• Cricket's great revival
• A highly valued cricket history

Cricket's great revival

>After the World Cup debacle, winning the Aiwa Cup and the success in Zimbabwe capped a wonderful year

By Saif Izzadeen

Like the mythical phoenix rising out of the ashes, Sri Lanka cricket resurrected itself after the World Cup debacle where the 1996 champions failed even to get into the super six stage of the competition held in England.

Sri Lanka's crowning glory came when the team led by Sanath Jayasuriya won the Aiwa Cup cricket tournament and the subsequent success in Zimbabwe where they swept the board by winning the three match Test series and the five match one dayers to return home in a blaze of glory.

Sri Lanka cricket went through a bad patch during the first five months of the year. They failed even to book a place in the three nation tournaments in India and Australia.

In March the Annual General Meeting of the Board of Control for Cricket in Sri Lanka turned into a mini battlefield as Thilinga Sumathipala was chosen as President.

However, two months later, Sports Minister S.B.Dissanayake appointed an interim committee headed by Rienzie Wijetilleke to handle the affairs of the Cricket Board.

The performance of the Sri Lanka cricket team went from bad to worse as they were knocked out in the first round itself from the Seventh World Cup in England.

However with the appointment of the interim committee to handle Sri Lanka's cricket affairs events took a bright turn and Sri Lanka were on the winning track once again.

After the World Cup debacle Arjuna Ranatunga was removed as captain and Sanath Jayasuriya was appointed and Dav Whatmore was apponited as coach.

The first assignment for newly appointed skipper Sanath Jayasuriya and coach Dav Whatmore was the Aiwa Cup three nation one day tournament between hosts Sri Lanka,India and Australia and the subsequent three Test series against Australia.

They won the three nation tournament beating Australia in the final and then emerged triumphant in the three Test series played after the one day tournament at 1-0.

After a slight mishap in Sharjah where Sri Lanka lost to Pakistan in the three nation one-day tournament final, Sri Lanka ended the year on a bright note by completing a double in Zimbabwe.

Athletics

It was an average year in athletics as Sri Lanka could only win 11 gold medals at the eighth SAF Games in Kathmandu, Nepal. Susanthika Jayasinghe could not participate in the SAF Games due to a misunderstanding with the Sports Ministry.

Rugby

It was a good year in rugby. The Sri Lanka rugby team won the three nation championships in Malasiya and also won the Test series against Northern Territories and China.

In the local rugby scene Kandy Sports Club won the league title as well as the knock-out tournament. South Korea won the international sevens competition organised by Kandy SC to mark their 125th year.

Isipatana won the schools league title as well as the knock-out competition.

Some of the highlights in Sri Lanka sports in the century goneby.

1948 - Duncan White won a silver medal in the 400 metre hurdles event at the London Olympics. This was the first occasion Sri Lanka won an international medal in an international meet.

1974 - Sri Lanka athletics team had one of their best ever Asian Games.

1981 - Sri Lanka gained Test status.

1982 - Sri Lanka led by Bandula Warnapura played her maiden Test against England at the P.Saravanamuttu Stadium.

1984 - Sri Lanka led by Hisham Abdeen won the Plate championships at the Hong Kong Sevens.

1985 - Sri Lanka won her first ever Test against India at the CCC grounds.

1986 - Sri Lanka cricket team won the Asia Cup beating Pakistan in the final to clinch the first major international tournament.

1991 - Sri Lanka hosted the fourth SAF Games in Colombo. Sri Lanka bagged 44 gold medals.

1995 - Sri Lanka won her first Test outside Sri Lanka against New Zealand at Napier.

1996 - Sri Lanka led by Arjuna Ranatunga won the 1996 World Cup beating Australia in the final at Lahore, Pakistan.

1996 - Sri Lanka football team won the SAARC gold medal beating India in the final at the Sugathadasa Stadium.

1996 - Sri Lanka sprint Queen Susanthika Jayasing-he won a silver medal in the 200 metre event at the IAAF championships in Athens.

Flashback 99'

Jan 4 - Sri Lanka sprint queen Susanthika Jayasing-he flies to United States to undergo training stating that she will run for Sri Lanka anytime.

Jan 5 - Royal College won the under-13 division 2 title beating St. Joseph's by 19 runs. This is the first time Royal won the division 2 title in this age group.

Jan 11 - England beat Sri Lanka by 4 wickets in the second Carlton and United one day series in Brisbane.

Jan 13 - Australia beat Sri Lanka by 8 wickets in the third Carlton and United one day series game at Sydney.

Jan 16 - Sri Lanka beat Australia Country Xl by 23 runs at Barooga.

Jan 19 - England beat Sri Lanka by seven wickets in the sixth Carlton and United one day match at Melbourne.

Jan 21 - Sri Lanka beat Australia by three wickets in the seventh Carlton and United one day match at Hobart.

Jan 23 -Sri Lanka beat England by one wicket in the eighth Carlton and United one day game at Adelaide. In this match Sri Lanka spinner Muttiah Muralidharan was called for throwing by umpire Ross Emerson.

Jan 25 - Australia beat Sri Lanka by 80 runs in the ninth Carlton and United one day match at Adelaide.

Jan 29 - England beat Sri Lanka by 128 runs in the 11th Carlton and United one day international at Perth.

Jan 31 - Australia beat Sri Lanka by 43 runs in the 12th Carlton and United one day international at Perth.

Feb 3 - Sri Lanka beat England in the 13th Carlton and United one day international at Sydney.

Feb 7 - Australia beat Sri Lanka in the 15th Carlton and United one day international at Melbourne.

Feb 6 - Royal and Ladies emerge swimming relay champions at the Ananda College pool.

Feb 27 - The second Asian Test championship game between Sri Lanka and India ended in a tame draw at SSC grounds.

Mar - Isipatana won the 36th annual cricket encounter against Thurstan by 8 wickets.

Mar - The third Asian Test championship match between Sri Lanka and Pakistan ended in tame draw at Lahore.

Mar-S.Thomas' Mt.Lavinia won the 120th Battle of the Blues cricket encounter against Royal by four wickets.

Mar - Pakistan became Asian Test champions beating Sri Lanka in the final at Dhaka.

Mar.- The Sri Lanka Cricket Board Annual General Meeting turns into mini battlefield as Thilanga Sumathipala is chosen as president for a second term.

Apr. - Sri Lanka's Sports Minister S.B.Dissanayake appoints a cricket board interim committee to run Sri Lanka cricket after the newly selected cricket board headed by Thilanga Sumathipala is told by court to not to function. o Pakistan win the three nation tournament played in India beating the host nation India in the final at Banglaore. The other country which played in the tournament was Sri Lanka o Isipatana won the Western Province 10-a-side rugger tournament beating Thurstan in the final. This tournament was played among Western Province schools. Ananda won the Bowl, St. Joseph's won the Plate o CH & FC won the Western Province 10-a-side rigger tournament beating CR & FC in the final. This tournament was played among Western Province clubs. Tri-Star won the bowl. Colombo University won the plate o Isipatana for the third year in-a-row won the All Island Ten- a-side rugger championship beating Thurstan 12-0 in the final. Isipatana 'B' won the Plate. Maliyadeva Kurunegala win the Bowl. o Ananda win the Lemonade Trophy cricket tournament beating Lumbini in the final at the SSC.

May - Sri Lanka cricket team crash out of the World Cup from the first round itself in England.

Jun. 20 - Australia win the 1999 World Cup beating Pakistan in the final.

Jun. 9 - Trinity won the first leg of the Bradby Shield against Trinity at Bogambara 19-10

Jun. 23 - Trinity won the second leg of the Bradby Shield against Trinity at the Sugathadasa Stadium.

Jul. - Isipatana won the President's Trophy inter- school rugby tournament beating Ananda 27-10 in the final at Longden place.

Jul. - Sanath Jayasuriya is appointed Sri Lanka's new cricket captain with Mahela Jayewardena as his deputy.

Jul. - Sri Lanka athletes gave a poor show at the IAAF championship in Seville, Spain.

Aug. 9 - Kandy Sports Club become the new league champions in rugby beating CR and FC 35-14 at Nittawela.

Aug. 23 - Kandy Sports Club won the Clifford Cup knock-out rugger tournament beating CR and FC 21-18 at Nittawela.

Aug. 31 - Sri Lanka won the Aiwa Cup three nation cricket tournament beating Australia by eight wickets under lights at the R.Premadasa international cricket stadium.

Sep. 9 - Sri Lanka rugger team scores a 34-20 win over China in the rugby union Test at Nittawela.

Sep 11th - Sri Lanka record their first ever Test win over Australia at the Asgiriya Stadium in Kandy. Sri Lanka won by six wickets.

Sep. 13 - Sri Lanka rugby team won the second Test against China 35-3 at Longden Place. Sri Lanka won the series 2-0.

Sep - The second Test between Sri Lanka and Australia ended in a draw at Galle.

Sep. - Sri Lanka won the two Test rugby series against Australian Northern Territories 2-0.

Sep. - The third Test match between Australia and Sri Lanka ended in a draw.

Sep. - Sri Lanka rugger team won the three nation tournament in Malaysia beating Thailand and Malaysia respectively.

Sep. - Sri Lanka won 16 gold medals at the eighth SAF games in Katmandu. Eleven gold medals were won by athletes.

Oct. - Two Sri Lanka athletes and one Indian athlete are tested positive for banned drugs at the SAF games. The two Sri Lanka athletes are hurdler Ashok Jayasundra and weight-lifter Ranjith.

Oct. - Pakistan beat Sri Lanka in the Coca-Cola champions trophy in Sharjah. West Indies were the third team.

Oct. - Isipatana won the under-15 10-a side rugger title

Oct. - Chandra Schaffter is removed as Sri Lanka cricket manager and Stanley Jayasinghe appointed in his place.

Oct - John Keells won the Cup Championships at the 29th Mercantile rugby sevens at Londgen place.

Oct - CH and FC won the under 24 rugger title beating Havelocks 7-0 in the final at Havelock Park. Army Sports Club won the Plate championships.

Oct .- Dylan Benett of Netherlands wins the first ever Sri Lanka junior squash championships at the Sugathadasa Stadium.

Nov. 6 - Australia won the fourth rugby world Cup beating France 35-12 in the final at Cardiff.

Nov. 7 - Tamil Union won the under-23 division one cricket title beating SSC in the final.

Nov. - Bloomfield were declared champions of the 1998/1999 Premier cricket tournament.

Nov - Sri Lanka drew their first Test against Zimbabwe at Bulawayo

Nov - Sri Lanka men's hockey team gives a pathetic display in the men's Asian championships. They lose all their matches conceding 31 goals.

Nov. - Thushara Edirisinghe and Chandrika de Silva won a double at the 47th national badminton championships.

Nov. - Siyana Tharu won the national volleyball championships.

Nov. - Sri Lanka won the second Test match by six wickets against Zimbabwe at Harare.

Dec - The third Test match between Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe ended in a draw at Harare. Sri Lanka won the three Test series 1-0.

Dec - The first one day international between Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka is abandoned due to rain

Dec - Sri Lanka win the second one day international against Zimbabwe by 13 runs.

Dec - Sri Lanka win the third one day international against Zimbabwe by 98 runs.

Dec - Sri Lanka win the fourth one day international against Zimbabwe by six wickets

Dec - Zimbabwe win the fifth one day international against Sri Lanka by six wickets.

Dec. - Navin Samarasinghe and Yasmin Zarook take the men's and women's squash titles at the nationals.

Dec. - Saunders won the Bristol FA Cup 1999 defeating Ratnams 2-0 in the final.

A highly valued cricket history

S.S. Perera's 166-year history of Sri Lanka cricket (A Janashakthi Publication)

The first cricket history of its kind in Sri Lanka - commencing a story from our era (1800's) to another era (1900's) and witnessing the birth of a new millennium (2000).

This exhaustive 636 page book (priced at Rs. 2000/-) according to S.S. Perera took 15 years to compile. All Sri Lankan cricket fans owe him a "Thank You" for this publication which covered the very history of Ceylon clubs, schools, social life and many an interesting story connected with cricket. I know that Wisden Cricketers Almanac has been updated each year. This history of Ceylon/Sri Lanka cricket has virtually been completed in one stroke. To make a suggestion why not update the essentials of S.S. Perera's book every two years to preserve our cricket records.

Reading through the book I wondered how many of the present is aware of our cricket history prior to 1950. Well known Ceylon statistician (all sports). S.P. Foenander wrote his Sixty Years Of Ceylon Cricket (1924) where he has sadly missed out the first 30 odd years - 1832 to 1862. The vacuum has now been filled and S.S. Perera has beaten others to reach the new 2000 millennium. Perera whose beginnings are in the south and then at Panadura shows an affinity to provincial cricket - first class clubs, their one man sponsors, the older schools and the new. In Ceylon there were barely eight colleges playing cricket prior to 1900. At the end of 1999 there are over a 100. S.S. Perera has mentioned about 80 of the up and coming young schools thereby giving them a place in the sun. I could recommend S.S. Perera's publication for all school libraries and to the Public Libraries in the island.

The long story beginning with the hardy English coffee planters and the British military and English businessmen laid the foundation for our cricket. They are all faithfully recorded. From the jungles of the cricket triangle - Knuckles/Rangala to Hewaheta and Gampola, land cleared for coffee planting, witnessed cricket grounds carved out of hillsides. The pavilions were the verandahs of coffee factories and stores and the Rest House cum Hotel was "bedding down on the floor of these buildings". No hotels for them. The young Englishmen knew about coloured clothing 150 years before Kerry Packer, so S.S. Perera relates all this.

The best known pioneer cricketers were George Byrde (he owned a couple of 1000 acres), R.B.Downall, H. Humphreys, L.H. Kelly (later a member of the Legislative Council), J.W.M. Leaka a Government Agent), earlier a rugby international and a fine cricketer. In Colombo the early centres is now a parade ground, the vast expanse the home of the Malay soldier, Galle Face ground (now Taj Samudra) and Dam Street, a good residential area the home of the burgher and Sinhalese.

Perera covers the early big matches in Ceylon-Colombo CC/Up country which lasted almost 100 years (2). The Europeans Vs Ceylonese match which lasted from 1881-1933 ( 52 years) (3) Dimbula Vs Dickoya the planters Derby which went on for 100 years till the EXODUS in the 1960's - The cream of Ceylon cricket drew large crowds - 2 day affair and the Ceylonese match of 3 days towards the end. The names of almost 150 English public schools, country and Internationals who participated are recorded. The Public Schools received attention from Colombo Academy Pettah ( 1835 - now Royal College) and S. Thomas' Collegiate School (1851-Mutwal) to Mahanama and Lumbini Colleges in the 1990's.

From only one or two International cricket encounters prior to World War II - 1940 of which there is much information S.S. Perera records local tournaments and our rapid progress up to the World Cup. The career records of Ceylon's greatest bowler Tommy Kelaart and Englishman W.T. Greswell and South African Test player Dr. A Thornton and Provincial player J.A. Arenkold both of whom played for All Ceylon. Ceylon's own sons who shone in England. A. Holsinger, J.A. Scharenguivel, Dr. C.H. Gunasekera, C.T. Vangeyzel, All Ceylon cricketer and Ceylon's first Olympic Athlete, F.C. de Saram and all our Blues at Oxford/Cambridge have career figures. Our Country stars Jayasinghe, Inman etc., are given adequate coverage. The pioneer provincial cricket promoters - "One Man or Two Men Shows" in Matara, Galle, Kalutara, Panadura, Moratuwa and Kandy are on record and Jaffna cricket for a 100 years is given its place.

To the administrators from George Vanderpaer (1880's), the C.C.A. Board of Control guided Sri Lanka Cricket destinies. B.S. Perera gives recognition for what they contributed for the development of cricket ending with the biggest prize the World Cup. Finally a word of thanks to S.S. Perera for the highly valued cricket history - ANS.

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