The curious case of Mahindananda

One of the golden vintages of Sri Lankan cricket spanned the years between 2009 and 2014. It was an era when the national side punched above its weight and danced with giants on the world stage.

- BY REX CLEMENTINE

With stars like Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene, Muttiah Muralitharan and Tillakaratne Dilshan in full flow, Sri Lanka stormed into four World Cup finals, conquered new frontiers - including their first-ever series win in Australia and stood toe-to-toe with India and England in all formats.

Behind the scenes, cricket brains like Aravinda de Silva and Sanath Jayasuriya chaired selection panels, while Marvan Atapattu added tactical brilliance in the coaching corner. At the helm of administration was the ever-dignified Anura Tennakoon, a former captain himself. It was a well-oiled machine taking Sri Lanka to dizzying heights.

And then there was Mahindananda Aluthgamage - the Sports Minister of the time - trying to pad up and take credit. He seemed to fancy himself a major stakeholder in Sri Lanka’s success story.

While he mostly kept his nose clean during his sports tenure despite a few no-balls, it was his later stint as Agriculture Minister that finally landed him in hot water. Last week, he was remanded in connection with the import of a questionable consignment of organic fertilizer from China in 2021. The courts will now decide whether his innings crossed the line.

Having observed him closely during his time as Sports Minister, it was clear that he was forever flirting with the line outside off stump. Known to be easily misled by opportunists whispering sweet nothings in his ear, Mahindananda often ended up wielding the axe against men who minded their own business.

Take the saga of Kumar Sangakkara - then the captain and a colossus of world cricket. Sanga was needled many times. His tipping point came in 2011 when he delivered the MCC Cowdrey Lecture at Lord's. The speech earned a standing ovation. The late Vijaya Malalasekara, himself moved to tears, was one of many who walked away feeling proudly Sri Lankan that evening.