Cricket now a profession in Sri Lanka

By A.C. De Silva

The first cricket Test - that's something any country will like to remember for years to come. The players who will be involved in that game have really some stories that will be in their minds for many years to come.

Sri Lanka became a full-member of the ICC in Anne 1981 and it was due to the untering efforts of the then Sri Lanka Cricket Board President Gamini Dissanayake.

Sri Lanka's first Test dawned on February 1st 1982/83 in Kandy and was played against England who happened to be the colonial masters who taught the game to the young Ceylonese. It was exactly 100 years after the first international team (Ivo Beigh's All-England team (1882) played in Ceylon.

Although Sri Lanka had established a winning platform after three days of good cricket, it unfortunately fitted away their chances of winning through careless batting in the face of John Emburey's clever spin bowling.

Major set back for Lankans

Sri Lankan cricket suffered a major setback when a number of leading players led by Bandula Warnapura were attracted by monetary inducements to tour South Africa in late 1982 in defiance of a longstanding international boycott of that nation.

Those cricketers were immediately subjected to a ban, but subsequently the ban was lifted in 1991.

Cricket is now a profession in Sri Lanka.

Once cricket took root among the Ceylonese middle class, there was not long before their cricketers took on the local Europeans. This was in 1882 and the game went forward. Then in 1887 (May) an 'Amalgamated Eleven' drawn from the Colts and the Cinnamon Gardens Club had a match against CCC at Galle Face Green. Then followed more matches and the game of cricket really went forward.

Game spread all over

The game of cricket spread like wild fire and spectator interest caught up with the interest shown by radio commentaries. From the inter-war years onwards the English media first and now even the Sinhala media have started giving commentaries in English, Sinhala of all important cricket matches, both National and Schools played in Sri Lanka and abroad.

The game of cricket has caught much interest that in Colombo, Galle and Kandy the enthusiasm generated by the inter-school games augmented by the occasional matches played against visiting international teams have really caught the interest of the public.

From 1884 to around 1981, it was the practice of most Australian teams travelling to England to play a match in Sri Lanka. When their ship stopped at Colombo. In October 1969, Australian Bill Lawry's team played four matches in Sri Lanka before it went on to India and South Africa and in May 1981, the 30th Australian XI also played four matches.

Bradman never played in India

It is a revealing fact that Sir Donald Bradman, who scored 40 runs in the 1930 match and 20 in 1948, never toured in South Africa, India, New Zealand or the West Indies.

When the Sri Lankans went into bat they had the misfortune of having two batsmen sent to hospital where Mendis and Wettimuny having to enter hospital because of injuries.

Sunil Wettimuny - the opening batsman when on 53 and later Duleep Mendis on 32 had to enter hospital because of injuries sustained by Australian pacemen hit on the head by Australian paceman Thomson.

According to Sri Lanka team manager K.M.T. Perera, Australian bowler Thomson bowled really fast. The balls that hit the lankan batsmen, were not aimed at the body, but sheer pace made them rise and the speed unsettled the Lankan cricketers.

Aussies well away

Talking of international cricket, this match between Australia and Sri Lanka comes to mind, the one that was played in the 1975 in the final, where the Aussies won, making 328 for 5 wickets in 60 overs while Sri Lanka made 276 for 4 wickets in 60 overs. The match was played at Kensington Oval.

For Australia, Alan Turner (101) and R.B. MeCosher (73 put on a massive opening partnership of 182 runs, while later on Grey chappall (50) and K.D. Walters (59) added 117 runs for the fourth wicket.

For the Sri Lankans, it was gallout performance after being hit by injuries. H.S.M. Pieris (2 for 68) and D.S. De Silva (2 for 60) were the pick of the Lankan bowlers.

SCOREBOARD

AUSTRALIA
R.B. McLosker b De Silva	 		73
A. Turner c Mendis b De Silva		       101
I.M. Chappel b Kaluperuma	  		04
G.S. Chappell c Opatha b Peiris	 		50
K.D. Walters c Tennekoon b Peiris	 	59
J.R. Thomson not out	  			09	
R.W. Marsh not out	  			09
did not bat :R. Edwards, M.H.N. Walker,D.K. Lillee, A.A. Mallett
Extras: (b1, lb20, w-1, nb-1)	 		23
Total: (for 5 wkts in 60 overs)		       328

Fall of wickets: 1-182, 2-187, 3-191, 4-308, 5-308
Bowling: (Sri Lanka) T. Opatha 9-0-32-0
		     H.S.M. Peiris 11-0-68-2
		     B. Warnapura 9-0-40-0
		     A.N. Ranasinghe 7-0-55-0
		     De Silva 12-3-60-2
		     L. Kaluperuma 12-0-50-1

SRI LANKA
Sunil Wettimuny retired hurt	 		53
Ranjit Fernando b Thomson	 		22
B. Warnapura st.Marsh b Mallett	 		31
L.R.D. Mendis retired hurt	 		32
A.P.B. Tennekoon b I. Chappell	 		48
M.H. Tissera c Turner b I Chappell	 	52
A.N. Ranasinghe not out	 			14
H.S.M. Pieris not out	  			00
did not bat :A.R.M. Opatha, D.S. de Silva, L. Kaluperuma
Extras (b6, lb 8, w8, nb2)	 		24	
Total (for 4 wkts in 60 overs)		       276

Fall of wickets: 1-30, 2-84, 3-246, 4-268.
Bowling: (Australia): D.K. Lillee 10-0-42-0
		      J.R. Thomson 12-5-22-1
		      A. Mallett 12-0-72-1
		      D. Walters 6-1-33-0
		      A. Walker 12-1-44-0
		      G. Chappell 4-0-25-0
		      Chappell 4-0-14-2