None dare take on India in the cricketing world these days. Many are the individuals in recent times who had to eat humble pie for being strong willed enough to take on cricket’s richest board.
Malcolm Speed, Haroon Lorgat and Arjuna Ranatunga are cases in point. Literally, all of them are in the cricketing wilderness at the moment. But there was a time when India struggled to stamp their authority despite being the largest contributor to cricket’s fortunes. Sri Lanka were their strongest ally.
Neil Perera, an Engineer by profession attached to Ceylon Electricity Board had represented Panadura Sports Club in his young days. An honest and diligent worker, he had served the Board of Control for Cricket in Sri Lanka for over 25 years.
He was secretary of the cricket board when Tyrone Fernando, a government Minister was the President in 1993. Neil Perera had a burning desire to see Sri Lanka host some World Cup games some day. In June 1993, at an ICC meeting, cricket’s stakeholders were going to decide the hosts for the 1996 World Cup.
Perera pushed the idea to the Board President. Fernando agreed. Then Neil hastily wrote to the BCCI and Pakistan Cricket Board asking about the possibility of a joint bid.
Knowing that the Sri Lankan Board was too financially handicapped to host an event of the magnitude of a World Cup, both Perera and Fernando went to meet President Ranasingha Premadasa to get his blessing for the event. President Premadasa gave his backing and promised to part with state funds for the event. Perera was a jubilant man. But, there was a twist in the tale.
Read More : How Neil Perera changed the fortunes of Sri Lankan cricket
Across the Indian ocean, in another continent, there was an equally ambitious man heading the United Cricket Board of South Africa; Ali Bacher was his name. A former Test captain, Bacher wanted to host 1996 World Cup in South Africa.
The rainbow nation was making rapid progress following the release of Nelson Mandela from prison. They had already secured the Rugby World Cup to be held in 1995 and Mandela had played a key role canvassing South Africa’s bid.
Bacher wanted Mandela to argue South Africa’s case at the ICC as well. So in turn, one of the political giants of our time called up some of the friendly nations asking their support for South Africa’s bid to host the 1996 World Cup.
President Premadasa received the call too. He fell for Mandela’s charisma hook, line and sinker. Neil Perera was told to back off and support South Africa.
Read More : When Aravinda turned vegetarian before the 1996 World Cup
When counting started at Lord’s, three members were contesting to host cricket’s showpiece event – South Africa, England and Pakistan, who had wanted to do it on their own. Sri Lanka voted for South Africa but Bacher couldn’t muster enough support and withdrew South Africa’s bid. Now it was a two horse race between England and Pakistan.
Realizing a grand opportunity, Perera phoned the President’s Secretariat to inform them of the developments in London. He was informed that if South Africa had withdrawn, he was good to go ahead with the joint bid of India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
Perera had to hastily come up with a fresh bid. Pakistan were reluctant to go for a joint bid initially wanting to do it on their own. However, soon they realized that there was little hope trying to do it alone.
After several rounds of counting, neither England nor the sub-continent were able to muster the required 2/3 majority, a prerequisite those days to win the hosting rights. Perera then came up with a formula to break the deadlock. He suggested of a compromise package whereby the sub-continent would host the event in 1996. England would get the hosting rights for the next event followed by South Africa. All agreed. That’s how the sub-continent hosted the 1996 event, England the 1999 World Cup and South Africa the one in 2003.
Perera’s dream came true. Sri Lanka were going to host four World Cup games. Quietly observing Perera’s behind the scenes manoeuvres was business tycoon Jagmohan Dalmiya, the man who changed cricket’s finances and broke England and Australia’s dominance of the sport. Dalmiya was the first Asian to become the Chairman of the ICC.
He was Secretary of BCCI at that point and was appointed Chairman of the PILCOM – Pakistan, India and Lanka Committee, the organizing arm of the World Cup. Perera had moved on by the time the World Cup came and was no longer the Secretary of the Sri Lankan Board. But Dalmiya remembered the hard work the little man from Sri Lanka had put in and invited him to watch the World Cup semi-final and the final.
Perera lived his dream. His hard work had paid off. Not only did Sri Lanka host the World Cup but went onto become World Champions as well.
>>ICC Cricket World Cup 2019<<
