Angelo Mathews set to return for Sri Lanka in Test series in India
Wednesday 1 November 2017 11:49, UK
Captain Dinesh Chandimal fittingly chose Halloween to claim that Sri Lanka's surprise Test series win against Pakistan this month was down to witchcraft, drawing mockery on social media.
Chandimal told reporters he had received a special blessing from a meyni, or sorcerer, ahead of the two-match series in the United Arab Emirates.
"I am always ready to accept the blessings of anyone - whether it is a meyni or any clergy," Chandimal told reporters after returning to Colombo. "You can have talent, but without this blessing you can't move forward."
Chandimal's comments came a week after Sri Lanka's sports minister denied ordering the struggling national team to use witchcraft ahead of the Test series.
Dayasiri Jayasekara threatened to sue a sorcerer for claiming that at his request she cast a spell over Pakistan to ensure Sri Lanka's victory.
Several Sri Lankan politicians, business leaders and sports stars put their faith in witchcraft or astrology - former president Mahinda Rajapakse took the advice of his personal astrologer before calling an election two years ahead of schedule in January 2015, only to lose badly.
Chandimal said the sorcerer he consulted was the mother of a friend, and he was willing to accept her blessings - but since the Test victory, Sri Lanka have fared less well, losing 5-0 in the subsequent one-day series against Pakistan and also going down in a three-match Twenty20 series.
Sri Lankan fans made fun of Chandimal and criticised his sorcerer online, with many calling her a fraud. "You made predictions, tied talismans, held poojas, but finally we were humiliated," posted one social media user.
Sri Lanka are back in Test action in India in November, live on Sky Sports, with former skipper Angelo Mathews set to play in the three-match series after recovering from injury.
Interim Sri Lanka coach Nic Pothas said: "On the Test series [in Pakistan], let me remind you that we made history. We did something that no other nation has ever done in the UAE.
"It tends to have been forgotten due to the fact that ODIs follow the Tests. But we have to give huge credit to the team and to the captain [Chandimal]. Overall, across the whole tour, we can glean a lot of positives."
Pothas has been in temporary charge of Sri Lanka since the departure of Graham Ford in June and is in the running to take the job on a permanent basis, says the team's CEO, Ashley De Silva.
"We are discussing with about three or four coaches, including Nic Pothas. We hope to finalise the decision by the end of the year," De Silva was reported as saying by Cricinfo.
"When it comes to recruiting a new coach, we have to be sure to select the right one, therefore it takes some time.
"As for the names, some of them are still working in other places so if it gets leaked they won't be happy. We'll reveal it when the time is right."
