Dharmasena - a leading umpire in elite panel

By Ranjan Anandappa

Lankan umpire on top: Former Test all-rounder and now an elite panel umpire, Kumara Dharmasena is one of the most sought after cricket umpires in today’s International cricket arena.

He has built up such a big impact as a cricket umpire and had the privilege of officiating in the Ashes series in England and Australia as well, and has commanded respect from all quarters. Dharmasena, after representing the country in 31 Test matches and 141 ODI’s, took up to umpiring with the intention of giving something back to the game.

Reaching the top in two different segments in Test cricket is no easy task, but the former Sri Lankan all-rounder Kumar Dharmasena achieved both due to perseverance coupled with loads of self confidence. Being in the company of his contemporary players like Australian Ricky Ponting, India’s Sachin Tendulkar, Brian Lara to name a few, would have given Dharmasena a lot of confidence in performing his duties as an umpire. He represented the country in 31 Tests and 141 ODI’s from 1993 to 2004 and chose cricket umpiring besides his career at the Hatton National Bank due to the undying passion for the game he loves so much.

He was rewarded as the best international umpire by the ICC.

Modern technology an asset

The Sunday Observer Sports was able to get at Kumar Dharmasena who was busy as a bee with his assignments, said that he was proud to take up umpiring and to be in the Elite Panel of Umpires. He rated umpiring as a more difficult job than playing and being a Test cricketer he enjoyed every moment while ‘standing’. He also said that the modern technology is an asset to any umpire in the changing world of cricket.

After a very successful school cricket career at Nalanda College, where he won the Schoolboy Cricketer of The Year title in 1989 and also the Best Allrounders and Best Bowlers prizes, it was just a matter of time for the budding all-rounder to have patience for a call for the national team.

Dharmasena’s dream of gaining his Test ‘cap’ became a reality when he performed extremely well in a three day warm match match against the touring South Africans at the Welegedera Stadium in 1993 and made his Test debut against a strong South African outfit led by Keppler Wessels in the same year.

Keppler Wessels captained the visiting side while late Hansie Cronje, Darryl Cullinon, Allan Donald, Bret Shultz ,Jonty Rhodes , Richard Snell, Pat Symcox ,Dave Richardson and Brian McMillan were some of the South African players who toured the Island to play their first ever Test against Sri Lanka.

Arjuna led Sri Lanka

The hosts were led by Arjuna Ranatunga and had four more players who had won the Sunday Observer Schoolboy Cricketer of The Year title, namely opening batsman Roshan Mahanama, Sanath Jayasuriya (Outstation), Kumar Dharmasena and Muttiah Muralitharan, but Sri Lanka lost the match by an innings and 208 runs, thanks to a splendid spell of left arm pace bowling by Brett Schultz who took five and four wickets each in the two innings.

That was the last seen of Brett Schultz who injured his ankle while playing in Sri Lanka and he never bowled again for his country.

Dharmasena played his last Test match when Sri Lanka met Australia in 2004 at Galle.Thereafter he fancied cricket umpiring where he rose to the top, through the fast track system introduced by the late K.T. Francis who thought it was a privilege for Test players.

Talking about the OBSERVER-MOBITEL Contest, Dharmasena said that there is no doubt that it is a great one for the Colombo and Outstation schools as well, because it surfaces good talent for the future. It is a much looked forward the contest where the boys get the due recognition.

Dharmasena Test debut as umpire in 2010

The schools from outstation get more opportunities now as there is a segment three for, the ‘silver’ where almost all the competing schools are from the rural areas. These days we see more and more youngsters making the way for the national team and the competition will help them to gain recognition and find more opportunities for their future. Going through the 35 recipients so far there are 13 Test players and three Test captains coming through the process.

Dharmasena made his debut as a Test umpire in the year 2010 when India met New Zealand in a Test at Ahmedabad and so far has ‘stood’ in 25 Test matches and 54 One-day Internationals.

He was also a key member of the 1996 World Cup winning team under Arjuna Ranatunga.