Sri Lanka's weight-and-see policy stumps rational thought

CRICKET in Sri Lanka and Pakistan has bowled itself out with a couple of googlies.

The Aravinda de Silva and Javed Miandad affairs, although substantively different, have robbed their countries of two true talents, the former for the upcoming games in Sharjah and the latter for good.

You would have thought that having a batting average that matched your weight would be a plus for any cricketer, but it has not helped de Silva. Never mind that he has been hitting the ball deep into tea plantations in local matches, the flabby-framed de Silva flunked a fitness test so he is out of the real Tests.

England's Ian Botham, he of the ''Beefy'' sobriquet, and similarly rotund bat and ball merchants must be holding their beer bellies with much mirth. Demanding that cricketers reach specific fitness levels is akin to requiring Diego Maradona to be more of a team man or he'll be dropped - it's just not done.

Sure, top class cricketers have to be in reasonable shape to cope with the rigours of five-day matches, often played in baking heat, but that requirement should be secondary to the technique, timing and other innings-building qualities that the likes of de Silva possess in abundance.

The baddy in this sad Sri Lankan scenario is sports minister Nanda Mathew whose brainwave it was to impose physical checks on the country's international sportsmen.

Given that there should be little need for this in most sports - coaches don't build reputations on choosing half-fit players - cricket seemed to be the main target for the good minister's weight-watch hunt.