Thilanga Sumathipala, who is the president of both the Asian Cricket Council and Sri Lanka Cricket, praised the recent performances of the Bangladesh cricket team and said the Tigers have come a long way. A close friend of Bangladesh cricket right from the start, Sumathipala voted for Bangladesh's ODI and Test status back in 1998. He believes the Tigers can be a role model for the Associate nations who are eager to break into the major tournaments.
In an exclusive interview with Dhaka Tribune's Mazhar Uddin Thursday, the 51-year old talked about Bangladesh's rise and his upcoming plans, among other issues.
Do you think Bangladesh can be a benchmark for the Associate nations?
Afghanistan, UAE, Nepal, Malaysia; these are the emerging countries. They have potential. If Bangladesh can do it why not the others. We saw the potential of Bangladesh back in 1998-99 and we had a fast-track programme for them. We gave Bangladesh the ODI status and then followed it by the Test status which I was happy to do. I am one of the signatories who voted for Bangladesh when Saber Hossain Chowdhury was the Bangladesh Cricket Board president. We have provided many Sri Lankan coaches from that time to develop and you have continued that. As a result, players started to come from the grass-root level. I think Bangladesh is heading towards the right direction.
Is there a chance of the Asia Cup being expanded in future?
As of now we are looking at only eight teams. We have the qualifiers now before the main round. It has become commercially viable.
Do the ACC have any plans to restart the Asian Test championship?
I don’t know whether the people would have time to play a Test championship because the calendar is very busy. I don’t think it will be viable to have a Test championship in Asia. But obviously we are going to play the Under-19 Asia Cup every year so that the youth have something to play for.
What is your advice or suggestion to Bangladesh in your capacity as the president of SLC?
You have to increase the viewers, listeners and the following of Bangladesh cricket. You have 160m people but we have 20m people. I think you guys are committed, you are fighting and you want to win. That’s a good spirit and the team is doing a good job. I think we are proud of your team.
Do you have any plans to work alongside the BCB in future?
Bangladesh is our equal partner. We can encourage more domestic cricket. We can definitely look for more in terms of player requirements. Lot of people are playing cricket in Asia but there are only four Full Members so we can expand the opportunities more.
Bangladesh have successfully hosted several international events in the past. However, a few issues have arisen recently with regards to the security situation in the country. What is your observation as the ACC president?
Well, I mean security threat is going to be there. You can’t find that in only one country. It’s there all over the world, depending on areas that are political and various stands taken by certain leaders. So we would like to appeal to everyone to refrain from comparing sports with politics and terrorism. Leave us alone. We are certainly enjoying the game of cricket and sports. We had thirty years of war but we never had an issue with terrorists. I think Bangladesh sports should be freely running on its own without being recognised or associated in any other matter.
Who is your favourite Bangladesh cricketer?
Shakib [al Hasan] is the best, or, I think, Tamim [Iqbal], but the captain Mashrafe [bin Mortaza] will be very upset (smiles). I think I don’t want to name any particular player. I would say Bangladesh is playing good cricket and he (Mashrafe) is a good leader. But I can’t name one as I enjoy every good hundred or if there is some brilliant bowling performance or outstanding fielding.