Remembering an indefatigable icon-HON GAMINI DISSANAYAKE – By Sunil Thenabadu

Tribute to Gamini Dissanayake:

The endeavours of the late Gamini Dissanayake, while holding several Ministerial Portfolios other than spearheading the Mahaweli project, have helped vastly to uplift to a large extent the basic living standards, especially of the average citizen and made a tremendous impact on the economic revival of the country, which is of course is no exaggeration.

Besides being dynamically engaged in our development progression, he found the time to be actively involved in the game of cricket; having held office as the President of the Board of Control of Cricket in Sri Lanka, (BCCSL, now known as Sri Lanka Cricket, SLC) from June 1981 to June 1989 and thereafter, for a brief period of four months, immediately prior to his tragic death in 1994; during which period he made loads of momentous contributions.

Throughout the tenure of past Presidents of the then BCCSL, Robert Senanayake, who held office for 17 years, T.B. Werapitiya and Major General B.R. Heyn who held office for comparatively shorter periods, had made supreme gentle persuasive pains to the ever relentless officials of the International Cricket Council (ICC), the governing body of world cricket, to qualify us as full members of the ICC to play Test cricket. The efforts were not given any compassion but proved fruitless year after year.

It was England and Australia who had the veto power, who stood firmly against us. They were totally liable in turning down our frantic pursuit for full membership of the ICC. The then President of the Pakistani Cricket Board Abdul Hafeez Karder made valiant efforts towards our commendable cause and, in sheer desperation, accused the ICC of racial discrimination in the year 1975. It was the suggestion of our late BCCSL President Gamini Dissanayake to form the Asian Cricket Council along with India and Pakistan to contradict the appalling white supremacy at the ICC.

It was against this bleak backdrop that he was persuaded to acknowledge the post of President. However, for him, no assignment or goal was unfeasible. He changed the infrastructure of our cricket which remained unchanged for years. He set new trends and values in conducting the activities of the then board. He inaugurated the Sri Lanka Cricket Foundation and was adamant that at any price he was obtaining full ICC Test status with full membership.

Sri Lankan cricket

He then embarked on a programme of exertion with a visualization to accomplish what he felt was of paramount momentous for Sri Lankan cricket. This included the construction of a modern building to house the headquarters of cricket at Maitland Place, construction of contemporary indoor net facilities, development of the Asgiriya and other grounds at provincial venues to play international and domestic cricket, inaugurated a programme to send young cricketers for training overseas, launched a cricketers’ benevolent fund and commenced intensive training for umpires, coaches and curators etc.

Late Gamini Dissanayake as President of the then BCCSL, and also as an impeccable orator, he stood strong against the unbending and rigid resistance of the officials of Cricket’s governing body, the ICC. He did not duck at the ‘bumpers’ hurled at him at the ICC meetings. Instead of ducking them he retaliated to them ferociously with his rigid legal background.

His counterattacks and labours helped Sri Lanka to be admitted as a full member of the ICC to play Test cricket on the 21st July 1981 as the eighth Test playing nation.

This achievement was even more remarkable in the perspective that he held office as the President of the then board, only for a couple of months. The ICC knew very well that we were eligible to enter the elite cluster.

The officials of the ICC knew very well that we were well apt and eligible to pierce into the elite congregation. But at each annual meeting they meted out to us step maternal conduct. But we had to linger despite performing all the spade work. It was the exclusive dynamic attitude of the late leader, Gamini Dissanayake, which aided us to be designated as full member after his mesmerizing speeches and brisk answers made, which kept the audiences of the ICC constantly spellbound.

Another significant contribution made by him to international cricket was the desperate plea to the ICC for India and Pakistan to host the 1987 World Cup, away from England for the first time. Addressing the ‘chair’ he said there are millions and millions in the sub-continent obsessed and passionate about this game of cricket.

Adding further he had said “You have already staged three World Cups in England from the inception in 1975 and are you going to deprive those living in the sub-continent the opportunity of viewing an ICC Cricket World Cup? It is a moment in time that we globalize this event in the best interest of the game of cricket.”

Test status

After shouldering the responsibility of all spadework, it was very unfortunate that he could not live until 1996, when Sri Lanka won the plum of world cricket, the Wills Word Cup in 1996, only 17 months after his tragic demise. Our Skipper Arjuna Ranatunga and his team most appropriately upon arrival in the island after the triumph to homage to late Gamini Dissanayake visited Madam Srima Dissanayake along with the World Cup at her Alfred House Gardens premises.

At the conclusion of the 9th edition of the Asia Cup in July 2008, staged in Karachchi, the late Gamini Dissanayake who was chiefly instrumental in our achieving full Test status was awarded a lifetime award by the Asian Cricket Council, as he was a pioneer member who formulated the concept of the Asian Cricket Council. Srima Dissanayake the Chairperson of the Gamini Dissanayake Foundation and her son Navin Dissanayake, the former Minister of Investment Promotion, collected the award from the CEO of the Asian Cricket Council, Ashraful-ul-Haq.

Sri Lanka as a Test playing nation to date embrace many world records. These achievements for the conquering Sri Lankan teams and cricketers would not have been achievable if we had not attained Test status owing to the indefatigable efforts of late Gamini Dissanayake. Hence it is prudent that all enthusiastic cricketers and passionate fans should invoke heartfelt blessings to this great leader for all his labours.