** Official ** Sri Lanka in New Zealand tour

[Pratters]

Maybe it would be a good idea to have the matches and give all the proceeds for relief. It would stleat be of some use. Maybe put off the official one day status of the matches.

 

[Will Scarlet]

What would the SL public want their cricketers to do?

Would the SL players not directly affected by the disaster really want to go back to the destroyed areas? Many of these can't be reached at present.

Exactly what would the cricketers do? Since SL is a cricket mad country I would not be surprised if many there preferred if the games continued, to provide a distraction from the harse reality of the circumstances. It is hard to fully appreciate cricketers (the country's heroes) when they are not playing cricket, after all.

 

[nookie_lk]

Would the SL players not directly affected by the disaster really want to go back to the destroyed areas? Many of these can't be reached at present.

Exactly what would the cricketers do? Since SL is a cricket mad country I would not be surprised if many there preferred if the games continued, to provide a distraction from the harse reality of the circumstances. It is hard to fully appreciate cricketers (the country's heroes) when they are not playing cricket, after all.

Ill tell you the real way how sri lankans thing about this. You are absolutely wrong. True sri lankans are cricket crazy dudes and the sri lankan players are heroes for us. but In this situation no one will even think about cricket. The next week is declared as a week of mourning in Sri Lanka. So cricket wont be even telecasted on TV. The sri lankan people want the cricketers back home NOT playing cricket. Our cricketers are the main contributers for charity. So Their help is needed....and i'm sure the cricketers are waiting to help too. So Will Scarlet right now the sri lankan people wont care about cricket or even if Jayasuriya smashes 200 runs. Right now everyone is so sad and shocked they just need all the sri lankan cricketers back home to comfort them.

 

[bryce]

Maybe it would be a good idea to have the matches and give all the proceeds for relief. It would stleat be of some use..

there will be proceeds given for relief if the tour goes ahead NZ cricket has said

 

[Will Scarlet]

If the matches were rescheduled when would they happen? There simply isn't time in NZ's calendar with the future tours and shorter NZ summer. I believe this and the potential financial loss to NZ cricket played a part in the current decision to continue. Though it may not be the moral thing to do, going on Nookie's comments.

 

[sportychic33]

From the ABC website

Sri Lanka to continue NZ tour

Sri Lanka's cricketers have unanimously agreed to continue their tour of New Zealand despite the horror of the Asian earthquake and tsunami.

New Zealand Cricket chief executive Martin Snedden insisted no pressure was put on the Sri Lankan squad to stay.

With several team members directly affected by the disaster, although none had immediate family killed, Sri Lanka Cricket president Mohan de Silva was quoted as saying the players wanted out after the devastating tsunami which killed thousands in their homeland.

But following talks with the Sri Lanka Cricket Board in Colombo and with team management in New Zealand, Mr Snedden said the tour would continue as earlier agreed with a period of mourning and the second one-day match in the series put back to Sunday.

With Sri Lanka in a national state of emergency, Mr de Silva had been quoted as saying Sri Lanka were trying to negotiate with the International Cricket Council (ICC) to reschedule the series as the players were "not too keen on playing".

Mr Snedden confirmed rescheduling the tour was discussed, adding that the final decision to continue the tour was made by Sri Lanka.

"We worked through the options over the last few days ... the Sri Lanka Cricket Board considered those options and we certainly weren't placing any pressure on them," he said.

Mr Snedden said Sri Lanka had a team meeting where the players were given the option of returning home.

"The players have decided it's not an option they want to take up," he said.

Under ICC regulations, a tour can only be cancelled if there is a security threat, the government of a team involved calls the side back, or if the two playing countries agree to postpone the tour.

Any breach of the conditions can result in a significant fine.

It is understood pace bowlers Nuwan Zoysa and Dilhara Fernando lost relatives, while the mothers of Sanath Jayasuriya and leg-spinner Upul Chandana were both injured.

Captain Marvan Atapattu initially feared for his father's safety and struggled to contact him but he was eventually located.

Mr Snedden said there would be fundraising for the disaster during the one-day series.

The Sri Lankans were offered a charity match but declined, saying they did not want to extend the tour any further than it had been already.

New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming met some of the Sri Lankans at their hotel on Tuesday night and a letter of sympathy signed by the New Zealand team was delivered.

Under the rescheduled itinerary, the second one-day international will now take place on January 11 at Queenstown.

A two-Test series due to begin on January 15 will likely be pushed back several days to accommodate a warm-up match beforehand.

New Zealand won the first one-day match in Auckland on Sunday by seven wickets

Well interesting article. . players offered the option to go home but want to continue. . . best wishes to the players, their families and all those effected by the disaster.

Hopefully New Zealand Cricket come to the party with a great fundrasing effort which I will definitely support.

 

[shaka]

twenty20 or max game played at eden park? any supporters for this idea, all money going to fundraising.

 

[sportychic33]

twenty20 game in wellington. .. that would be a good idea. . . if that is a possibility i wonder if they would getout the beige coz that is going to be classic when they play against the aussies.

or it could be a max game to satisfy mr martin crowe (if it was a max game i wonder if he would dig into his pockets and help the aid in asia?)

 

[bryce]

i've always favoured max cricket over 20/20, 20/20 is just a 20 over one dayer where max offers something different

 

[JASON]

This situation is pretty sad !! There is no right or wrong way out of this.

Cancelling the tour means, restarting the tour again when both countries already have tough itineraries and players have other commitments.

Abandoning would be ideal and new tours re-organised for following season, but NZ cricket would not be happy with that .

I think the least NZ cricket could consider is cutting out one of the ODIs at least . So the tour does not get any longer than what it already is for the Sri Lankan team .

 

[Kent]

Tour Cancelled

http://nz.cricinfo.com/link_to_data...WS/2004/DEC/143315_NZSL2004-05_29DEC2004.html

I've thought about this over the last couple of days and I believe this was the right thing to happen, despite the prospect of fundraising matches, etc.

I suppose the Sri Lankan players can't physically do much to repair disaster zones a bit like a father can't do much during child-birth, but most still feel it's profoundly important to be there. Even if it's just the symbolism of priorities, it's worth it.

 

[Kent]

From a NZ point of view, obviously this completely reshapes the summer -

* I doubt NZC would fiddle around with New Zealand 'A' playing the BCs or anything like that, but a North Island v. South Island 'test' at the Basin may not be a bad idea.

If not, all BCs will be available for the rest of the State Shield, and two rounds of the Championship in January. Facing domestic opposition (even at full-strength) for the next six weeks is far from ideal preparation for Australia, but at least the ODIs come first.

* Presumably NZ can no longer take over from the Aussies as the #1 ranked OD side by April 1, so won't be playing the World XI.

* There's suddenly a massive hole in Sky TV's summer schedule, so I wouldn't be surprised if some dates are tweaked and more State Shield games are shown.

 

[Richard Rash]

There's suddenly a massive hole in Sky TV's summer schedule, so I wouldn't be surprised if some dates are tweaked and more State Shield games are shown.

I hope so!!!

 

[marc71178]

* Presumably NZ can no longer take over from the Aussies as the #1 ranked OD side by April 1, so won't be playing the World XI.

Be honest though, the chances of it happening were so minute it wasn't really worth talking about!

 

[Richard Rash]

Be honest though, the chances of it happening were so minute it wasn't really worth talking about!

Yeah you are right but the players themselves thought they could give it a decent shake

 

[Macka]

Be honest though, the chances of it happening were so minute it wasn't really worth talking about!

Of course it was worth talking about. NZ barely lost an ODI last season at home. Sure it would of been a big ask but it was definitely possible, the likelihood wasn't 'minute'.

 

[marc71178]

Did it not require Australia to lose all their VB games as well?!

 

[bryce]

I hope so!!!

yeah so do i, that would be great

 

[shaka]

Does the cancelled series mean that NZ go 2nd on the ODI table? since they have played one game.

 

[bryce]

don't think so, the tour will be re-scheduled and played at a later date, that's my understanding anyway