Rumesh, while at St. Peter's, played for Sri Lanka against four countries

By Leslie FERNANDO

CRICKET: Rumesh Joseph Ratnayake, former Sri Lanka and St. Peter's College cricketer, who is now 45 years old, holds a unique record. While a schoolboy, he represented Sri Lanka in Tests against India, Zimbabwe, Australia and New Zealand. He is the only Sri Lankan cricketer to do so.

Another achievement of Rumesh - the fiery paceman is that he played for Nondescripts Cricket Club at the age of 13 years in division one cricket.

Rumesh Ratnayake played well for both St. Peter’s and Sri Lanka.

Brigadier (Dr.) H.I.K. Fernando, Brian Seneviratne, Anton Sethupathy and Mike Chanumgam helped Rumesh during the school career. He has performed exceptionally well for St. Peter's. In 1980-81 season, he captured III wickets in 12 matches and erased Anandian Kamal Dharmasiri's record of 106 wickets for a school season. Believe it or not Rumesh was the youngest to play division one cricket. He first played for NCC under Ranjit Fernando who was a guiding light to many Sri Lanka cricketers.

The wiry Ratnayake, made his debut as teenager and displayed the ability to generate pace and bounce with his whippy action. Ratnayake was a consistent performer during the late eighties and early nineties troubling batsman with his ability to swing the new ball at a lively pace. However, due to injury, he was never able to really fulfil his potential though the determination to return to Test cricket he was never quite the same bowler in his younger days. Nevertheless, he was a fine Test bowler and one of the better pace bowlers produced by Sri Lanka. A capable hitter in the lower order, Ratnayake played some handy innings with the bat.

Making his debut against New Zealand at Christ Church, he made an immediate impression taking the new ball providing the Kiwi batsmEn with some moments. In the 1985-86 series against India, he came of age bowling superbly to capture 20 wickets at 22. At SSC he bowled with sustained pace and stamina, capturing 6 for 85 from 41 overs. In Sri Lanka's comprehensive victory in the second Test Ratnayake was a major factor taking 9 wickets in the match. Along with Ashantha de Mel and Saliya Ahangama, this pace trio tormented the Indian batsmen leading Sri Lanka to an inaugural victory.

Niggling injuries were always a patch on his career though he toiled manfully in generally unresponsive conditions. On his day he remained a quality pace bowler on the 1990-91 tour of Australia. He produced a outstanding display of swing bowling in his only Test at Hobart, capturing 6 for 66. At Lord's he gave another accomplished display taking 5 for 69. His pace and swing caused the English batsmen immeasurable trouble. With the bat, he then rescued the team with a bright half century. Too often though his performances were let down with lackluster batting as Sri Lanka automatically wasted opportunities to bring home the advantage that Ratnayake had helped achieve. Injuries limited his effectiveness in the series in Pakistan and proved to be his final Test series.

Since his retirement in 1993 Rumesh has been national fast bowling coach for Sri Lanka as well as coach of his old club Nondescripts CC. He is a level III certified coach and has been an Asian Cricket Council Development Officer. He was a coach and selector for the Asian Dream Team, a composite team of lesser Asian cricketing nations that played six matches in Sri Lanka in 1993.

Ratnayake was in May 2007 linked with the Sri Lankan national cricket team assistant coaching job. Ultimately, it was the deputy coaching job that he was offered but later declined it in June 2007.

He has also offered his skills advising cricket hopeful in Canada, in addition in getting involved with the cricketers of Nepal, Hong Kong, Maldives, China, Baharain, Malaysia and also Bhutan.

Rumesh Ratnayake's career statistics: 23 Tests scored 433 runs, batting average 14.43. One day International 70 matches - scored 612 runs batting average 16.54. Bowling: bowled 3961 balls in Tests, captured 73 wickets at an average of 35.10 and in One-Day International bowled 3,575 balls and claimed 76 wickets at an average of 35.68.