Home  ⁄  Tag Archives: Arjuna Ranatunga

Gamini Dissanayake: A Spearhead for Sri Lankan Cricket-by Navin Dissanayake Source:Thuppahis Cricket has long been Sri Lanka’s greatest unifier. It is the sport that makes the world see us as more than just a small island—it makes them respect us, remember us, and recognise our strength. But Sri Lanka’s rise in world cricket did not happen by accident. It was built on foundations laid decades ago, by leaders who saw the potential in our game long before we had the trophies to prove it. One of those leaders was my father, Gamini Dissanayake. On March 20th, we mark his birth anniversary, and as I reflect on his life, I realise that his greatest contribution to cricket was not just securing Sri Lanka’s Test status—it was creating the systems, infrastructure, and vision that allowed us to win the 1996 World Cup and stand tall on the international stage. And now, as the Chairperson of the Sri Lanka ...

Mar 21, 2025 Posted by In Articles Tagged , , , ,
Read More →

Ranjan Madugalle: For Cricket. In Cricket Source:Thuppahis ITEM in ??? Played 21 Tests and 63 ODI games for Sri Lanka. Became an ICC Match Referee in December 1993. Officiated the ICC CWC final in 1999 and 2003. He was one of the five match-referees at ICC CWC 2011. Deshabandu Ranjan Senerath Madugalle (Sinhala: රන්ජන් මඩුගල්ල; born 22 April 1959) is a former Sri Lankan cricketer who currently serves as the Chief of the panel of ICC match referees. He was educated at Trinity College, Kandy, and Royal College, Colombo. He represented Sri Lanka in international cricket between 1979 and 1988, making his debut in the 1979 ICC Trophy final against Canada. He had the honor of being in the first Sri Lankan Test team in 1982, and top-scored in the first innings with 65 – making a 99-run partnership with Arjuna Ranatunga. Madugalle represented Sri Lanka in 21 test matches and 63 One Day Internationals and also captained Sri Lanka national cricket team in two test matches and 13 ...

Oct 17, 2024 Posted by In Articles Tagged , , , , , , , , ,
Read More →

Ranjan Madugalle’s Remarkable Career in Cricket Administration-by Hiran Hewavisenti Source:Thuppahis Real Sri Lankans At a time when all and sundry are promising us everything that they have not delivered, despite being elected by the people for whatever reason, it is refreshing to know that there are Sri Lankans who are flying the flag – in this case, a gentleman who has an unblemished record of service to a game that just about all of us cherish – and has risen to the pinnacle of its administration… and remained there for ever since. #RanjanMadugalle take a bow         Ranjan Madugalle of Sri Lanka during the 1984 tour of England, circa August 1984. (Photo by Patrick Eagar/Popperfoto via Getty Images/Getty Images The WIKIPEDIA SUMMARY … Deshabandu Ranjan Senerath Madugalle (Sinhala: රන්ජන් මඩුගල්ල; born 22 April 1959) is a former Sri Lankan cricketer who currently serves as the Chief of the panel of ICC match referees. He was ...

Aug 17, 2024 Posted by In Articles Tagged , , , ,
Read More →

The Wettimuny Trio of Accomplished Opening Batsmen-by Michael Roberts Source:Thuppahis 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) ...

Jul 2, 2024 Posted by In Articles, Michael Roberts Tagged , , ,
Read More →

My thoughts on the movie 800 – By Sanjeewa Jayaweera Source : island I decided to patronize a cinema after several years to watch a movie. I am glad I did so because the film brought back happy memories of Muttiah Muralitharan, the spinning wizard and, in my opinion, the greatest cricketer Sri Lanka has produced. The movie 800 is about the life and cricketing career of Muarli. It is aptly titled 800 in recognition of the number of wickets Murali claimed in test matches during his illustrious career, which spanned from 1992 to 2010. His tally of wickets in test cricket is a world record that, in all probability, might never be surpassed, just as much as Sir Donald Bradman’s test batting average of 99.96 runs per innings. Initially, I was a bit worried about the movie’s length, which is 150 minutes, which I felt might be a bit long ...

Nov 8, 2023 Posted by In Articles Tagged , , , , ,
Read More →

800: Murali’s inspiring story unfolds on silver screen-By Fauz Mohamed Source:Sundayobserver The film ‘800,’ based on the life of Muthiah Muralitharan, widely regarded as one of the greatest spinners in the world, has commenced screening in India. The title refers to Murali’s 800 Test wickets, a record that has still not been equalled. Simultaneously The film ‘800’ was filmed in various locations, including Sri Lanka, India, and Australia. It was simultaneously released in 15 countries, such as India, Sri Lanka, the United States, the United Kingdom, and the Middle East. Originally made in Tamil, ‘800’ has been dubbed in Sinhala and Telugu, and it includes English subtitles for wider accessibility. The screenplay for the film ‘800’ was jointly written by Tamil film director M. S. Sripathi and Booker Award winner Shehan Karunathilake, whose first book Chinaman (on a fictional cricketer) was a big hot in cricket playing countries. ...

Oct 10, 2023 Posted by In Articles Tagged ,
Read More →

Video: A Summary History of Cricket in Ceylon & Sri Lanka, 1822-2022-by Michael Roberts Source:Thuppahis Cricket Squad under Anura Tennekoon that toured England for the ICC ‘s ODI Competition in 1975  Captain Arjuna Ranatunga & President Ana Punchihewawith 1996 ODI World Cup A NOTE: given the vast sweep of time covered in this short review, it is hardly surprising that there are many omissions and gaps.  Plus marks to the compilers for referring to some important moments in 19th and early 20th century Ceylon. FURTHER READING:  Cricket lovers should use digital engines to search for writings by  SP Foenander, SS Perera, Ranjan Mellawa, Mahinda Wijesinghe ….. AND then, last but not least there is the Janashakthi Book of Cricket brought out in 1999 by Chandra & Prakash Schaffter of Janashakthi Insurance — a book that is a compendium incorporating SS Perera’s marvellous of collection of items on the history of cricket in our fair isle. ...

Oct 8, 2023 Posted by In Articles, Michael Roberts Tagged , ,
Read More →

Lankan netballers to tour Australia and Botswana-by Dhammika Ratnaweera National senior Netball team who selected for World Cup with Netball President Victoria Lakshmi head coach Thilaka Jinadasa and chairman of selectors Dhamayanthi Jayatilleka. Source:Dailynews Sri Lanka senior Netball team led by Gayanjali Amarawansa will embark on tours to Australia and Botswana to get more exposure before the World Netball Cup which is scheduled to be held from July 28 in South Africa. This is a good opportunity for National Netball players to get much needed match exposure said Sri Lanka Netball Federation President Victoria Lakshmi in an exclusive interview with Daily News yesterday. ...

May 24, 2023 Posted by In Articles Tagged , , , ,
Read More →

Sri Lanka after 41 years of Test cricket-by Rex Clementine   Source:Island This week we celebrated 41 years of Test cricket having played our inaugural Test match in 1982 on the 17th of February. Over the years we have gone onto earn the admiration and respect of rest of the cricketing world for the sheer brilliance, creativity and innovativeness with which we have played the game. The Sri Lankan brand of cricket has challenged the way the game has been played and has added excitement and entertainment over the last 41 years. Mind you it took India 20 years to win their first Test match. The Kiwis needed 26 years while we won our first Test in a mere three years in 1985. In between, they dazzled at Lord’s in 1984 in their first visit to the Home of Cricket and nearly made India eat humble pie in the Madras ...

Feb 21, 2023 Posted by In Articles Tagged , , ,
Read More →

Muralitharan: The Arm that Did Not Chuck-by Michael Roberts   Source:Thuppahis Dr Barclay “Buddy” Reid …. with highlighting emphasis imposed by The Editor, Thuppahi ** Boxing Day is back, reviving memories of the 1995 no balling of Muttiah Muralitharan, the greatest bowler of all time. Following the no ball call, the focus was on Murali’s elbow. Did he straighten it during delivery? The answer would determine whether the no ball call was justified. I was the first person called upon officially to provide the answer. I say “Officially” because the request to examine Murali medically came from  Duleep Mendis the Manager and Arjuna Ranatunga the Captain of the Sri Lankan team. They chose me because of my experience in my regular job as an Independent Medical Examiner of injured workers for WorkSafe Victoria. I examined Muralitharan in the dressing room on the third day of the match and my conclusion was that ...

Dec 23, 2022 Posted by In Articles, Michael Roberts Tagged ,
Read More →
Page 1 of 4:1234»