by Rex Clementine
The national cricket team landed in South Africa Friday night and soon will resume training lead up to the two match Test series against the Proteas. Compared to most places in the world, South Africa’s health guidelines are lot more flexible and all what a person needs is two negative PCR reports before being allowed to assume daily activities. For a cricketer, a day’s activities in these times of pandemic means practice, weight training and rest. They will be restricted to their hotel and the cricket ground and South Africa’s fantastic tourist destinations will be out of bounds.
Reputed banker and former Chairman of Sri Lanka Cricket Rienzie Wijetilleke insisted on recruiting sportsmen when he was the Managing Director of Hatton National Bank. A reporter once asked him why he was insisting on sports people for a banking job. His answer was interesting. “They are efficient. They persevere against numerous odds. They don’t give up and above all they are team players. What more do you want.”
George Steuarts, the nation’s oldest mercantile establishment has followed a similar blueprint in recruiting people for the company and they have done both the country and company proud.
In recent times, there was S. Skandakumar, former Royal College , Colombo University and Tamil Union cricketer. He went onto reach the pinnacle of the company. Under his charge, Bernard Wijetunga, a former St. Peter’s cricketer and Channa Wijemanne the current CEO pulled off the impossible when a midnight meeting of the three executives at the Boss ‘ residence , immediatel