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| Sunday, 1 May 2005 |
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| News Business Features Editorial
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Treading the same path of former 'Greats' It was quite refreshing to see an article in one of the newspapers the other day under the above headline on the occasion of four of our present bunch of cricketers proceeding to play County Cricket in England. The article stimulated me to write to you requesting you to remind cricket followers and fans, particularly the present generation, about the glorious, golden era of the mid-fifties/early sixties. We had the following men playing first-class cricket in England, more than eleven of them. First class counties: Laddie Outschoorn (Worcester 346 matches, 15,496 runs Gamini Goonesena (Cambridge/Notts) 194 matches, 5,751 runs, 674 wkts; P. I. Pieris (Cambridge) 44 matches, 917 runs 101 wkts; J. D. Piachaud (Oxford/Hamps) 71 matches, 1,037 runs, 205 wkts; Stanley Jayasinghe (Leicester) 144 matches, 6,811 runs, 34 wkts; Clive Inman (Leicester) 255 matches, 13,112 runs. Minor Counties: M. Kasipillai regularly for Cambridgeshire. First Class League: Bob Bartels, M. A. Caffoor, Tony Buhar, A. C. Nadheem, Tyrrel Gauder were fully engaged in the first class leagues. Cricketers who were equally good had to remain at home. The names that come to mind are: V. G. Prins, C. I. Gunasekera, Ben Navaratne, H. L. K. Fernando, B. Claessen, Lafir, Ronald Reid, C. H. Gunaselera, Francke, M. Tissera, N. Chanmugam, F. Crozier. It may be impossible to compare eras but surely an eleven chosen from the above would easily have beaten the present lot. Quite frankly the present lot seem more interested in filling their wallets and pursuing contracts than playing for the honour of representing their country. What a tragedy that the cricket administrators of the fifties did nothing whatsoever to seek Test status! Cricket lover. |
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