Tennekoon - one of the best technically correct batsmen

By Leslie Fernando

CRICKET: Anura Tennekoon, former Sri Lanka, S. Thomas’ College and SSC Captain was one of the best technically correct batsmen the country ever had. He was also a knowledgable cricket administrator and manager of Sri Lanka teams in the years gone by.

Anura represented Ceylon Transport Board and later played the Ceylon Tobacco in Mercantile Cricket, alongside Bandula Warnapura, Ranjan Madugalla, Mahes Gunatilleke, Joe Savarimutthupulle to name a few. He has played several outstanding innings for Sri Lanka in international cricket.

One of his best innings he played was in Second ‘unofficial’ Test against India in February 1974 at the SSC grounds. Tennekoon had 169 not out in the Sri Lanka total of 290 in the second innings and prolonged the inevitable defeat.

In the first innings, he had to face a torrid time. Then in the second innings, he put up a brave stand to lift Sri Lanka.

In the Test Series, he scored 131 in the First Test and 26 and 169 not out in the Second Test - all top scores. He was not only the first to score two centuries in successive ‘Tests’ and the highest ‘ton’, but totalled 326, giving him the fantastic average of 163.

Of his scores of 18 and 43 not out for the Board President XI v India are added, he gets a total of 387 from five innings, twice not out, with another Bradman like average of 129.

Even if one were to count his scores of 16 and 8 in the 50-over and 60-over matches, his total is 411 for 7 innings. With an average of 82.2 ranks really high.

And this was the first time he had captained Sri Lanka in a ‘Test’ series.

Tennekoon’s personal highest against any country was his 221 against Malaysia. He and Bandula Warnapura (294) put on 426 for the fourth wicket - highest stand for any wicket.

Sri Lanka made 736 for 4 dec. with Duleep Mendis then a schoolboy being unbeaten with a time 132.

This is not the first time that Tennekoon has been our mainstay. He has done it many times before, achieving many ‘firsts’ in his career as a Sri Lanka ‘cap’, ever since he first played in his country v M.C.C. while still a schoolboy cricketer at S. Thomas College, Mt. Lavinia in 1965.

When Derek Underwood (8 for 10) destroyed our team for only 42 runs in the match against Joe Lister’s International XI in 1968, Anura was the only batsman to enter double figures 19.

When Sri Lanka scored the first victory over the M.C.C. in a period of nearly nine decades in the 60 - over match v Colin Cowdrey’s team (Sri Lanka 234 for 7 in 56 overs to M.C.C.’s 236 for 6 in 60 overs - won on over rate), Anura scored 42. Buddy Reid (57) and Ranjith Fernando (58) put on 121 for the first wicket and Dhanasiri Weerasinghe (43) were the others to score well.

But it was during this M.C.C. visit that Anura Tennekoon wrote his name in the record books when he scored the first century (101) ever in the ‘Test’ which Sri Lanka (283 for 9 dec. and 118-0) drew with M.C.C. (406-4 dec.)

Sri Lanka - 2nd win

Sri Lanka scored her second victory over the M.C.C. in this type of game in 1973, 45-over match due to late start, Anura steered Sri Lanka (161 - 6 in 43.1 overs) to victory. (M.C.C. 158/5 in 45 overs) with a top score of 61. When the M.C.C. were here in 1970 and won the four-day ‘unofficial Test’ by 173 runs he was second highest score for Sri Lanka with 29.

For the record, he captained Sri Lanka in the Gopalan Trophy matches and scored well against West Indies and Pakistan.

When India’s Wisdom ‘Indian Cricket’ (edited by P. N. Sundaresan) for the first time in 1969 reserved the fifth both in its “Five Cricketers of the Year” to a Ceylonese. It was Anura Tennekoon who was chosen.

Referring to his century against the M.C.C. and British Press criticism for the painstaking innings. It said: “What else can one expect from a mere boy, whose one ambition was to salvage the Ceylon innings from an early break through?”

However big the task was young Tennekoon was never perturbed and played the bowling according to hits merits for those who know the game to appreciate”.

Five years later, he scored his century in the First Test against India on this tour an Indian guest writer wrote” “Tennekoon’s knock certainly had the stamp of class. His was a gem of an innings - indeed a captain’s knock, which will not be easily forgotten.

On 11th February 1974, might India’s captain Ajit Wadekar said in an SLBC interview: Anura Tennekoon’s knock was the best that he had seen in his career”.