Dilshan still manages to bring some of his old glory into the middle every once in a while. It was just the other day that Dilshan played an unprecedented knock. This time it was on a different kind of wicket. The batting conditions were perfect. The weather not so much, but the weather doesn’t bother this kind of track. Dilshan didn’t come out in his usual Sri Lankan fatigues. He was suited up; tie, coat and all that. Under the banner of ‘Dilshan for Youth’, Mr. Dilscoop was ready to greet and meet the President. Dilshan had done what Mahela and Sanga had failed to do. He said ‘yes’. He did so by welcoming the HE to Maharagama for an election rally. It was another masterstroke by the batsman, who has managed to become an immortal in the annals of cricket with his Dilscoop.So he is now officially a prop in the incumbent president’s extravagant election campaign. Perhaps Mr. Dilscoop has bigger plans after retirement from the cricketing arena. But of course, that is his choice. But to abuse his status as a cricketer and join the political campaign of a presidential hopeful is something that raises an eyebrow. In a country where there is hardly a visible line between good and bad and right and wrong, Dilshan’s move did not come as a surprise. Although he cleverly displayed the ‘youth’ banner who he claimed to represent, this disguise is easily exposed. It just seems like politics has no borders or boundaries when it comes to exploiting the masses for that all important vote. The strategy of the politicians to use cricketers is an obvious move. Given the country has more love for cricket and it’s cricketers than any politician, ‘cricket politics’ is such a viable strategy.Dilshan is just one of them. Jeevan Mendis is already in the campaign strategy. Since Jeevan is not as popularly known as his teammate, he is hardly noticed. On a more liberal note, any cricketer has a right to make his own choice when it comes to who they want to support, politically or otherwise. But the interesting question is, ‘is this all allowed?’ What about those rules and regulations about cricketers making statements to the media? It was not too long ago that Mahela and Sanga came under a lot of flack for giving their ‘point of view’ to the media. Sri Lanka Cricket came down hard on the duo. This exposes the pathetic state of affairs at Cricket Headquarters. This also shows the damage that politics causes to the common man’s much loved game. When ambitious, politically aligned big wigs run the game, it is hardly a surprise to see this kind of thing happening. It’s interesting to see what the Jayasuriya’s and Ranatunga’s and the Dharmadasa’s have to say about this latest development. Perhaps their answer would be ‘no comments.’But one of the Ranatunga’s has openly been critical about it. Arjuna, as a man who speaks his mind was up in arms against the approach to rope in Mahela and Sanga into the political campaign. Come to think of it, the gutty ex-captain of Sri Lankan cricket seems to be the only figure with authority that sees the bigger picture. May be only he’s got the vision to understand the depths of destruction that this of irresponsible behavior by the country’s and cricket’s top administration can bring upon the country’s much loved game and players. But we can only wait and see. In the end, who are we but mere mortals, and we can only sit on the sidelines and watch the drama in the middle? This is the kind of ‘Dilshan innings’ most spectators will not want to endorse or celebrate. But to him and to any other cricketer who plans to become part of the big campaign, a ‘big pat on the back’ and any other perks that come with it may be more valuable than a cheer or applause from the spectator on the sidelines. As for the big wigs at cricket headquarters, what can they do? They are helpless perhaps, but they seem to be enjoying a juicy slice of the political-cricket pie<a href="http://sporty.lk/en/dilshans-presidential-knock/" target="_blank">http://sporty.lk/en/dilshans-presidential-knock/</a></blockquote>

Verification: Hath warak paha keeyada? (hatha wadikireema paha)

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