Influence of ‘Born Again’ sect in national team affairs under the scanner

• Recommendation for special attention to be directed by Fact Finding Committee
• The report covers incidents relating to Danushka Gunathilaka’s arrest, Chamika Karunaratne’s disciplinary breach, financial irregularities and player fitness matters
• No definite conclusion that the sect had direct influence on the team
• Players have refused to provide accurate evidence or speak to the committee for fear of career

By Amindha de Alwis

The influence of the ‘Born Again’ religious group in matters concerning the Sri Lankan cricket team has been brought into question among a number of issues covered in a 63-page report, compiled by the five-member committee headed by retired High Court Judge Sarojini Kusala Weerawardena, that was recently presented to Minister of Sports and Youth Affairs Roshan Ranasinghe.

The committee was appointed to investigate several incidents related to Sri Lanka cricket during -- and in the backdrop of -- last year’s T20 World Cup in Australia. The report covers the incident relating to Danushka Gunathilaka’s arrest on charges of sexual assault, Chamika Karunaratne’s disciplinary breach, the impact of the ‘Born again’ religious group on the national cricket team, financial irregularities relating to spending on officials, and player fitness matters. The committee has also presented a series of recommendations pertaining to the areas investigated.

The report did not find conclusive evidence that Sri Lanka’s performance or team selection during the T20 World Cup was influenced by the ‘Born Again’ group, but did issue a strong recommendation that their involvement be paid special attention to; as there exists the possibility of issues arising in the future.

As per the report prepared by the committee, certain team players, when approached, even refused to provide accurate evidence or speak to the committee for fear that any statements of theirs may negatively impact their career going forward.

The report contained a statement from Frederick Christopher Jerome Fernando, the leader of the ‘Born Again’ sect in question, named Prophet Jerome Fernando. He has stated to the committee that he, through the use of divine intervention, provides physical and mental healing to those suffering from ailments and that, in some instances, he can predict injuries and heal them as well.

Fernando has stated that he has not met any Executive Committee officials of Sri Lanka Cricket face-to-face in his religious practices, nor does he have any sort of private connection to anyone involved with Sri Lanka Cricket and that no such individuals have approached him seeking his help. However, he added that he would not know if they had attended any religious worship in a general capacity.

Nevertheless, the report goes on to add that on another occasion, Fernando contradicts this statement, expressing that Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Jeffrey Vandersay, Emerging Team coach Ruwan Kalpage, umpire Lyndon Hannibal, and cricket commentator Roshan Abeysinghe are members of his church, as was Kumar Sangakkara at one time, though he is presently not.
The report thus states that it directly contradicts his previous statement of being unaware of any individuals related to Sri Lanka Cricket having sought his help. The report adds that in addition to the names previously mentioned, cricketer Sadeera Samarawickrama, as well as SLC officials, SLC CEO Ashley de Silva and former high-performance manager Jerome Jayaratne, are also known to be members of the religious group. Concerningly, it goes on to state that there is evidence that some of the persons named actively seek out those facing certain difficulties or problems and, in the guise of offering help, attempt to convert them to followers of the ‘Born Again’ sect.

It should be noted that de Silva strongly denied being a follower of the group or ever being present at any ‘Born Again’ religious events, as published in our sister newspaper, the Lankadeepa, on Thursday.

The report mentions an individual named Pastor Terry, from the same church, who confronted Buddhist cricketer Chamika Karunaratne and attempted to persuade him to hear the merits of joining the ‘Born Again’ group.

As a whole, however, the report could not give a definite conclusion that the ‘Born Again’ sect had a direct influence on the national cricket team, largely due to the fact that witnesses were hesitant to give genuine and complete disclosures regarding ‘Born Again’ followers and those in and around Sri Lanka cricket. Its recommendation, marked in bold, that special attention be directed to the matter, is one that would need to be taken seriously given the nature of what is revealed in the report.

Questions over the ‘Born Again’ sect’s involvement in Sri Lankan cricket affairs have been rampant on social media in recent times and reached a crescendo when all-rounder Karunaratne was left out of the Sri Lankan squad for their inbound tour against Afghanistan last November, despite being named Player of the Match in his most recent ODI. Allegations were levelled from certain quarters that the all-rounder’s omission was due to religious reasons or disciplinary issues. SLC, however, clarified that the player had been dropped from the squad purely due to poor form.  

The report also brought up alleged misappropriation of funds by officials during the T20 World Cup in Australia, calling into question the per diems (approximately 700 dollars per day) granted to 16 officials who travelled on tour, which included Jayaratne, who, as per the report, had no official role with the team.