'Relieved' Lankans raring to go

NEW DELHI: The articulate Avishka Gunawardene arrived late on Friday and immediately got into the thick of things here at the Teri Oval first thing on Saturday morning.
"You have to put in the same amount of practice whether it's T20 or Tests," the explosive ex-Sri Lankan opener, who is playing his second season in the ICL, said with trademark elan.
The spotlight is on the Lankans in the practice sessions here, with Gunawardene playing under Marvan Atapattu for the Delhi Giants and the Royal Bengal Tigers featuring Upul Chandana.
Sri Lanka Cricket���s recent decision to buck the trend and allow these players to participate in the domestic circuit has come as a relief for these Lankans in the ICL, including Russel Arnold (Chennai Superstars) and Saman Jayantha (Mumbai Champs). Even ICL umpire Ranmore Martinez will be pleased to have retrieved a bit of legitimacy.
However, Gunawardene has a different take on things. "It���s true SLC has shown a backbone by allowing us to play again in the domestic circuit," he told TOI, "Being a small country with not as much economic clout when it comes to cricket, it was a bold move given the pressure from all sides to ban ICL players.
"But the decision, I feel, is neither here nor there. If you are not eligible to play for your country, then why should I or another ICL player take up someone���s spot in a domestic team?"
Gunawardene feels unless the ICL and the BCCI can patch up, cricket will suffer. He said, "There is no difference between the ICL and the IPL. There is nothing illegal with us. It���s just an ego problem. All this crisis will affect cricket because the ICL is here to stay, and will draw a large pool of talent from all countries. Look what happened to Bangladesh."
The soft-spoken Chandana, who, along with Atapattu and Russel, retired to play in the ICL, admitted SLC���s decision was a bonus, saying he would turn out for domestic competitions after ICL Season 2 gets over. "I���m keen on playing in domestic competitions. As for the ICL, the last season here was a bit difficult for me but this time I have more T20 match-experience and am raring to go."
Gunawardene praised ICL���s support staff arrangements, saying, "With the facilities we are getting, the younger Indians here will go back as much better players if they are allowed to play again for their state or country."