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Game dominated by Marvan and Mark Matches to remember
The time had moved on to the nineties and Sri Lanka who gained Test status in 1982 was just finding their feet in the international arena. Though not winning Test matches on regular basis, the Lankans had become a useful opposition who could give any opposition a few headaches especially while playing at home.
Arjuna Ranatunge who cut his teeth as a podgy teenager in 1982, now was the captain of the Sri Lanka team and was in full control. Along with him he had his seniors in vice captain Aravinda de Silva, Hashan Tillekeratne – a multitalented cricketer who by this time had also taken over the role of official wicket-keeper (though it was not the wisest move that Sri Lanka ever did on the field of cricket) along with Asanka Gurusinhe who was now settling into the number three slot permanently. Along with these seniors there were some other talented young hopefuls emerging in the horizon in the likes of Roshan Mahanama, Sanath Jayasuriya, Marvan Atapattu young wicket-keeper batsman Romesh Kaluwitharana and Muttiah Muralitharan. In that era they did not know what sort of an impact these cricketers would bring to this game and change some of its niche’s for ever. When Australia stepped our shores for the 1992/93 series they too had their own problem and definitely under Allen Border it was not a strong side in spite having some names in their ranks that we still remember.
As we confine this series to what was happening in the international scene in cricket in Kandy, we will concentrate to the game played between the Sri Lanka Board President’s Xl and the Australians at the Asgiriya International Cricket Stadium from 10-13 August 1992 – exactly fourteen years ago. The national selectors named left hand batsman Asanka Gurusinhe to lead the side. Being early August, Kandy had typical wet weather. The Australian skipper Allan Border won the toss and obviously elected to bat. The Australian openers Mark Taylor and Tom Moody were not overly happy with the Lankan medium pace attack that comprised the Kalutara lad Dulip Liyanage and a young Josephian fast bowler named Ajith Weerakkody. It was Weerakkody who struck first for Sri Lanka when he had tall Moody held in the slips by Sanath Jayasuriya for 6. The intermittent rain also did not help their visitors cause and the day ended with them scoring 278 for 9 after fast bowler Craig MaCdermott ‘s half century moved them from a disappointing 188 for 8 to their final score of 278 for 9 which total they declared first thing the next morning. However earlier it was stylish Mark Waugh who top scored for the visitors with an attractive knock of 74 runs. For Sri Lanka medium pacers Liyanage, Weerakkody and Haturusinghe shared six of the nine wickets to fall while Kurunegala’s left arm spinner Ajith Ekanayake was responsible for the wickets of Mark Waugh and Greg Mathews while young Muttiah Muralitharan bowled 22 overs for 79 runs but bagged only the wicket of tail-ender—fast bowler Tony Dodemaide. Taking their turn at the crease Sri Lanka lost the services of opener Haturusinghe early, but Nalanda school mates Roshan Mahanama and Asanka Gurusinghe batted till the rain intervened when the total was on 71 for 1 with Mahanama not out on 38 and Gurusinghe unbeaten on 20. When Gurusinghe made his departure on the third and final morning the second wicket stand had blossomed to 122 runs, but Gurusinhe was unlucky to become Mike Whitney’s second victim for 47, thus missing a well deserved half century by three runs.Next in Tillekeratne did not last long with Whitney striking again, but, another 86 run stand for the 5th wicket between Marvan Atapattu (64) and Sanath Jayasuriya (51) saw the match drifting into a meaningless draw with rain hampering the game once again in the afternoon session.
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