C. I. Gunasekara:

Towering Inferno

by Rohan WIJESINGHE

CRICKET: The prince himself stood by the gate of his residence down Dickmans Road, Colombo clad in immaculate white. Buttons flamboyantly askew looking forlornly at the myriad of run of the mill masses walking past his princely eyes.

An ageing warhorse, slightly stooped. Red checked yet retaining that aristocratic Bearing and Dignity, his face creased with affability.

I must confess I have a lingering admiration for this great cricketer of yore. I had heard more, than seen the exploits of this great man and he was well past his prime when I saw him in the fresh through the lens of my innocent 13-year-old eyes in the Summer of 71.

It was at a Mercantile match of some sorts that I saw him bat and literally clear the clouds with a couple of sixers. Then as an afterthought he burnt up the grass with so many fours as if he was trying to 'Mow the lawn before lunch".

The strokes were bereft of ruthlessness though, and instead bore a velvety touch. Within a couple of overs, the predatory cordon of close in fielders were all to be seen patrolling the ropes and were being peppered with CI's flamboyance, the primitive impulse in him to slay his attacker, released in full measure.

This mild mannered aristocrat displayed fearless brilliance against the star-studded touring teams from Australia, England and the West Indies in the 50s and 60s. This at a time when we were an unheard of nation and tours were less frenzied and infrequent, one whistle stop 2 dayer-3 years apart.

Ceylon as we were then known, were rather patronizingly granted whistle stop tours. Large crowds flocked through the turnstiles to watch the overseas starts display their skills and wares whilst our stars look back billing.

CI was singularly responsible for changing that mindset, what with his blazing bat and debonair personality. With CI cutting loose in his own inimitable style, partisan observers flocked in droves to watch him and our fortunes.

A paradigm shift in mindset in modern parlance. Those who came to scoff stayed to cheer.

Three of his outings stand out and epitomizes the man. It is folklore that CI once raised ahead of the mercurial Keith Miller to a hundred playing for the commonwealth XI against a star-studded MCC. In fact CI breasted Miller to the 100 in one of the most mercurial batting displays this country has seen.

Chinwag has it that Miller remained a devotee of CI's forever after. Miller was arguably the worlds best allrounder at that particular point of time.

Then again Ceylon was granted another whistle stop Tour in 1961. Lindsay Kline was a key young hopeful in Richie Benauds Australian bid to wrest the Ashes from England. CI on this occasion, deposited Kline's hopes and potential among the red tiled roof of the Sara Stadium. A blistering 72 to CI then.

His hundreds and five-wicket hauls against South Indian opposition in the Gopalan Trophy and club cricket are too numerous to mention in a tiny space such as this.

Against Ted Dexter's Englishman, CI made their countries best spin double by Illingworth and fred Titnus climb the rafter as well, 52 runs on this occasion.

Truly heaven sent wallops these and he could bowl a whirring googly as well and covered an expensive territory of grass in the outfield. These stellar performances have been made against, the backdrop of long arduous train travel, venues 600-700 miles apart, to be met in bed by a roach, potty washrooms, buggy food and a coin pressed into your palm for your troubles. The only stretching exercise that generation could have afforded would have been to yawn between railway stations.

It was doubly difficult to pen these lines as my mind imagination flitting back and forth to a twenty 20 match at Khettarama under floodlights, with CI in coloured regalia, full sleeved, bare headed and pitching into an Aussie XI, with or without Lindsay Kline.

Cricket apart CI was a model of versatility, trying his hand and excelling at tennis, golf and athletics stemming probably from the fact that he hailed from an illustrious sporting dynasty.

CI is 80 now and mercifully is in good health and steady. The national treasurer that he was, is a precious icon now and should be protected and nursed to his hundred and beyond if only in gratitude to the hundreds of his batting partners he would have nursed to them hundreds.

His cricketing days are past now and yet his, comradeship, conviviality, disarming modesty and deeds with the bat though now misted with time, will remain in folklore for years to come, or even forever.