The Wettimuny Trio of Accomplished Opening Batsmen-by Michael Roberts

Michael Roberts

The Sri Lankan world of cricket was well served in the past by an accomplished set of batsmen school at Ananda College and the Sinhalese Sports Club who were all, remarkably, opening batsmen. The first of these lads to hit the headlines was Mithra Wettimuny – the second in the brotherly line-up. As Captain of Ananda, [1] he was selected to lead the Ceylon schoolboys in their tour of India in 1969 ……. with guidance from managers A. D. Karunananda and Angelo Rayer. The squad had an outstanding tour – in fact securing a set of remarkable results (see Ranjan Anandappa’s recounting at https://thuppahis.com/2024/07/02/the-wettimuny-trio-of-accomplished-opening-batsmen/

as It was not Mithra, but the eldest Sunil that hit the headlines next when selected in the squad touring England for the ODI World Cup in 1975 – with Anura Tennekoon as captain and KMT Perera

Sunil Wettimuny (Sri Lanka) pulls Ashley Mallett (Australia). The Australian wicket keeper is Rod Marsh. (Photo by PA Images via Getty Images)

as Manager. This was a momentous path-clearing tour. But it was also a painful and frightening one. The Australian and West Indian pacemen were furious fast and dangerous on the English wickets. At the match vs Australia at Kennington Oval in London Sunil Wettimuny was hit on the ankle and debilitated by Jeff Thomson – who then proceeded to fell Duleep Mendis on the head. Both had to be carted off. However, the Sri Lankan side earned plaudits for marshalling 200 for 6 wkts in response to the Australian total of 329.

An independent observer has left us with a dispassionate summing up:

“Like East Africa, Sri Lanka too endured a torrid start, as they were bundled out for 86 en-route to a nine-wicket defeat at the hands of the West Indies at Old Trafford. However, they produced a brave display at the Kennington Oval in London four days later against Ian Chappell’s Australians. Facing the likes of Dennis Lillee and Jeff Thomson in a chase of 329 was a daunting prospect, but Sri Lanka’s batsmen more than held their own. Sunil Wettimuny (53) and Duleep Mendis (now Oman head coach) took on the ferocity of Lillee and Thomson and the off-spin of Ashley Mallett with belligerent stroke-play until both of them were forced to retire hurt due to rising deliveries from Thomson. Nevertheless, captain Anura Tennekoon (48) and Michael Tissera (52) worked and ultimately carried Sri Lanka to a commendable total of 276/4.’’ [2]

Sunil went on to forge another career [as we shall soon perceive]. But Mithra entered the vision of the Sri Lankan selectors and earned a spot (as opening batsman of course!) in the Sri Lankan squads in 1982/83. This official summary says it all – ‘’by then in his early thirties, Wettimuny’s entire first-class cricket career incorporated nine matches in four countries in 127 days. His highest score was 55 on debut against Zimbabwe at Bulawayo in November 1982. He made his Test debut against New Zealand on 4 March 1983. He scored 17 and five runs in the two innings, respectively, in a match that New Zealand won by an innings and 25 runs.’’

One could say that he was displaced as opening batsman by the youngest brother Sidath!! This ‘íntervention’ occurred at a momentous stage in Sri Lanka’s cricketing history; when it had secured test status as a result of Gamini Dissanayake’s political advocacy on the foundations of previous cricketing successes [fn. 3 … see ‘Dissanayake returns’ below]

Gamini Dissanayake was a mover and shaker. Educated in Kandy at Trinity College, he took steps to ensure that the First Test Match vs the visiting Australian team in April 1983 was scheduled at the revamped Trinity College grounds in Kandy.[4] Sri Lanka were mauled in that match; batting first the Australians piled up 500 runs for 4 wkts declared; and then dismissed Sri Lanka twice for 271 runs and 206 runs. Note that in the second innings ‘’Sidath Wettimuny made up for his first innings failure with a classic 96’’ [fn 4]

While Sidath’s cricketing career was rather a roller-coaster, Johann Jayasekera has this to say in his appraisal for ESPNcricinfo: ‘’At Faisalabad, on Sri Lanka’s initial overseas tour, Wettimuny stroked a 157, sharing a partnership of 217 with Roy Dias for the second wicket. It was the maiden century at Test level by a Sri Lankan player. At Lord’s in 1984, Wettimuny eclipsed his previous effort scoring a superlative 190 in 642 minutes facing 471 balls. Marvellous strokeplay and a steely determination to succeed punctuated the innings. Wettimuny also became the first Sri Lankan to carry his bat through an innings when he completed the feat against New Zealand at Christchurch in 1982-83 – he scored an unbeaten 63 out of a meagre total of 144.’’ [fn. 5]

Sidath continued to serve island cricket in the role of a Selector in the 1990s; while Sunil forged a new career as a pilot. As stressed in a web-item, Sunil’s career path was quite remarkable; ‘’for 11 of the years he played international cricket he had also embarked upon a career as an airline pilot’’ [fn. 6]

This course placed him in a unique position when the Sri Lankan team marshalled by Dav Whatmore and Arjuna Ranatunga won the World Cup in the final against the Australians at Karachi in April 1996. Sunil flew the Sri Lankan Airlines Tristar which brought the triumphant team to the island from Karachi. He thereby etched himself within a unique moment in the history of Sri Lankan cricket.

END NOTES

Mithra, alas, passed away in 2018. However, I have also chosen to foreground him because I got to know him in his capacity as a guiding hand at the Surf club at Mount Lavinia when I was a regular visitor during my sabbatical working year in 1989.
Deboo, …. https://emergingcricket.com/columns/ec-rewind/associates-at-the-world-cup-part-1-1975-1979/
See ‘Dissanayake returns’ below. Gamini was aided in his campaign in England by Lord Michael Naseby with whom he stayed for a day or so in the latter’s house in Essex. However, it would also be reasonable to speculate that the English entrepreneurial agencies and government personnel interesting in the investments required for Mahaweli development project [in the planning stages then) would have weighed in.
Mahinda Wijesinghe’s assessment – see item in Bibliography. Note that Sidath was undone in the first innings by Dennis Lillee — who told Sidath later on that it was one of the best balls he had ever delivered.
5. The grounds at Asgiriya were the site at which most international matches in Kandy were played in the 1960s and 1970s …. even though the arena was rather small. It was not till the 1990s that steps were taken to construct a larger cricket ground with spacious spectator accommodation at Pallekalay in the Dumbara Valley. PS – there is a story awaiting its investigator here.