Sri Lanka national Cricket squad entered the Asia Cup tournament virtually as underdogs due to the team’s ‘not very impressive’ performance in the recent past. At the qualifying first round, Sri Lanka team was surprisingly routed by minnows of World Cricket; Afghanistan in the very first match faced by them. This upset win by Afghanistan broke the spirits of the local fans to such an extent that they expected a humiliating exit of the team from the first round itself. But, it was not to be. Thereafter, the spirited Sri Lankan team maintained consistency and supremacy throughout the tournament.   

The turnaround began with Sri Lanka cruising to a victory against Afghanistan in the quarter finals. After that, The Indian team which was the hot favorites to defend their Asian title was convincingly beaten by Sri Lanka.  Sri Lanka continued to maintain its winning streak to beat Pakistan and enter the final in style. Before the beginning of the tournament, Sri Lanka was rated down the table with remote chances of winning the Asian title. Furthermore, the Sri Lanka team was downgraded, humiliated and belittled by some biased commentators and social media activists. But, Sri Lanka team went to the tournament with their head high undeterred by outrageous comments cast against them. 

This was notwithstanding the fact that even some Bangladeshi and Afghanistan players and administrators unleashed a verbal barrage against Sri Lanka to lower their morale. But, Sri Lanka’s new outfit was a highly inspired lot which they proved in no uncertain terms at the end. Sri Lanka encountered Pakistan once again in the final and emerged victorious putting all ill-conceived predictions of Cricket pundits into the dustbin. Sri Lanka won the final by 23 runs. It is apparent that the poor Sri Lanka team had to face this humiliation because of the chaotic situation back in Sri Lanka. This is a good indicator how the world is looking at bankrupt Sri Lanka as of now. It was indeed a commendable act of plucky Sri Lankans who annexed its 6^th Asian Championship title in a no nonsense mindset against all odds. 

Before Sri Lanka’s triumph in Asian Cricket circuit, Sri Lankan women Netballers beat Singapore convincingly to clinch the Asian Championship for the second consecutive time. In fact, Sri Lanka’s victory was spearheaded by 6’9’’ tall Tharjini Sivalingam from Jaffna. Sri Lanka’s netballers dominated in the last three quarters to record the victory in the margin of 63 to 53 at the end. This win was further sparked by the Sri Lankan Cricket team later in the day. Meanwhile, Sri Lanka’s Legends Cricket team taking part in the ‘Road Safety World Series’ pulled off an exciting win against a strong Australians. Sri Lankan skipper Thilakaratne Dilshan played a captain’s inning thereby scoring a splendid century. He was ably assisted by another frontline veteran Dilshan Munaweera. Sri Lanka being the runner up in the first episode of this world series is hoping to bag the championship this time.  All Sri Lankans hope that their determination will bear fruits in the coming days.

However, Sri Lanka’s economic woes are far from a permanent solution. The government seems to heavily bank on the forthcoming IMF bail-out loan of USD 2.9 Billion.  In the run up, chaos still prevails in the country. Meanwhile, the government is being accused by local and international communities for suppressing protestors and the spree of arrests being made. In the underlying, Sri Lankans have nothing to rejoice over in the economic front. Inflation is uncontrollably high in Sri Lanka at present. Basically, Sri Lankans are pressed to the wall. Sri Lanka is now a country in peril. People are so hopeless. It is a great thing that our sportsmen and women were able to bring a smile on 22 million people in Sri Lanka.

Namo magazine would also like to take this opportunity to congratulate Sri Lanka’s national Cricket and Netball teams for their flamboyant feats in the international sports arena and also to extend best wishes for veteran Cricketers to rewrite the history this time.

Yet again, a Pink Ball Test has ended in two and a half days, with 16 wickets falling on the first day itself, raising questions whether these matches actually help to enhance spectator interest in Test Cricket, as they were originally meant to do. In fact, both Test Matches between India and Sri Lanka in this series ended in less than three days and generally proved to be very disappointing as contests. India won by a massive innings and 222 runs in the first Test at Mohali. And by 221 runs at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore, in the Day-Nighter. In a sad commentary on their batting performance, Sri Lanka passed 200 only once in the four innings that they played.

In the First Test, following on from their first innings total of 174 which was surpassed by Ravindra Jadeja alone, by an unbeaten 175 in an Indian first innings total of 574 for 8 declared, they managed only 178 in the second innings. Things got even worse in the first innings at Bangalore where they collapsed to 109 all out against the Indian seamers who took 7 wickets between them, with Bumrah picking up his first 5-wicket haul in India. They then went on to lose 7 wickets to the spinners in the second innings. Apart from Angelo Matthews and Niroshan Dickwella, the other nine batsmen managed to put together a dismal 45 runs amongst them in the first innings.  In the second innings, a marvellous century by skipper Dimuth Karunaratne and an aggressive fifty by Kusal Mendis notwithstanding, the remaining nine batsmen again managed a marginally better 47 runs amongst them.

Sadly, that batting ineptitude has been the story of this disappointing series for Sri Lanka, which saw records galore, created by the Indians.

Achieving a huge personal milestone, Ravichandran Ashwin surpassed Kapil Dev’s 434 Test wickets to become India’s second-highest wicket-taker in Tests, after Anil Kumble who sits at the top of the heap with a monumental 619 Test wickets. His spin twin, Ravindra Jadeja became the first Indian cricketer in 69 years to score 175 runs or more in an innings and take a five-wicket innings haul in the same Test Match, after the great Vinoo Mankad last did it in 1952. Jadeja finished with 9 wickets in the match in an outstanding performance.

Rishabh Pant who has fallen in the 90s at the doorstep of well-deserved hundreds, five times already in his short Test career which otherwise has four Test Centuries, chipped in with a typically breezy 96. And Virat Kohli playing in his 100^th Test fell for 45, unbelievably, exactly in the manner and score predicted by a fan. Kohli’s disappointing run of scores continued in the second test as well and it’s now been two years since he got a Test hundred.

For Sri Lanka, Pathum Nissanka had compiled a well-deserved unbeaten 61 in the first Test which added to his growing stature as a quality Test Batsman, but the other young batting hope, Charith Asalanka disappointed in this series and needs to get back to the drawing board. He got off the mark in spectacular fashion with a six in the second innings and followed it up with another maximum in the same over. For good measure, he hit two more boundaries in that over, making it 20 runs in the final over before tea, in what was to be his only hurrah in this series. It was too good to last and he perished soon after.

Niroshan Dickwella crafted a well-fought half-century in the same innings, but once again, failed to make it count with a hundred. For someone who has 19 Test Match fifties, surely that is a disturbing statistic. At the end of the match, the Sri Lankan skipper Dimuth Karunaratne was to say that his batsmen needed to bat longer and capitalize on the starts that they got.

Moving on to the pink ball Day-Night Test Match at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore, things didn’t get any better as a total of 16 wickets fell on the first day, the highest ever in a Day-night Test match thus far. The spinners did well for Sri Lanka, but conceded too many runs in the end as Shreyas Iyer once again played a superlative knock of 92 that took the match away from the opposition, after India were on the ropes at 148 for 6 at one stage. The Indian pacers Bumrah and Shami, breathed fire early on with the Pink Ball, as Sri Lanka crashed to 28 for 4, a position they never recovered from, folding up for a paltry 109. Angelo Mathews looked good but fell soon after a well-deserved fifty. As it turned out, that was to be the only substantial contribution in the Sri Lankan first innings.

For India, records continued to tumble in the second innings, as Rishabh Pant hit the fastest fifty in Test cricket by an Indian, reaching his half-century in 28 balls, two less than Kapil Dev against Pakistan, 40 years ago in 1982. Left Arm Spinners Embuldeniya and Praveen Jayawickrama picked up seven wickets between the two of them for the visitors in the second innings, to add to their 3 wickets each in the first innings. But they proved to be too expensive to really make a difference.  35- year old Suranga Lakmal playing his last Test match, bowled well and picked up a farewell wicket.

Skipper Dimuth Karunaratne compiled a brilliant Century in the Sri Lankan second innings and gave glimpses of what could have been for the visitors, if only they had applied themselves properly. But that was not to be and once his second-wicket stand of 97 with Kusal Mendis was broken, it was only a matter of time, as wickets tumbled in a heap. Karunaratne has carried forward his good form of last year when he scored a total of 902 Test runs at an average of 69.38, into 2022, but it was not enough for his side. Admittedly the pink ball moves and skids through under lights making batting difficult, but it was a very disappointing show from an international side, that has done well in white-ball contests of late.

A side that has a core of some very talented young players, but they just could not perform as a team in this series. There were injuries that put a number of key players out of action. There was no Wanindu Hasaranga, no Lahiru Kumara, Dushmantha Chameera or Pathum Nissanka (in the second test). But even then, it was disappointing to see the side caving in without a fight.  The team is obviously in a state of transition and once some of the more promising young players learn to be more consistent, Sri Lanka can surely look forward to many years of good cricket from them in International Cricket. 

But this time around, they really could have made better use of the Indian conditions, which are almost similar to the ones back home. Some of them did, but it was far too sporadic and far too little to make a difference.

A familiar scenario that struck terror in the hearts of many a top-class batsman as a much-loved Aussie maestro waltzed his way to 708 Test Match wickets in a glittering career that looks unlikely to be bettered – ever. 

And to paraphrase Shakespeare’s ‘To Be or Not To Be’ – the question that remained uppermost in the minds of a whole generation of bamboozled batsmen was ‘Will it spin away or in?’ Would it turn out be a legspinner or a googly, or perhaps a skidding topspinner that went straight on – as they gazed mesmerized at the oncoming delivery as it spun and stung like a striking cobra, leaving them helplessly rooted and transfixed to the crease, no matter how well settled they were. 

Shane Warne personified the quintessential larger than life, brash, aggressive, fun- loving ‘fair dinkum’ Aussie down to the very last detail and pommie bashing, specially in Ashes contests where he once picked up a Hat-Trick at the MCG to go with his other exploits, remained one of his favourite pastimes, right till the shocking, untimely end. 

His happy- go- lucky exuberance often got the better of him and earned him a certain notoriety that was perhaps not always fair to him, but nevertheless served to add to his charisma of a modern day genius.  And to his aura of one of the true all-time greats of the game. 

Sadly, like many of his victims bamboozled by the extravagant turn that he produced seemingly out of nowhere on fast, bouncy, wickets, as they left shaking their heads in disbelief at the ruins of their shattered stumps, the magician has left the stage abruptly too.

And like the legion of his illustrious victims done in by the “ball of the Century” that sent a bewildered Mike Gatting on his way, or by the one that ‘turned in a mile’ for left-handed Andrew Strauss as he tried to pad it away in vain, beaten by the prodigious turn, he is gone way too soon. 

Indeed, upon hearing the shocking news the “Ball of the Century“ was what countless fans would have turned to, to marvel and wonder at the sheer wizardry of this smiling assassin. And to many other equally well-documented deliveries in the same category which are no less unbelievable in terms of the turn and zip that he generated from otherwise unresponsive wickets tailor-made for the quicks. That is what set him apart as an absolute master of his craft who could ply his trade and work his magic on unsuspecting batsmen, on just about any surface. 

In a glittering international career spanning across 15 years that saw him take 708 Test wickets — the most ever by an Australian, and second only to his equally legendary contemporary, Muttiah Muralitharan, he carved out a niche for himself in the History of the sport, as an All-time Great who would be remembered forever. 

On a crazy day when the Angels XI Up Above acquired a top-class wicket-keeper batsman and a master right arm orthodox leg-spin googly bowler from Australia, both modern-day legends of the sport in their own right, Shane Warne had actually tweeted to express his grief at Rodney Marsh’s passing – he of the “ct Marsh bowled Lillee” fame from half a century ago. That was probably his last communication to the world as the charismatic leg spinner himself hastened away in a shocking twist of fate, to join his childhood hero in the celestial All-Stars side. 

Like Warnie as he was fondly called,  Rod Marsh, the man the media had nicknamed “iron gloves” because of a few balls that bounced out of his gloves on his maiden tour of England back in the 1972 Ashes Series 50 years ago, was a larger- than- life character who always seemed to be having fun in the company of his  iconic ‘best mates,’  Dennis Lillee and Greg Chappell. He is forever immortalised in one of the best remembered cricket photographs of all time, in which he flies fully airborne, parallel to the ground, to pouch Tony Greig one-handed in front Ian Chappell at first slip, off a marauding Gary Gilmour who picked up 6 for 14 in that memorable England Australia 1975 World Cup Semi – Final at Headingley. 

Memories that will remain forever etched in the annals of cricket history, even after the protagonists are long gone. 

And now in a sickening sense of deja vu,  Shane Warne becomes the second Australian TV Commentator in two years, after former teammate Dean Jones, to have fallen victim to a sudden and fatal heart-attack, alone in a foreign land, halfway across the world from home, in a shocking, untimely end that highlights yet again, the fragility and uncertainty of Human Life! 

Rest In Peace Legend, you will be missed!

So meteoric has been his rise through the ranks that after just over six months in International Cricket, with a combined experience of 1 Test Match, 11 ODIs and 9 T20Is, he has been elevated to the Vice Captaincy of the Sri Lankan T20 team and seems to have made the coveted No.3 spot his very own . He was Sri Lanka’s Player of the series against South Africa last September, amassing 196 runs from 3 games and followed that up with a stunning performance in the T20 World cup, where he batted fearlessly to become the highest run- getter for Sri Lanka and fifth overall, in the Tournament. ESPN put him on the shortlist for the ‘Debutant of the Year’ award alongwith four of his teammates in the national side, who could together, easily go on to make up the nucleus of one of the most exciting Sri Lankan sides to have emerged from the island- nation in recent years. 

Former National Coach Micky Arthur could barely control his excitement as he described the two young players whom he feels could be the key to Sri Lanka’s batting success over the next decade, Pathum Nissanka and Charith Asalanka. To him, the duo look set to herald another exciting new era of Sri Lankan sides punching above their weight, like the great teams of the past and could easily represent generation next for Sri Lanka in batting terms. 

With these two at the top of the order combining with Wanindu Hasaranga, who looks to be a match winner on his day and Praveen Jaywickrama and Ramesh Mendis, the future is indeed bright for Sri Lankan cricket

“To see Charith’s development has been incredible,” Arthur said. The way he’s gone about his work, the professionalism that he’s shown, and his preparation for every game has been fantastic and is a credit to himself.” It has been a dream start to his career in both ODIs and T20Is and the way he has adjusted across formats in a short international career till date, has been a treat to watch. The 24-year old batting all-rounder, who bowls right-arm off breaks, has been one of the most promising young entrants on the International scene in a long time and looks to be a very exciting prospect for Sri Lanka over the coming years. He first announced his arrival on the big stage, acquitting himself admirably as captain of the Sri Lanka Emerging Team and has since then, sealed a place for himself in the national team in every format.

Growing up in Elipitya where his openings were necessarily limited, he had the opportunity of coming to Richmond College, Galle on a scholarship, something that changed his life and career prospects forever, as he took to elite level Cricket seriously and started to make a name for himself. 

Galle and neighbouring areas had suffered extensive devastation in the Boxing Day Tsunami of 2004 when hundreds of households and coaches of an entire railway train were washed away. In a wonderful initiative, Middlesex and Surrey County Cricket Clubs in conjunction with the Sri Lankan Cricket Board, built two picturesque grounds in the wilderness, near Maggona and set up coaching facilities in the area to help young kids who had lost everything, to rebuild their lives through cricket. A lot of Sri Lanka’s future cricketing talent emerged through those programmes and some even made it to the National Team, changing their lives forever. A heart-warming Cricketing tale that bears retelling over and over again.. 

Asalanka had already been Sri Lanka’s Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year for two consecutive years and looked set for greater things. However, the quietly unassuming cricketer waited patiently till he finally got a call-up to the senior national squad.  His Richmond College teammates Wanindu Hasaranga, Kamindu Mendis, Dananjaya De Silva had all by then, represented the country before him. But once he broke into the National side, he wasted no time in showcasing his undeniable talent and established himself as an elegant and flamboyant stroke maker. Today he is the Vice Captain of Sri Lankan T-20 Team as a result of his consistently outstanding performances since then.

From the depths of a duck in his debut match against England, he came good in the second ODI against India last year, scoring 65 off 68 balls as he held the Sri Lankan innings together. When Sri Lanka won the third ODI in a high scoring game, he again chipped in with an important contribution. He then came into his own in the opening T20I, smashing a 26-ball 44 in a lost cause. But he had made his mark and signalled his arrival on the International stage. 

He continued in the same vein in the recent T20 World Cup in the UAE and was the hero of Sri Lanka’s incredible run chase in the match against Bangladesh, where he played his natural, attacking game on a true pitch. He blasted an unbeaten 80 off just 49 balls to power Sri Lanka past a stiff target of 172 at and then went on to play another superb knock against the West Indies to become one of the breakout stars of the  T20 World Cup. In an innings that lasted 41 balls, Asalanka helped himself to a gorgeous 68, his innings studded with 8 fours and a six.

The stylish, 24-year- old left-hander, the highest Sri Lankan run-scorer in the T20 World Cup, played 6 innings in the tournament and plundered 231 runs at a superb average of 46.20 and an excellent strike rate of 147.13, inclusive of two brilliant fifties.  Sri Lanka may not have made the knockouts, but Charith Asalanka had impressed everyone.  Former Indian opening batsman Akash Chopra referred to him as the ‘real deal’, and added that he would expect quite a few Indian Premier League teams to queue up to acquire his services at the upcoming IPL auctions, opening up new vistas for the youngster.    

At a juncture when Sri Lanka is on a rebuilding curve with emphasis on the 2023 World Cup in India and the next T20 World Cup in Australia later this year, the former Sri Lanka youth captain has definitively put his hand up as one of their biggest and brightest hopes, around whom future Sri Lankan teams would revolve. 

A future that will carry the hopes of the island nation with it, as it seeks to regain its past glory as one of top cricketing sides of the world, boasting of a mix of hard-hitting batsmen and feared, match-winning bowlers. 

Former greats Steve Waugh and Dilip Vengaskar have compared it with Lords. A visiting New Zealand journalist simply described it as ‘a place that just feels like cricket. To call it a stadium does not do it justice.’ 

The Test Match at Eden Gardens was traditionally scheduled across the New Year, usually starting on the last day of the outgoing year and was like a carnival or extended picnic for the cricket fanatics of the city, spread over five days of excitement in mellow winter sunshine.

Much looked forward to and passionately analysed over endless cups of tea at innumerable Calcutta street-corner gatherings, these were games that almost the entire able- bodied population of the cricket-crazy city turned up at. Most die-hard fans of that generation made it a point to be at the ground for almost every single Test Match played at Eden Gardens over the years and wore that statistic like a Badge of Honour. 

Those matches were like signposts on their life’s journey and their conversation flowed effortlessly from the greats of the modern era, to the Bill Lawrys and Graham Mackenzies, the Wes Halls and Gary Sobers, the Colin Cowdreys and Ken Barringtons that they had watched there, over the years.

A ticket to the Test Match was a coveted thing and the ground was always packed to capacity. People stood in long, serpentine queues outside the stadium, in rope-and-wooden stake corridors that led to the stadium gates. They carried newspapers and water bottles and lunch boxes and winter oranges, waiting patiently from the crack of dawn, to be able to get inside in time for the Toss on the first day, which no one wanted to miss. 

Such was the romance of Test Cricket on those hazy, misty winter mornings at Eden Gardens, long ago.

The Crowds at Calcutta, known to be amongst the most vociferous and knowledgeable in the world, understood and appreciated every subtle nuance of the game. Over the years they’d come to be known as one of the most fanatically devoted cricket congregations of the world, capable of emphatically expressing their opinions in no uncertain terms.

The home team traditionally enjoyed the full-throated backing of the capacity crowd here, as their trademark roar, accompanied by the clanging of ‘Kasor -ghonta’ or cymbals, resonated around the ground, long before Mexican Waves undulated at stadiums across the world. They had once famously ‘shouted out’ Ian Chappell on 99 in the late ’60s and in 1972, brought a 6 ft 7 in tall Tony Greig down to his knees with folded hands, as he begged to be allowed to concentrate through the nervous 90s, to a coveted Test hundred. Needless to say, post that unexpected appeal from the charismatic Greig, the crowd adopted him as one of their own and literally cheered him to his hundred.

No wonder it is said that a player’s cricketing education is incomplete till he has played at Eden Gardens. 

This was the background to the New Year’s Test Match that commenced on the last day of 1966. Eden Gardens, in those days, had an official capacity of 40,000 people, but the number of spectators at the ground on the opening day, was much greater. Eager to watch stars like Sobers, Kanhai, Hall and Pataudi, more people had come in than could be accommodated and at least 20,000 extra tickets had been sold, thanks to the callousness of the officials at the Cricket Association of Bengal. 

Back then, the stadium still had wooden stands that were easily inflammable and although there was a half-hearted attempt to allot seat numbers, no one really bothered about such things. Policemen were everywhere, be it constables inside the ground or mounted police on horseback outside the stadium, guarding the entrances, ensuring that nothing untoward took place. And yet, on that long ago New Year’s Day, that is exactly what happened. 

After a tense first day of uneasy calm, the stadium erupted on the second day of the contest. There was not an inch of vacant space inside. Play had not even started when spectators started spilling over the boundary ropes, onto the ground. 

The police reacted in the only manner that they knew, resorting to a lathi-charge that left a number of spectators injured. An elderly gentleman who had been trying to reason with the cops was mercilessly beaten up and fell to the ground. That was the spark that lit the fire. The spectators, who vastly outnumbered the police, set fire to the wooden galleries at the Pavillion End, which quickly spread to the canvas roof. The police fired tear-gas shells, leading to a full-scale riot. Pandemonium reigned and players and officials took refuge in the dressing rooms. A police jeep was set on fire, as were some public buses, leading to the Second Day’s play being abandoned without a single ball being bowled. Meanwhile, some West Indian players had run outside the stadium in panic, along the Red Road, in a bid to get away. They were guided back to the stadium and later escorted to the Great Eastern Hotel in heavily guarded team buses.

One of the most abiding memories of that fateful day, was a heart-warming show of patriotism and bravery by a West Indian player. The flags of the two countries were fluttering above the pavilion, with the roof on fire. As the oft- repeated story goes, Conrad Hunte who had earlier been run out for 43 on the first day, climbed the flagpole and brought down the West Indian flag. 

However, Hunte later clarified in his autobiography that when he saw the National Flags threatened by the fire and attempted to rescue them, a plain-clothes policeman asked him to desist and it was that unknown hero who scaled the flagpole that day, to bring the flags down.

Play ultimately resumed after the rest day, rescheduled to Jan 2. The West Indies Captain Gary Sobers, initially reluctant to play, was persuaded by his former skipper, the much-respected Frank Worrell, then on a private visit to Calcutta. Hunte chipped in too, as did the Indian captain Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi. Keeping in view the Spirit of Cricket and the interests of the legion of paying spectators who had so eagerly waited for the game, the West Indies agreed to continue. 

After a typically brisk Sobers innings of 70 and an uncharacteristically sedate 90 from Kanhai, Sobers and Gibbs picked up 7 wickets each in the match, as they wrapped up a win by an innings and 45 runs inside four days, despite India being 89 for 1 at one stage.

This was the first instance of crowd trouble at the Eden. Unfortunately, it was not to be the last, the abandoned semi -final between India and Sri Lanka in the 1996 World Cup being another such disgraceful instance, which temporarily led to the suspension of International cricket from Eden Gardens.  

But it did lead to infinitely better managed crowd facilities in the years to follow – a silver lining from one of the darkest and most controversial days in Indian cricket. 

In particular, the issue of discrimination and racism in cricket has dominated cricketing headlines as never before and is something that cannot and will not be wished away, or swept under the carpet, much though Yorkshire Cricket and the ECB- the England and Wales Cricket Board would have wished it so, having sat on Azeem Rafiq’s racial victimisation complaint for a disgusting 4 years. But more of that later. 

A disturbing incident with racial overtones rocked the recent T20 World Cup at Dubai right at the beginning of the Tournament. Cricket South Africa had directed its players to “take the knee” in the now familiar gesture in support of the ‘Black Lives Matter’ movement. A directive that led to wicketkeeper-batsman Quinton de Kock refusing to comply and withdrawing from the game against the West Indies, bringing the internal dissension on the matter within the team, out in the open.

In a shocking move, he made himself unavailable for selection in that match.

De Kock later issued a contrite apology saying that he belonged to a mixed-race family and had always passionately believed in the Black Lives Matter concept, but resented being told what to do by the South African Board. Following this apology, he was welcomed back into the fold and played the rest of their matches, but the bitter taste left by the incident lingers.

This pre- match symbolism first started last year in July when both the England and the West Indies teams ’Took the Knee’ prior to the start of their momentous first Test Match at the Ageas Bowl that marked the resumption of international cricket after the long coronavirus lay off. The gesture was seen as a show of support to the Black Lives Matter movement by the cricketing fraternity, in the wake of the unprecedented anger against racism that gripped the world after African-American George Floyd’s death in the United States. It was mooted as a powerful, combined statement against racial discrimination, by International cricket as a whole.

In a pre-match interview at the time, legendary West Indian fast bowler Michael Holding, a commentator with Sky Sports for the past 21 years and one of the most respected voices in world cricket, had made an impassioned and emotional plea along with fellow commentator, former England Women’s Captain Ebony Rainford- Brent, to ‘Educate the World’, both Black and White and correct historical biases that went back centuries and continued to this day.

Holding’s sentiments were echoed by another former England captain Nasser Hussain, himself of mixed Indo-British parentage, who felt the world had looked away from such things for far too long and that racial equality must be a ‘given’ and there should be no need in this day and age for anyone to say ‘Black Lives Matter.’

South Africa, the Nation most affected by racial discrimination in recent times, went through their own turmoil over the symbolism of this gesture. The Cricketing community of the Rainbow Nation underwent some emotional soul-searching when ‘coloured,’ South African Test Cricketer Lungi Ngidi first declared that he was in favour of his team-mates taking a similar stand like the other nations.

In a country deeply divided on racial lines, his statement expectedly evoked mixed reactions and Ngidi initially faced a backlash from four former players – Rudi Steyn, Pat Symcox, Boeta Dippenaar and Brian McMillan.

But he has since received plenty of support from various quarters within the South African cricketing community, both black and white. Going by the recent De Kock incident however, the voices of dissent are clearly a long way from being quietened. 

In a country where only around 6% of the population is white, generations of young black sportsmen have given up their dreams of representing their country and playing sport professionally, because the ‘Whites Only’ policy practised by the South African government for years, precluded this. 

The world never got to know these talented cricketers because they never had the opportunity to play!

Someone like Basil D’Oliveira, who could emigrate to England and successfully go on to play Test cricket for that country, was an exception. Most were not so lucky.

The resultant deep-seated angst, born of centuries of deprivation amongst the black community worldwide, was poignantly depicted recently in a photograph that went viral some months ago, of a group of young African- American Medical students standing in front of a ruined Louisiana Plantation in the US, where their forefathers had worked as slaves, saying “We are our ancestor’s wildest dreams.” 

In the cricketing context one needs to look no further than Makhaya Ntini the South African fast bowler who played more than 100 Test matches for his country, who sometimes felt so uncomfortable and isolated within the predominantly-white team environment, that he preferred to jog back to the hotel from the stadium after the match instead of getting onto the team bus! 

This from someone who ranks amongst the greatest South African pacers of all time! 

Which brings us back to Yorkshire’ s handling of the Azeem Rafiq case. It has now been proved and accepted, to the great discomfiture and hopefully, lasting shame of a lot of people at Yorkshire and the ECB, that he raised specific concerns of racism in 2018 and the club failed to take them seriously and investigate the allegations. 

The ECB now feigning ‘holy’ shock and dismay at Rafiq’s misery, have spent the last 15 months taking no notice of his complaints and instead, allowing Yorkshire to try and sweep it under the carpet with all the disdainful arrogance of a so- called powerful superior, when it comes to dealing with inconvenient truths. 

In the comfortable, ingrained belief that these could be suppressed and made to go away.

All the while asking England players to take the knee before each match and wear T-shirts with slogans proclaiming cricket to be an inclusive sport for all, in a clear show of double standards. 

An investigation was finally launched at the Yorkshire County Cricket Club, only in September 2020 after Rafiq gave a media interview in which he said that the club was institutionally racist and that he had been driven close to suicide by the humiliation and mental torture that he had endured over years. 

The chairman of the Club resigned after they were banned from staging England matches and sponsors withdrew in droves over their handling of the unprecedented crisis.

But even after all this, the Club came out with an incredibly insensitive and arrogant statement in which they admitted that although they had initially failed to investigate the allegations – and that Rafiq had indeed been subjected to racial harassment – “there is no conduct or action taken by any of its employees, players or executives that warrants disciplinary action.

The idea that this outrageous statement would be enough, and the world would just sit back and move on, expectedly and deservedly came to nought soon enough!

At an explosive Parliamentary Committee hearing recently, viewed on the Internet hundreds of times with shock and disgust, shaming English Cricket as a whole, Rafiq, a former England U-19 captain, repeatedly broke down in tears as he spoke about his “inhuman” treatment. He described sustained, institutionalised abuse, revealing how he and other players with Asian backgrounds were subjected to comments like “You lot sit over there near the toilets” and “there are too many of you now, we need to do something about it.”  And how they were collectively addressed as ‘Kevin’ or ‘Steve’ by arrogant, white-privilege perpetrators who could not be bothered to accord them the dignity of addressing them by their given names.

Over the years, dressing-room culture has been designed to enhance team-spirit, camaraderie and bonding through shared experiences and light-hearted banter amongst players. That this should take on such an abhorrent racist form, with players and management seemingly unable to distinguish between racist bullying and good-natured banter, is extremely disturbing to say the least. 

Rarely if ever, has it been challenged and called out like this before, although a number of players of colour have increasingly raised their voices against it in the recent past, only to be repeatedly brushed under the carpet. Rafiq’s allegations were probably the proverbial straw that finally broke the Camel’s back!

Through their reluctance to take action in this case, the Yorkshire County Cricket Club and the ECB have only held fort in the face of shocking allegations that are no less disturbing than the George Floyd death in the US that they so righteously sought to condemn by ‘taking the knee’. A fort of mythical white supremacy that has been repeatedly disproved over the years. A figment of imagination of a long-dead Empire with its history of shameful pillaging and subjugation. 

That Racism in sport is alive and well is adequately portrayed by the blame and castigation that invariably attaches to ‘players of colour’ when a predominantly ‘white’ team loses an important match. The all-round abuse of the three ‘coloured’ footballers who missed their penalties in the European Cup final and the castigation of Moeen Ali and Hasheeb Hameed for throwing away their wickets after playing important knocks in a Test Match that England lost to India recently, are just two recent examples of this. It did not make any difference that a number of other England players of the ‘right skin colour’ had barely lifted a finger to justify their places in these matches.

It appears therefore, that racism is a deep-rooted malaise that lies just below the surface and is not going to go away in a hurry but even so, it remains incumbent on the cricket fraternity and the society at large to take necessary steps that negate and mitigate this centuries-old evil in the hope that there will come a day when sport, if not society itself, will become truly multicultural and inclusive.

However, whether enforced rules and guidelines that promote 30% inclusion of ‘persons of colour’ and other genders in various capacities in cricket teams and sports bodies by March next year, as envisioned in the British Parliamentary Committee’s recommendations, will help quell these disparities remains a moot point, specially in the light of a similar South African experiment earlier. While it may be just one of the many steps needed in that direction, the malaise itself may not be cured by such quick fixes, simply because they would not alter the attitudes that are at the root of such issues. 

The permanent solution to the problem would instead lie in a broadening of basic human perspectives and in the generosity of the human spirit that believes and accepts all human beings as equal, worthy of the same courtesy, respect and equality of opportunities. 

That cannot come from imposed regulations and guidelines, although in the short term, it might help to facilitate such thinking. But to bring about any meaningful change and drive away these injustices, it would require the ‘Education of the World’ that Michael Holding had so passionately spoken about, last year!

And that long term inclusivity is what a more just world needs to seriously look at, instead of cosmetic knee-jerk reactions.

Dignified Exit 

The splendor of the World Twenty/ 20 Championship is now over with Australia emerging victorious over New Zealand at the finals.  Although Sri Lanka had to bow down during the league stage with only two wins against Bangladesh and West Indies, it was of course a dignified exit and most of all, it was a fine all-round performance by gutty young Sri Lankans at the competition.  This is in spite of the fact that the Sri Lankan outfit had to take the fight from the qualifying stage.  Sri Lankans were unbeaten at the qualifying round and beat the confident Bangladesh team comfortably in the first match of the league round.  Sri Lankans were a young outfit with a number of debutants in the fore. So, their inexperience in the arena of international Cricket made the difference as they were beaten by formidable Australian and South African teams after a superb fight back. Nevertheless, Sri Lanka made an impact on the tournament because of two stellar performances by two young players.  Wanidu Hasaranga and Charith Asalanka made history by becoming the highest wicket taker of the tournament and highest scorer at league stage respectively.  Both players have been named in the ESPN Cricinfo world Twenty/ 20 team and the world team picked by Harsha Bhogle, international commentator of Indian fame. This is a moment of pride for all Sri Lankans which indicates the future prospects of our Cricket in Sri Lanka.  Wanidu and Charith beckoned the attention of the world to the tiny island of Sri Lanka even in defeat.  Their innate talents and potentials were a hot topic during the proceedings of the championship and were showered praises by many commentators and analysts of the game.  Wanidu of course, has found a permanent place in the national squad but where did Charith come from? 

A flock of Cricketers from one institution

Charith, a legend in the making, played just three Twenty/20 matches before the world episode. In every match he played in the tournament, he scored handsomely, grossing a total of 231, being the highest run getter at league level.  Wanidu, a flamboyant all-rounder, bagged 16 wickets which earned him the title of being the highest wicket taker of the tournament although Sri Lanka had an early exit from the competition. Charith had to toil for a long time to make it to the national team.  It was made possible at last after three players namely Kusal Mendis, Niroshan Dickwella and  Danushka Gunatilake were axed from the team for their late night escapade on a London street, having broken the bio bubble of the team.  Charith, a lad from backward township of Elpitiya was a magical find of the team. However, Wanidu made his debut for the country long before Charith.  It is interesting to note that both players were contemporaries at under 19 First X1 team of Richmond College, Galle. In fact, Wanidu has played under the captaincy of Charith at school circuit. Besides, the leading Test and ODI player Dananjaya De Silva is another product of Richmond College, Galle.  Apart from these classy players, Richmondite Kamindu Mendis too made it to the national squad and was on the stand-by list during the recent world event.  Meanwhile, another up and coming player Dhananjaya Lakshan is knocking the door once again, having made his ODI debut in June 2021.  Veteran Cricketer and Sri Lanka’s interim captain Suranga Lakmal is also a Richmondite from another era. Richmond College, Galle which is without a ground of its own, has produced a score of versatile Cricketers in recent years. What was the secret behind this successful run? 

Coaches of highest caliber 

Nishantha Ranatunge, one time strongman and Hony Secretary of Sri Lanka Cricket had an open question for his committee members once.  How does Richmond produce such talented Cricketers? Why don’t you go and find out.  So, they did and the answer was straightforward.  The Cricket Sub Committee reported back that it was the battery of coaches employed by the college which made the difference.  Sri Lanka Cricket decided to keep a tab on its outfit of coaches which was spearheaded by Head Coach Dhammika Sudharshana and Danushka Denagama in particular.  Dhammika Sudhrashana who is a past Richmondite himself, having represented the College first XI, is a superb coach cum strategist par excellence.  His eye for talent is immaculate so that he lined up the best eleven for his alma mater.  This brought rich dividends for the school in the form of three wins in a row at Richmond-Mahinda big match, breaking a 45 year jinx.  His strategy was different in that he had two arsenal of bowlers in the team for two innings which speaks volumes of his Cricketing acumen. From the other end, his junior coach, Danushka Denagama offered unstinting support to the head coach to uplift the game of Cricket at the college.  Although Danushka was educated at Mahinda College, he rendered his services to the rival school.  It is the right chemistry of the right combination.  It is noteworthy that the century old Richmond- Mahinda Cricket encounter is also a sub-culture itself.  While all other schools play big matches which are called battles or encounters, these two schools play ‘lovers’ quarrel’.  These two institutions are bound by a strong bond of love and understanding which stood the test of time.  This is signified by the fact that it was Champaka Ramanayake, a past Test cap and Richmondite, who molded legendary Lasith Malinga, Mahindian to be a world class and one of much sought after players in the international theatre of Cricket. In this sense, Danushka’s contribution to Richmond is justifiable.  As at today, Richmond has produced 6 formidable players to be in the current national squads, thanks to the selfless efforts of Dhammika and Danushka. Richmond College, Galle can truly be proud of this unique feat.  Similarly, Mahinda College too has produced two outstanding players in the caliber of Athula Samarasekera and 1996 world cup winning team member Upul Chandana of the yesteryear. These Galle based two schools contributed players to national service regularly. Today, it is the Richmond factor that works for Sri Lanka but tomorrow, it can be Mahinda College.  Unfortunately, Richmond lost its Cricketing brainchild, Dhammika to Sri Lanka Cricket where he is taking care of the under 19 national team at present.  After all, Richmond’s loss is the country’s gain. 

Only, this time, the courage and gallantry was with a cricket bat and ball in coloured clothing in a World Cup final, instead of with guns and uniforms in a World War.

And the Black Caps lost yet another World Cup white – ball final, the Aussies proving just too good on the day, too dominant in the run chase, after the Kiwis had put up the highest ever T-20 World Cup final total till date, having been put in to bat. 

Two comeback men who had been written off under different circumstances, spearheaded the Aussies rampaging run chase, as they made short work of a stiff target and romped home to a huge 8- wkt victory. David Warner, dropped from his franchise team in the IPL just a couple of months ago, played one of his typically robust, aggressive knocks to emerge as the Player of the Tournament and Player of the Match, Mitchell Marsh, a former U-19 Australian Captain whose international career never really took off due to injury, played an equally brutal, unbeaten knock as he took Australia home with 7 balls to spare.

For both players, the glory would have looked an unlikely, if not impossible dream at the start of this tournament, but on this day, both were simply unstoppable. And the outcome was never in any doubt, once they took charge. After Warner departed, Glenn Maxwell came in to join Marsh and the duo finished off things in style as the hapless Kiwis ran out of ideas in the field. 

They were exceptional in the run chase, preferring to take the fight to the opposition right from the word go, exerting pressure on the Kiwi bowlers with their aggressive intent and making them err repeatedly, in line and length. Their game plan was not just to preserve wickets in the initial overs, but to attack and dominate in a way that made the opposition look helpless and at a loss for answers. 

Having said that however, the Black Caps have consistently been wonderful ambassadors for the sport in recent times, playing top class cricket across formats and showcasing time and again, the gentlemanliness and Spirit of Cricket that remains the essence of all that is good about this sport, even in these unforgiving, commercial interest driven times. 

And for the way they play their cricket and the way they conduct themselves, they reign in the hearts of cricketing fans across the world. 

The difference in mindsets of these two teams and in their overall approach to cricket, was starkly brought out by two separate incidents that took place in their respective semi- final games in this tournament.

In the first one which took place during the match between Australia and Pakistan which the Aussies won by five wickets in a tight finish, Australian opener David Warner smashed a huge six against a ‘double bouncer’ from the 41-year- old Pakistan all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez.

In a throwback to the infamous ‘underarm ball’ of the 80s, bowled by Trevor Chappell on the instructions of his skipper, brother Greg, to prevent New Zealand from hitting a six off the last ball of an ODI to win the game, the ball slipped out of Hafeez’s hand and bounced for the first time near his foot and then bounced again a second time before Warner stepped out and hit it over deep mid-wicket for six. 

This action was in keeping with the tough, no-holds-barred, winner- takes- it -all Aussie Image. They had an important match to win that was going down to the wire and they didn’t particularly care how they did it so long as it was within the rules of the game. 

And they saw nothing wrong with it.

Just a day prior however, in the other semi-final against England, New Zealand opener Darryl Mitchell who anchored their successful run chase with some brilliant power hitting, upheld New Zealand’s image of being the ‘nice guys’ of Cricket. 

His partner Jimmy Neesham had hit the ball firmly, a little wide of England bowler Abdul Rashid’s reach, who collided with Mitchell as he tried to get to the ball. Neesham was halfway down the wicket to take the single when Mitchell turned down his call from the non-striker’s end because he felt he had obstructed Rasheed in his attempt to field the ball.  

 His gesture of turning down what could have been a crucial single in a tight situation, was widely lauded as a heartwarming exhibition of the sporting spirit that has so typified the Kiwis approach to what still essentially remains a gentleman’s game.

In the Final, there was the understated brilliance of a typical Kane Williamson innings to enjoy, with lovely cricketing shots all around the wicket, even in this compressed format of the game. The crucial loss of two set batsmen going great guns, both to Josh Hazelwood in the 17^th over, proved to be the turning point that saw a lot of good work undone, with two new batsmen coming to the crease at that point. 

It eventually meant that New Zealand finished a minimum of 15 runs short of what they looked capable of at the end of the 16^th over, at 144 for 2.

Runs that made a crucial difference in the end. 

In retrospect, the dew factor proved to be a big influence on outcomes in this World Cup, a significant disadvantage to the team bowling second. A wet, heavy Cricket ball does not spin or swing and is difficult to grip, which perhaps accounted for some of the strange lengths and lines bowled by the New Zealand bowlers, specially towards late evening in the final.

And from that perspective, there has rarely been a tournament so heavily dependent on the toss in recent memory. 

Which brings up questions about the timing and scheduling of these matches to ensure a more level playing field in future. These were obviously dictated by the broadcast companies with an eye to maximising viewership. And as former New Zealand cricketer- turned- commentator Simon Doull pointed out, who knows, if India had not played Pakistan and New Zealand back- to -back first up and instead had the opportunity to ease themselves into the tournament, with a few easier confidence- building games after their first game, would that have made a difference to the semi-final line up? 

These are points that need to be looked at, by the powers that be in International Cricket and perhaps it would be in the best interests of the game if such decisions were not dictated by purely commercial considerations in future.

Otherwise, it was a World Cup played in an excellent spirit of camaraderie amongst the teams and it was heartwarming to see players and teams paying friendly visits to each other’s dressing rooms at the end of matches in the true spirit of cricket. 

With more and more players from different countries playing as teammates in franchise cricket around the world, it may surely be hoped that this trend will continue in the future as well, bringing nations closer.

Which is what International Sport was originally meant to be all about. 

And that will surely hurt for a long time to come, even though it may be said that in this case it was Pakistan, defeated in every single one of their World Cup games against India till date, who initiated the turn of events that finally dashed of hopes of a billion people. An audience that fanatically believed, almost to the point of arrogance, that their superheroes were invincible against their arch rivals. And that this World Cup was theirs for the taking, a glorious swansong for Ravi Shastri and Virat Kohli. 

Unfortunately for them, that was not to be. 

What could have gone so horribly wrong this time, is a question that a dazed Nation is now asking itself. And the answer obviously lies in a highly unsustainable combination of the weight of a billion dreams fuelled by an aggressive media and a team that has played too much cricket, across different formats, in different climes and conditions. A team that has been on the road without a break, ever since Cricket in this part of the world resumed with the IPL at Dubai, in September 2020. 

The sheer mental strain of living in isolated Bubbles that offer little relaxation and scope of switching off from the pressures of the game, day after day for the last 14 months, finally proved to be too much for this Indian side, at a time when they needed to be at their best.

It showed, in the body language, in the lack of self-belief and in an overall lack of intent, of the team. The freedom and fearlessness with which they lit up the batting Powerplay and picked up wickets right through the innings against Scotland, came a little too late, only after the pressure had finally eased and they had nothing more to lose. Till then, they were tentative and unsure, burdened by a thousand cares and expectations and self- doubt.

Back home, the media deluge of statistics and tales of past glory, was lapped up by an adoring public expecting an encore, without realising that each match, especially in the shortest, most intense format of the game where there is so little time to recover, is a new day and has nothing to do with what has happened in the past. 

These games are not so much about individual brilliance, as a team effort where everyone contributes their bit, to finally create the big picture. The most successful teams of this tournament have all done that brilliantly, especially a young Pakistan side and the mature New Zealand, Australia and England sides, each at the high noon of their powers. The Indians meanwhile, have fallen short. As have the West Indies. 

Even a young Sri Lankan side has exemplified this team effort in the matches that they have done well in. And it surely augurs well for them for the future because this is a very exciting young side that could well turn out with great distinction for their country in times to come.

Moving onto the knockout stages of the tournament, a team tactically needs a couple of explosive batsmen in at the start capable of taking the game away from the opposition in the batting powerplay itself. A few who can then keep the scoreboard ticking over consistently in the middle overs. And another set of power hitters in at the death, who could set things alight in the last 5 overs, individuals capable of hitting a sudden 20 ball 50 to completely change a match. Looking at the four teams that have made the semi-finals, they all have such players coming in at the designated times, waiting to showcase their abilities in the final stages of this Tournament. 

As a bowling side, the necessity is of picking up wickets in the Powerplay. No team recovers from a horror start like the one India had against Pakistan with the match going out of their hands in the first 5 overs of the game itself. Facing a swinging ball at pace at the beginning of an innings is every batsman’s nightmare and a bowler who can consistently do that will always be difficult to score off, regardless of format. No wonder all four semi-finalists have their best Test match fast bowlers playing for them. And their best spinners as well. This was one more area where India took some strange decisions, leaving some of their most successful bowlers of recent times, out of the side. 

There is a pressing need to keep the runs down in the last 5 overs as well, when anything below 8 an over is very good. Surprisingly, this World Cup has seen a lot of these 140- 150 run totals alongwith some sub- 125 totals that are so easily chaseable. Unless bowlers get wickets at the start it’s impossible to keep the score down to a reasonable target. And that is what these four teams will be focussing on, in the games ahead.

The heat and turning tracks of UAE have encouraged spinners in this World Cup like never before and it could turn out to be a fascinating battle in the Semis between Spin and some of the hardest-hitting batsmen of the world. Variations are one of the key weapons in a T-20 spinner’s armoury and a lot of bowlers can bowl upto six different deliveries in an over. Ideally, anything that turns away from the batsman’s natural hitting arc towards the onside is an asset to the bowling side. The ability to stick to a consistent attacking line and length, however, could still be the key to success for a spinner, even in T20s. If the ‘Pehla’ fulfills its purpose of tying down batsmen and getting wickets, then the ‘doosra’ and ‘Teesra’, may not prove to be so much of a necessity after all.

So it’s all set to be a very exciting knockout stage of the T-20 World Cup and fittingly, the best four teams have made the grade. The drama as it unfolds over the next few days, will undoubtedly keep us all riveted to our TV screens, the disappointment of our own teams not being there notwithstanding. Which one of these four evenly matched sides will eventually lift the trophy, only time will tell. 

For India and Sri Lanka however, this will have to be a time for rebuilding and consolidation, with an eye to the future, to the next T20 World Cup in Australia, at this time next year. 

It is poignant to note that Bandula Warnapura, first Test captain of Sri Lanka passed away on 18^th October 2021 at a private hospital after a brief illness. He suffered from diabetics for quite some time and died of complications of the disease. A days before his demise, one of his legs was said to have been amputated. The entire nation prayed for his recovery in unison but his life was taken away unfairly at an unexpected moment. It was a shocking news for who played with him, associated him, worked with him and adored him as a player. In fact, his sudden demise was a shocking news for the entire nation.   Bandula Warnapura was born on 01^st March 1953 and at the time of his untimely death, he was 68 years old.  He studied at Nalanda College, Colombo and was a bright prospect as a player from age group level Cricket at school.  At young age, he started playing for Bloomfield Cricket Club in Colombo-07 and carved out a progressive Cricketing career.  

Formative years of his career

He was fortunate enough to become part of the national squad in 1975 being a 25 years old young lad.  He took part in the first ever Cricket World Cup tournament played in England in 1975 as a player.  During the second episode of the Cricket World Cup in 1979, he once again made it to the final squad.  It was a tough time for Sri Lanka, facing lethal bowling attacks of the leading teams in that era in the absence of modern day Cricketing gear and helmets.  The team was captained by another Cricketing icon of yesteryear, Anura Tennakoon and was unfortunately injured on the field. Young Bandula Warnapura had to take over the mantle of interim captaincy, in place of his injured skipper in the middle of the tournament.  During this period, Sri Lanka was only an associate member of ICC and was the only associate member qualified to play in this essay of Cricket World Cup.  In this tournament, Sri Lanka has indeed made history by putting up a brilliant performance in every department of the game to beat India under the able captaincy of Bandula Warnapura.  It was the first time that an associate member country outplayed a Test playing country at a World Cup.  It was hailed as a phenomenal performance by gutty Sri Lankans. He was suddenly elevated to the celebrity status.  And he displayed exceptional leadership qualities and fighting spirit in that game and so, a leader was born who Sri Lanka was desperately looking for, to take the game to the next level from underdog status.  

Rise and fall of a hero

Following a lot of off the field battles and articulations, Sri Lanka was eventually awarded Test status in 1981 and played the maiden Test match on 17^th February 1982 with touring England team led by Keith Fletcher.  Bandula Warnapura was named to lead the Sri Lanka team in this first ever epoch-making encounter, becoming Sri Lanka’s first Test cap.  It is interesting to recall the first day’s proceedings of the match.  After winning the toss, Sri Lanka elected to bat and Bandula Warnapura became the first batsman to face the ball and scored a run thereafter for Sri Lanka. This is an unbreakable record that has gone down in the Cricket chronicles of Sri Lanka.  However, he didn’t last long in the middle and was out for 2 runs.  In the second inning, he scored a painstaking 38 but couldn’t save the match.  It ended on the fourth day with England emerging victorious. He was also the 11^th ODI cap and played 12 ODIs for the country as the captain.  In the aftermath, his fortunes were twisted as he failed to be ‘in form’.  At this juncture, he led the national squad in 4 Test matches at home and away.  This was a scarcity of funds so that payments of the players were meagre. With regularly failing consistency, Bandula Warnapura was a dejected and disappointed man so were other leading players.  This prompted Bandula Warnapura and some senior players to hatch a most disastrous plan which resulted in their careers being ruined forever.  It was apartheid South Africa then which was banned from international theatre of sports.  In 1982, Tony Opatha, a prominent member of the national team secretly organized a rebel tour to South Africa for an unprecedented financial gain for players which was uncommon at that time.  This 14 member team was named ‘Arosa Sri Lanka’ which was captained by Bandula Warnapura while Tony Opatha functioned as player cum manager.  They played two unofficial Tests and 4 ODIs which they lost cheaply.  On their arrival after the rebel tour, a 25 year ban in all forms of the game awaited them.  This sealed their careers which many of them openly repented and regretted in later years and Bandula Warnapura was one of them.  Many of them started business ventures with the money they received but no one has performed exceptionally. This left a black mark on Sri Lanka Cricket and brought much disrepute. 

Starting life all over again

Bandula Warnapura was not a man who could be reduced to ashes easily because Cricket ran in his blood.  His whole life was nothing but Cricket. Therefore, he made inroads into the local Cricket administration first as a coach and culminated his career becoming the Director- Cricket Operations at Sri Lanka Cricket.  After serving a long stint in this capacity, he joined Asian Cricket Council (ACC) situated in Malaysia and rendered a yeoman service to uplift the game of Cricket in the region. He made a lasting impression on everybody he met during his tenure as a member of ACC.  Until he breathed his last, he only muttered the word ‘Cricket’. In some of the condolence messages by past Cricketers, they went on to recapture his colossus image and love for the game of Cricket.  Arjuna Ranatunge, 1996 World Cup winning captain, epitomized the ‘great human’ in him and how he went out of the way to help peers and Youngers when in trouble. His onetime colleague Sanath Kaluperuma was visibly saddened to pen his thoughts on his departed teammate, saying to the effect how Bandu as he was affectionately called, was keeping contacts with everybody at least over the phone regularly.  The fact that how much he was loved and adored by all was seen when he was making his last journey on the shoulders of the very people who lived in his heart. 

May you attain supreme bliss of Nirvana, Bandula Warnapura, and the legend