Sylvester’s death leaves a void which cannot be filled
One of the legendary fast bowlers in Sri Lanka in the yester year – Sylvester Dias died a week ago at the age of 75 years. He was ill with diabetes for few years which spiraled into a chronic stage.
His demise is a sad event not only to his family, but also to the whole country as well as to the cricketing world. His death is sadder, because with his demise the family he leaves behind – wife, Pushpa Ranjani Obeysekera and four children would become desperate and helpless as, until he became ill Mr. Dias was looking after everything in the home-front.
Pushpa Ranjani Obeysekera, wife of late Sylvester Dias
In sheer desperation, Pushpa told the Sunday Times, “Life of my husband could have been saved, if he was continued in the intensive care unit of the Colombo North Teaching Hospital, Ragama.” She says, “Sylvester was taken to ICU on November 26 or so and hospital advised me to take the patient home, as the doctors were on strike.”
The hospital has instructed them to bring the patient on December 5 to the clinic, but Mr. Dias died on December 1. Had he been kept in the ICU, Pushpa says her husband would have been saved.
Sylvester, who has been considered to be a terror in the field with his fast bowling, started his professional cricketing career in the beginning of 1960s and almost his entire life was concentrated in cricket. The unfortunate situation now, his wife says, Sylvester died a pauper – nothing left for the family’s survival.
Pushpa conceded, she too is a sick person with a mental illness and three out of their four boys are also sick. She says, when Sylvester was first taken seriously ill the Sri Lanka Cricket Board had come in a big way and helped them to restore his health to an extent
Pushpa earnestly urge everyone who loved Sylvester as a cricketing giant who made Sri Lanka proud, now is the time to help his family. She even tries to appeal to President Mahinda Rajapaksa, whom Pushpa says is related to her.
When Sylvester started his career as a fast bowler there were a large number of fast bowlers and to get into the National team was a
Sylvester going along with Russell Harmer to bat - File photo
challenge. Earlier Sylvester told ST his speed was like lightening and once the ball leaves his hand, only the wicket keeper collecting the ball was seen.
Earlier, he told ST that his contemporaries were Darrell Lieversz, Norton Fredrick and Ian Pieris among others. He said he was more on out-swingers and cutters. Sylvester, Norton and Ian fast bawlers trio who were terror in the field and he said in the Board President’s XI against Pakistan team in 1964 he got 8 wickets to victory.
This victory enabled him to be selected to the national team under the captaincy of Michael Tissera and toured India in1965.
He then became part of the Ceylon Transport Board (CTB) team – a strong team with several other national players. He said that he could be compared to fast bowlers like Wesley Hall. His cricketing prowess proved that he is one of the best fast bowlers.Somewhere in 1970’s he went to England and played for Rochdale, Lancashire as a professional cricketer and played with Sir Garfield Sobers. In England from Rochdale he moved to Lancaster and there in one season he obtained 98 wickets.
Cricket had become his first love and his life was cricket where he did not even know the death of his father while he was in England.
Few years before his death, when he was ill he was a dejected person for he realized that he could not do much to his family because he was late in getting married.
He married when he was almost 50 years and the saddest part of his life has been that his three children are sick and he did not amass money, unlike the present day cricket professionals.
Earlier, he even confided to ST that with his illness deteriorating he was very much alarmed with the thought that once he is dead his sick family would be disarrayed, as he understood that the family would not be able to proceed with the routine home-front work, as he took the responsibility of taking care of all the work.
In the name of this cricketing greats, the cricket loving world should join hands, to help the deranged family of Sylvester Dias who made Sri Lanka proud during his professional cricketing career and this call must address the Sri Lanka Cricket Board, too.