Sidath Wettimuny - 54 not out, is still going great guns...

BY A.C DE SILVA

CELEBRATIONS: Sri Lanka’s stylish opening batsman few years back —- Sidath Wettimuny was 54 not out last Thursday and indications are that he can carry on for some more years.

Sidath Wettimuny - wonderful performances to remember for a lifetime.

He has been a fine batsman to watch and with his cricketing family background it has been cricket all the way in the Wettimuny family. The driving force behind the boys’ in the early days was their father Ramsay who can best be described as an authority on cricket. His dedication towards the game brought out three sons - all star-class cricketers Sunil the eldest, Mithra and Sidath and all donned the Sri Lanka ‘cap’ and played against other nations.

Sidath made his debut in Test cricket in 1981-82 against England. His first tour of England, he scored 527 runs (Avg; 43.91) with 95 not out vs Leicestershire as his highest with five fifties.

A sound, technically correct batsman he has been blessed with the fine temperament to play long innings. He began his first-class career, however, with a ‘pair’ for Sri Lanka Board President’s XI against Pakistan in 1976, getting out to Sarfraz Nawaz both times. But Wettimuny was not to be held back and five years later, made amends by scoring twin fifties (68 and 51 nor out) against Nottinghamshire for whom Sarfraz Nawaz played.

Wettimuny went on to complete his maiden first-class hundred also against Pakistan in the Faisalabad Test in 1982 with a career-best 157.

In his first 27 first-class matches, he scored 1,303 runs for an average of 31.02. He had two centuries in the early days. After scoring Sri Lanka’s first hundred in Tests - that’s against Pakistan (157) as already mentioned, he also had a long innings, taking 372 minutes when he carried his bat for 63 against New Zealand in a Test at Christchurch. He made the highest score in an inaugural Test at Lord’s —- 190 against England. Sidath’s performance would have been guided by the spiritual guidance his father Ramsay, who also guided elder brother Sunil and Mithra too.

Wettimuny seventh on list

The monumental innings of 190 at Lord’s was the highest score in a first Test appearance in England. Wettimuny broke a 104-year-old record when he surpassed Australian batsman W. L. Murdock’s 153 scored at the Oval in 1880. At that time, Wettimuny’s innings stood 7th in the all-time list of batsmen was scored centuries against England at Lord’s

Legendary Australian batsman Donald Bradman headed the list with 254 in 1930 followed by West Indian opener Gorden Greenidge’s epic 214 not out in 1984. The others are: 206 not out W. A. Brown (Australia) in 1938, 206 by M.R. Donnelly (New Zealand) in 1949, 200 by Moshin Khan (Pakistan) in 1982, 193 not out by Warren Bardsley (Australia) in 1926 and then Sidath Wettimuny (Sri Lanka) in 1984.

When late President J. R. Jayawardene heard of Sidath’s sterling innings of 190, he congratulated Wettimuny through the Sri Lanka High Commissioner Chandra Monarawela.

Banner headlines

The English newspapers had banner headlines after Sidath Wettimuny made that magical knock of 190. The Times said; “Sri Lanka provide splendid day’s entertainment in the First Test at Headquarters as England bowlers fall to Wettimuny’s charm.”

The Guardian headline went “Enter Sid and Company with a grand flourish”

The Mirror said:”What a gem” in the headline and in the body it said: “England’s war-weary cricketers found a new tormentor at Lord’s: Sidath Wettimuny, a 28 year-old (then) Colombo Jeweller, who struck them for the perfect hundred. “Sid, as he is known to his teammates, is the reason why the amateurs of Sri Lanka control their inaugural Test in England for a formidable platform of 226 for 3 wickets.

Then two headlines appeared in the ‘Daily Mail”, One was: “England suffer humilation at the hands of Sri Lanka’s century star.” The second was: “Diamond Sid”. There was also Duleep Mendis who made 100 not out.

Sidath Wettimuny as picked as one of Wisden’s “Five Cricketers of the Year” for 1985 after his mammoth 190 at Lord’s. He was the first Sri Lanka to be honoured by the prestigious almanac.

School Cricket remembered

After his fine performances with the bat out there in the middle, Sidath Wettimuny did not forget his early days, playing for Ananda College in inter-school cricket matches. He had a liking for inter-school matches as those games gave him the greenlight to forge ahead in his cricketing career.

Sidath Wettimuny was a batsman who had a lot of confidence in him. Before he went out for the epoch-making innings, he had told his mother: “I will score a century in England” and he kept to his word.

He achieved another distinction in his career as an opening batsman when he became the first Sri Lankan to carry his bat through an innings in a Test match. In the first Test against New Zealand, Wettimuny batted throughout the Sri Lanka first innings of 3 1/2 hours to remain 63 not out of a total of 144, this representing 43.75 percent of the total. Former England captain Len Hutton has the highest percentage rate - his 202 not out of 344 against West Indies at the Oval in 1950 and this represents 53.72 percent of the total.

At Observer Mobitel show

He was twice present as Chief Guest at the Observer Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year Awards show.

At the Sunday Observer - Mobitel Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year Awards Show in 2009, he was the chief guest. He gave some sound advice to the schoolboys present: “Play hard and work hard for your team and then the results will come your way.

Cricket is a great game and school teams have a big part to play in taking the game forward. The coaches must teach the mental side of the game to the players. Once the youngsters grasp the finer points of the game, they will be able to forge ahead.

Cricket is a mind game and cricketers, especially the young up-and-coming cricketers must think before venturing out into extravangaza missions.”