Ranatunga fears for well-being of game after T20

Although the Twenty20 revolution has brought in unimaginable amount of money into the game, especially to the players with the introduction of the billion-dollar Indian Premier League (IPL), Ranatunga said he was concerned about the health of the game.

“I agree players were underpaid and deserved to get more. But tell me, is T20 good for the game? My concern is more for the game. I’m afraid that in future everyone would like to become only batsmen and there won’t be many willing to take up bowling,” said the left-hander who represented his country in 93 Tests and 269 ODIs between 1992 and 2000.

Ranatunga, who led Lanka to the 1996 World Cup triumph with his imaginative captaincy and management skills, pointed out the examples of cricket greats Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid to prove his point about his harsh views on T20 cricket.

“Sachin Tendulkar is a great player, the finest batsman I have seen. But it was sad to see him try to change his game to suit the needs of Twenty20 cricket (during his stint as captain of Mumbai Indians in IPL). So was the case with Rahul Dravid, another great player,” said the scorer of over 12,500 run in international cricket.

Ranatunga also expressed concerns that Twenty20 cricket would affect the longevity of players in the international game.

“I played for 20 years. But I am concerned for someone like Mahela (Jayawardene, the Lanka captain) who may not be able to last even 15 years (after the advent of T20),” he said.

Ranatunga rued being an administrator at a time when the game’s custodians have to tread wearily to strike a balance between the three forms of the game.

“I’m happy I played cricket at the right time, but unhappy I have become an administrator at the wrong time,” he said.

The former Lankan captain, however, was happy to see the embattled West Indies benefit from the twenty20 cash bonanza that is on offer in the much-anticipated series between England and a combined West Indies XI.

“I am, however, happy that the West Indies (cricket board) are to benefit from these matches. West Indies have suffered the most (monetarily),” he said.