Veteran Sri Lanka Umpire Ashkoa De Silva’s attempts to push and promote the umpires from a certain association for the domestic tournaments have created a big dispute amongst local umpires, Cricket Age learns.
De Silva played 10 tests and 28 ODIs for Sri Lanka from 1985 to 1992. later he Become an umpire and was very popular those days, particularly in subcontinent.
However, presently he is the classic case of conflict of interest. He is the Employee of SLC, as the manager of the umpires. At the same time, he has been functioning as the President of Professional Cricket Umpires (PCU) association.
According to sources, being a president, De Silva has been promoting umpires from PCU to domestic cricket tournament. This allegedly baised act of De Silva has caused dispute between the umpires in a big way. It has learnt that the umpires from another association named Association Of Cricket Umpires (ACU), are feeling cheated.
“You will find this thing in the ongoing Three day domestic tournament as well. Most of the umpires are from PCU” one local umpire told Cricket Age in the term of animosity.
“The problem is that unlike ACU, PCU doesn’t have any organized structure. They don’t conduct proper exams and seminars. Just because of Ashoka De Silva promotes them, they finds much more assignments then others” he added further.
One of the neglected umpire also said that some of the promoted umpires from PCU are physically unfit too with big stomachs .
It has also learnt that there is no proper way of conducting physical fitness tests for umpires. The other former umpire employed at SLC to conduct seminars to umpires T.H.Wijewardane, the umpires educator manager, is famous of having alcohol continuously with certain group of umpires.
It has also learnt that Ashoka De Silva is very Close to K. Mathivanan, the Vice President of SLC. K. Mathivanan was the head of the domestic cricket for last two years, and now has been drafted into International cricket.
