Gamini Dissanayake - an administrator and gentleman par excellence

CRICKET: Recently I was privileged enough to be a part of a distinguished gathering which attended a gala charity event in aid of the Gamini Dissanayake Foundation.

The informative and thought provoking documentary screened at the function brought back fond memories of this genial gentleman, who I had the pleasure of associating with, during the early part of my cricket career with the national team.

One of my initial memories of meeting Mr. Dissanayake as a national cricketer left me spellbound and in awe of his dashing personality. This happened in 1988, when as a 20-year-old, I was lucky enough to be on tour with the team for the one off Test at Lord's and remember vividly.

Mr. Dissanayake dressed nattily in a European suit, making an inspiring impromptu speech before the team took the field on day one.

Although I did not play in this match, his words of encouragement left a lasting and indelible impression on me throughout my career.

Fast forward to the present day set of so called administrators, and it is indeed a far cry from those heavy days when gentlemen such as Gamini Dissanayake ruled with such panache and aplomb.

Suffice to say that the legacy of Mr. Dissanayake will forever shine brightly in the annals of Sri Lanka's history, be it in the political sphere, which he strode like a colossus, without fear or favour or the sporting arena, where he played an integral part in Sri Lanka gaining Test status in the early eighties and thereafter laid the groundwork which spurned a generation of wide eyed schoolboy cricketers who dared to dream big and went onto conquer the world, a mere 15 years later.

It was Mr. Dissanayake's stirring presentation to the ICC (then MCC) in 1981 which hastened our progress to Test status and changed the course of cricket in this country.

That Mr. Dissanayake was a man of great vision and dynamism is epitomized amongst many deeds by his role in the implementation and inauguration of the landmark Mahaweli scheme, but, as a cricketer, I and many others of my generation would like to remember him for the foresight and administrative skills he displayed in guiding Sri Lanka towards the world force it is today in international cricket.

It was he, who was instrumental in initially bringing in foreign coaches to our land by roping in the services of the legendary Sir Garfield Sobers and the Australian Peter Philpot.

It was Sir Gary who spotted Arjuna Ranatunga as a schoolboy prodigy in 1982 and with Mr. Dissanayake, fast tracked him to the first Test team in the same year. During this period, Mr. Dissanayake, as a prominent Govt. Minister in the J. R. Jayewardene administration, displayed a sense of integrity and largeness of heart which is sadly lacking in the majority of today's lawmakers, who usually push for inclusion, in the team of the talented 18-year-old Arjuna, who was the son of a senior opposition member.

It is this self same Arjuna, who led Sri Lanka to victory in the 1996 World Cup, when Mr. Dissanayake was sadly not with us, and Arjuna showed his and the team's gratitude by visiting the Dissanayake residence with the trophy to pay homage.

Although Mr. Dissanayake was cruelly snatched away by a bullet before he realized his dream of Sri Lanka becoming World Champions, it was his tireless pursuit of excellence and his vision as a forthright administrator which paved the way for our cricket to reach unprecedented heights in the international arena in such a short span of time. However, as much as we have achieved on the field of play through the excellence of our players, there isn't a shadow of doubt that cricket administration in this country has plummeted to unheard of depths in the recent past, with successive politically motivated interim committees, headed by businessmen with personal agendas, ensuring that Sri Lanka becomes the laughing stock of the cricket world.

These petty individuals and their cronies who haven't even played a game of "book" cricket, have dived into the pot of gold, head first and corrupted the administration to such levels that everything from a basic necessity such as a lunch packet worth Rs. 50 to a television deal worth millions of dollars is fraught with unholy commissions.

It is in this backdrop that, Mr. Dissanayake's former protege, Arjuna Ranatunga has assumed the chairmanship of the Cricket Board and it is now his bounden duty to cleanse Sri Lanka cricket forthwith of these political stooges and corrupt individuals and once again set our cricket administration on the correct path.

This would indeed be a fitting way to pay tribute to an administrator and gentleman per excellence - Gamini Dissanayake.

Hashan Tillakaratne Former Sri Lanka Cricket Captain.