Many players have benefited - Brendon
CRICKET: Scoring a double hundred in a cricket match is a highly
remarkable performance, and doing it on debut in a Test match is
something beyond that and unique. Brendon Kuruppu who won the runner-up
award for the Best Batsman in the year 1978 Ranjan Madugalle was judged
the Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year, scored an unbeaten 201 against New
Zealand in 1987. Madugalle struck an useful 60 in the same Test to be
the second best scorer.
The match ended in a draw as New Zealand spearheaded by 246-run sixth
wicket stand between Jeff Crowe (120) and Richard Hadlee (151 n.o. and
taking for 4 for 102.
With the end of the first Test, the bomb blast at the Pettah Central
Bus Stand sent the New Zealanders back home with two more Tests to be
played.
 It was an era where many Test matches were not played in the country
and the dashing right-hand opener Kuruppu in his 4 Test match career in
7 innings gathered 320 runs with an average of 53.33. He was an
automatic choice for the 1983 and 1987 World Cup held in England and
India and Pakistan due to his aggressive approach. In his 54 ODI’s,
Kuruppu has scored over 1,022 runs with the highest of 72. He made his
Test debut at the CCC grounds against New Zealand in April 1987 and
played his last Test against England at Lord’s in 1991.
He became the third player in Test cricket history to reach the
double century mark on debut, the others were Pakistan’s Hanif Mohammed
and England’s Len Hutton.
Kuruppu also created another record in that Test, being in his pads
throughout the five days as he was the wicket-keeper in the side.
His opening partner was Roshan Mahanama. Kuruppu carried out his bat
for 201 runs spending 777 minutes, facing 548 deliveries and reaching
the pickets on 24 occasions.
In that 1st Test played at the CCC grounds, Kuruppu’s double hundred
provided the backbone of the Sri Lankan innings. The home team declared
their innings at 397 for 9. Only Ranjan Madugalle (60) was the other
batsman to contribute anything worthwhile.
Kuruppu, in his marathon innings had to encounter the bowling of
Richard Hadlee, Ewen Chatfield, Snedden, John Bracewell and skipper Jeff
Crowe.
Kuruppu who had enough to encounter Hadlee in his 777 minutes stay at
the wicket, rated Hadlee as one of the best bowlers he had faced. He
said Waqar Younis, Wasim Akram and Michael Holding as the other top
bowlers he had come across as an opening batsman in his career.Kuruppu,
having done well in school cricket, said that it was great inspiration
to be picked as a front runner of the Observer Schoolboy Cricketer of
the Year.
Lot of leading players have come through the process and “I am sure
this competition will continue in surfacing the very best”, he
said.However, he was concerned about too many matches being played
during the season.
”I think the schools are playing too much of cricket. During my time
it was only 10 to 15 matches which put the players in good shape.
Now two matches are played during week days and one cannot rule out
the player burnt out”, he said.The boys are prone to injury due to this
factor and cannot find time even to recover. It is important that the
players also concentrate on studies as well”, Kuruppu said. |
