Remembering the inimitable Anura Ranasinghe
xactly sixteen years ago on a day like this while Sri Lankan cricket fans were glued to their TV sets watching an India-Sri Lanka match – 
Champions Trophy encounter in Sharjah, shocking news of the demise of one of Sri Lanka’s most loved cricketers Anura Ranasinghe was relayed as a breaking news. The following day shocked cricket fans gathered in numbers at his residence in Makola to pay their respects to this heroic cricketer of yester year.
Anura Ranasinghe, who dominated cricket fields in Sri Lanka in the 1970s and early 80s, was a complete cricketer with immense talent. He was a hard-hitting, right-hand bat and a left-arm medium pace swing bowler and he also used to bowl left-arm spin when the ball got older.
His fighting knock of 77 against mighty Indian bowling led by Kapil Dev, in Sri Lanka’s first Test match against India played at Chepauk Stadium in 1982, was his last act of heroism in an 
illustrious career. When he came to the crease, Sri Lanka was 202/5 still 20 runs to avoid an innings defeat on the final morning. He just stood there and smashed at everything he could reach at, and his daring attitude at the crease had the Indians bemused. Sri Lanka extended their innings till shortly after the tea break and ended up at 394 all out leaving India to score 175 to win. India were badly placed at 135/7 at the end of play. That day only three Indian wickets still stood up thus thwarting the Lankans from their first Test win. Sunil Gavaskar during the post match interview, described Anura’s innings as the turning point of the match which saved Sri Lanka from defeat initially.
Anura began his career at the Nalanda College under the guidance of veteran coach Nelson Mendis who was then the Master-in Charge of cricket. Mendis himself spotted Anura playing softball cricket in school and invited him to come for practices.
There was no stopping Anura from there onwards. His entry to the first XI cricket, at only 15 years, was marked with an entertaining century against Maliyadeva College, Kurunegala on his debut in 1972. He was named the Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year in 1974 and 1975.
Anura led Nalanda in 1975 and was the most feared schoolboy cricketer at the time scoring centuries against almost every leading school and also with his dual purpose bowling.
Anura led the Sri Lanka Under 19 XI with great success in 1975 against Pakistan Under 19 XI captained by Javed Miandad to win the Ali Bhutto Trophy. He led from the front scoring a half century and capturing four wickets in the Pakistan’s first innings. This was the first ever trophy won by Sri Lanka at international level in any form of cricket.
While still a schoolboy Anura won his first national cap being selected to play against the West Indies led by Clive Lloyd. He saved Sri Lanka from a certain innings defeat to remain unbeaten with 27 runs facing the fearsome pace attack of Andy Roberts, Keith Boyce, Vanburn Holder and Bernard Julian.
Young Anura had the rare honour of being the first schoolboy to play in the inaugural World Cup in England in 1975. When Anura walked into bat against Aussies two Sri Lankans had already been sent to hospital by Jeff Thomson’s deliveries but Anura was not rattled by the situation and he came onto the front foot to drive Thomson through the covers.
He also played a few more memorable international innings including the 68 runs he scored against the Australians at the SSC led by Kim Hughes in 1981 and the half century scored against England at the same venue in 1982 where he lifted an Ian Botham delivery right over the SSC sightscreen.
His exclusion from the final XI that played in the inaugural Test match against England at the Saravanamuttu Oval in 1982 made him rethink about his future. Anura never had the chance to fulfil his potential to the full at the highest level, because eight months after Sri Lanka played their inaugural Test, he went to South Africa with a Sri Lanka rebel side and along with 13 other players who undertook that tour was banned for a period of 25 years.
Many were the times after match-winning performances that he returned to the pavilion on the shoulders of his beloved cricket fans.
He made his last journey the same way, when they carried him to his final resting place watched by thousands in tears gathered at the Kirullapone Cemetery. He was out at 42. He missed a well deserved half century. – (LR)
| ‘Never seen a gutty cricketer like him’ -Veteran cricket coach Nelson Mendis ‘I have coached thousands of cricketers in my 53 year span as a coach, but I have never come across a cricketer like Anura. He possessed extra talent, courage and guts. He is unique, born with natural talent and was a skilled cricketer. He never was afraid to take up a challenge. He recalled an incident when Anura was about ten years old playing for the under 12 team got injured when a ball hit his head which needed some stitches. “This happened the day before the under 12 semi-final match. When I asked Anura whether he can play tomorrow his answer was why not sir?” And when he was injured at national trials in preparation for the inaugural World Cup in 1975 by a Dennis Chanmugam bouncer and he had to undergo surgery, was being warded. This happened just four days before the Big Match which he was to captain Nalanda. Anura decided to play against the medical advice and went to play with half of his face covered with surgical plasters and in pain. He performed as a bowler in the match and took 8 wickets for 39 runs in the first innings, breaking a record held by P W Perera for over 30 years. He also took 14 wickets in the match and this record is still intact.” “Anura walked into the Sri Lanka team straight from school as a promising all-rounder. At the beginning he played international cricket like playing a school match. That was mainly due to inexperience; his shot selection was bad and looked like he was in a hurry. But later on he learnt from his mistakes very fast and that was a sign of a good cricketer and kept on improving rapidly. When I finished playing for Sri Lanka in 1979, Anura had developed into a fine cricketer”. He was a rare cricketer who could go after any bowling attack whether its pace or spin and also could bowl pace and spin and a brilliant fielder in any position. He had taken some superb catches that had helped Sri Lanka to win many matches. “Great team man and good friend” “First of all I should mention my friendship with Anura which ran for over twenty years. I met him as a member of the national side and I still feel sorry for him for not being selected to play in the inaugural test match. From that day onwards I became very close to Anura, he was like a brother for me and a true friend. Our friendship was close and he was my best-man along with Lanka Perera. Ironically, both of them are no more with us. To have a friendship for over twenty years speaks volumes of Anura’s qualities. My home was like his second home. Coming straight from practices and we used to play cards and sometimes go out for dinner. He was the only one to have a car – a Bristol advertised Ceylon Tobacco car and he used to take us anywhere we wanted to go be it day or night. Even on my wedding day he was the one who drove me from home and to the church. It is difficult to believe that Anura left us sixteen years ago”. |