Sanath Jayasuriya....

[Lostman]

Howard has got nothing on this.

WTF
WTFX2

Will likely win in his hometown.
Minister Jayasuriya opening the batting and will be facing Dale Steyn in the 20/20 WC.

I wonder if anyone is going to sledge a politician?

[Nishan]

should be fun.. but its really dissapointing to see such a great sportsman go to these lows

[wfdu_ben91]

I know a Sri Lankan kid at my tafe who moved to Australia like 8 months ago. He reckons that Jayasuriya is even more popular then Muralitharan. Interesting, but after seeing some of his post match interviews; I don't think his the sharpest tool in the shed.

[Sir Alex]

Originally Posted by wfdu_ben91

I know a Sri Lankan kid at my tafe who moved to Australia like 8 months ago. He reckons that Jayasuriya is even more popular then Muralitharan. Interesting, but after seeing some of his post match interviews; I don't think his the sharpest tool in the shed.

Way to analyse a politican. He is Sri Lankan and is more comfortable with sinhalese than English.

[Faisal1985]

Its quite common for famous players/actors to go into politics in the Subcontinent. Nothing out of the ordinary there.....

[Shri]

Exactly, Imran Khan for example.

A more worrying example, Mohd. Azharuddin. Have enough bad eggs already. Don't need another one in the basket.

[Lostman]

Originally Posted by Faisal1985

Its quite common for famous players/actors to go into politics in the Subcontinent. Nothing out of the ordinary there.....

The amusement is not in that he is going to politics, but that he is going into politics while an active player.
The SLC answers to the sports minister (elected official appointed by president), generally a token signature when a squad is selected, with no significant input.

So it's conceivable that Jayasuriya wins the election gets appointed minister of sports and selects himself into the squad.

Originally Posted by Sir Alex

Way to analyse a politican. He is Sri Lankan and is more comfortable with sinhalese than English.

^ what he said

[Himannv]

Not too happy to read this. He's a bit more mild mannered than say Arjuna, but this is just rubbish. I wish our cricketers are remembered for good things without letting politics tarnish their name.

[Lostman]

link

“I will not mix politics with cricket”
The longstanding ‘Master Blaster’ of Sri Lanka cricket and the only player to score more than 13,000 runs and capture more than 300 wickets in one-day international cricket, Sanath Jayasuriya, in his new role as a politician, vows never to allow cricket to overlap or in any way affect his determination to work for the people of the Matara District.
The Nation caught up with the Master Blaster to discuss with him his love for the game, his reasons for entering the political arena and why he decided to tread on to the unfamiliar grounds of politics.

Q: You started from the village and climbed up the ladder to become a global icon. The world has known you as the Master Blaster of cricket. Now, you have turned a new leaf by joining politics. What made you take up this new role?
A: As a cricketer, there were many things that I wanted to do for my hometown of Matara. But cricket could not provide me the full platform to reach out to the people. Now that I have retired from Test cricket, I have ample time. So, I turned to politics because I believe it will provide me with the platform I need to help the people of Matara.

Q: First and foremost you are a sportsman. It is right to say that you are an expert in that field. So does that mean that you will be paying more attention to developing sports in the country in the event that you become a minister?
A: Yes, sports is the field that I am most familiar with. So I will contribute a fair amount of time to developing sports in the country. However, as politicians we are expected to handle various situations. So, I am prepared to do my level best in any field.

Q: In the past, almost every sportsman, who turned to politics, has done so after they retired from the playing field. But you are still playing for the national side and hoping to play at the next world cup. So, some do question the morality of your political moves?
A: Well, there is no rule or ethics for sportsmen not to get involved in politics. I do believe that it would be fine as long as I do not allow these two fields to mix.
When I take up the bat to play for Sri Lanka I will be Sanath Jayasuriya the cricketer, but out side the world of cricket, there will be a different way for dealing with the politician in me. The two fields will be separated by a clear margin and one will not overlap the other.

Q: Another concern is that your influence as a politician might effect the judgements of the cricket selections committee and the team captain. Many fear that you might go beyond the control of your captain?
A: That will never happen. I have worked very hard to get where I am today. It is through hard work and dedication that I was able to reach my current position. I didn’t get to where I am today through any influence other than the quality of my performance. Sticking with the game for so long, I have developed a great deal of respect and love for the game. So, I will never let Sanath the politician cross paths with Sanath the cricketer.
My political connections will never affect the quality of the game.

Q: There are those who point the finger at you saying that you took up politics especially with the ruling party to secure your future as a cricketer because your performance in the recent past hasn’t been to the standard that we remember?
A: That is the personal opinion of individuals. Whenever I got the opportunity, I have performed to my level best and I will continue to perform. It will not be affected by politics. My political carrier has its own purpose and I have different ambitions as a cricketer. They are not tied to each other. I will have to work separately to complete each goal.

Q: Won’t your drive to fulfil these individual ambitions demand a great deal from you. How will you balance both these tasks? Can the people depend on you to be there?
A: As I said, I believe that I will be able to balance these two carreers properly and neither will affect the other.

Q: You will be leaving for the IPL next week. How will that affect your campaign for the general election because you might miss out on the opportunity to be in the country during some of the crucial parts of the campaign?
A: Yes, the IPL will affect my campaign a little bit. But I am hoping to come back for two or three days during the break I get. So, I won’t be abandoning the campaign. I have gone over these details and have delegated the campaign work during my absence and it won’t be affected by the IPL tour.

Q: You will be entering the political arena with the aid of the popularity that you have earned as a cricketer. So, there is a fear that if your basic popularity lasts you will be able to neglect your duties as a politician as you do not have to work too hard to earn the people’s preference?
A: I don’t think that the people will allow me to continue in politics based on my performance as a cricketer. So, I will have to work equally hard to fulfil my duties as a politician if I am to secure the ballot. I don’t think that cricket will be enough to sustain my career as politician. So, there is no doubt that I will have to remain very active in politics and perform in both fields while keeping them apart.

Q: There is also the risk that your performance as a cricketer might adversely affect your popularity as a politician. If you fail to perform in some crucial games, your popularity as a politician might go down. How do you plan to control this effect?
A: It is true that if I fail to perform there will be many disappointments. But if I keep a clear mandate as a politician performing my duties properly I think even the electorate will be able to keep the two fields apart. So, I don’t think that would be a problem. (IW)

[Faisal1985]

Originally Posted by Lostman

The amusement is not in that he is going to politics, but that he is going into politics while an active player.
The SLC answers to the sports minister (elected official appointed by president), generally a token signature when a squad is selected, with no significant input.

So it's conceivable that Jayasuriya wins the election gets appointed minister of sports and selects himself into the squad.



^ what he said

If people knowingly vote for him then why not.....Majority wins.....

[Faisal1985]

Originally Posted by metallics2006

Exactly, Imran Khan for example.

A more worrying example, Mohd. Azharuddin. Have enough bad eggs already. Don't need another one in the basket.

Also heard about Govinda in politics.......

[SaeedAnwar]

this is the end of the road for Jayasuriya in terms of cricket anyways i think. he better perform in the next few series, or else he will definatly be kicked out of the team. He has already lost the opening slot in batting and now this, he is pushing is already very bleak future. Maybe he knows his end is near, thats why he went in to politics

[SJS]

It is common for celebrities in South Asia to be wooed by political parties to join them. The logic is simple. Politicians in our part of the world are the pits. People at least flock to see the celebrities and while they have no clue how they will perform as politicians it doesn't matter mostly because the political standards bar is set far too low anyway.

And the biggest celebrities in our lands are film stars and cricketers hence so many of these join politics. One squirms when it is someone one has respected for years as a sportsman but it cant be helped I suppose.

What is really irritating is to hear the familiar noises coming from their mouths. "I want to help the people of my town/city/district/country etc". Haven't we heard it all before?

I can think of only two who were persuaded that they could actually do some good and believed it but then quit in fairly good time when they realised it wasn't for them. They were amongst the first from their respective fields - Nawab of Pataudi Jr and Amitabh Bachchan.

In Southern India it is different since the film star politicians here are very successful indeed. MGR and Jayalalitha are prime examples but then they are powerful enough to start their own political outfits and rule rather than be political lightweights/lackeys in big parties.

Imran is another example but from all accounts the longer he has stayed the more disillusioned people have become with him and many friends now tell me he is a bit of a joke taken more seriously by the media of other countries than his own. What a tragedy for he could so easily have used his skills (as a cricketer) to much better use in a country that so desperately needs them.

[jeevan]

I, for one, think it's cool for our sport to have a sitting MP be an active international player. Especially in this case with Sanath, where it is a somewhat marginal call to assert that he is blatantly undeserving of selection in either field (I don't know if SL politics is that different from India, where someones wife/brother/sister/son/daughter often walks into political offices with much less of a collection of life experiences than a seasoned cricketer).

He certainly isn't horribly out of place in the SL ODI team at the moment, and why don't we wait till the future probable minister of sports actually selects himself over 11 others before making a scandal out of it? .

[shikha]

jaysurya and and stane both are great player so i think it will be very enjoyable