Nostalgia of evoking courageous labours of Hon Late Gamini Dissanayake in conquering Test status – by Sunil Thenabadu 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 ...

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Sri Lanka becomes a cricketing tragedy. Suspension adds insult to injury in its worst World Cup – BY TREVINE RODRIGO IN MELBOURNE (eLanka Sports editor) The saying, “when it rains, it pours”, got true relevance if you look at the current plight of Sri Lanka cricket. Quadruple setbacks from just one outing at the World Cup appears at this stage just the tip of the iceberg, with a rash of more repercussions on its way to the beleaguered nation. They first endured the Matthews controversy, suffered the worst campaign at a World Cup, then got suspended by the ICC and now have been eliminated from the forthcoming Champions Trophy. While reeling from those setbacks, there’s a legal stoush looming over matters relating to the World Cup as legal experts try to decipher appropriate battle plans with the country’s cricket administration. They also have to figure out how to deal with ...

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What’s Happening to Cricket?- By Dr. Tilak S. Fernando   Everyone in Sri Lanka, from children to grown-ups, know about cricket. Though volleyball is known as Sri Lanka’s national game, cricket took its place due to its popularity. There was a time when even Kussi Ammas were engrossed in the game whenever cricket matches appeared on TV screens.  When players such as Duleep Mendis, Kumar Sangakkara, Roshan Mahanama, Bandula Warnapura, Sanath Jayasuriya, Brenden Kuruppu or Arjuna Ranatunge batted, crowds were enthusiastic. The game’s enthusiasm peaked when Arjuna Ranatunge won the world cup in 1996. Cricket is a pitch and tosses game, where one team wins today and the rivals win tomorrow.  The rule book says that players must act on numerous regulations and disciplinary codes vested upon the umpires, captains, and the Governing bodies. The game needs to be played according to the game’s rules and within the spirit of ...

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Learie Constantine’s Cricket Coaching Stint in Ceylon 1953-by Chandra Schaffter Source:Thuppahis Sir Learie Constantine was truly a legend. He was invited by Sri Lanka Cricket Board to coach in Sri Lanka in early 1953. Before that, the New Zealander C.T. Badcock was coaching and Sri Lanka was inviting foreign coaches with a view to improving the standard of cricket in the country. The arrival of Learie Constantine was like a breath of fresh air. He brought to us the West Indian style of cricket and he to a large extent encouraged the natural talents of his wards and allowed them to improve their game in the way they knew best. That was his greatness. His coaching was confined largely to Colombo, and Kandy. He first coached in Colombo for a month or two, but the Cricket Board selected a squad of 20 players from among the up-and-coming youth to be coached ...

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Uvaisul Karnain excellent hockey player and cricketer-Althaf Nawaz Source:Dailynews Sri Lanka has produced several sportsmen who excelled at International level bringing honour to the country. One of them is Uvaisul Karnain, a double International who represented the country in hockey and cricket in the 1980’s. ‘Daily News’ spoke to him recently for an update on his sporting career. The now 58-year-old Uvaisul Karnain is an old boy of Isipathana College, Colombo. He hails from a sports loving family. All his six brothers played Cricket and Hockey for school and Club Burgher Recreation Club (BRC). He was very enthusiastic to play rugby for his school but his parents objected and advised him to take up any other sport except rugby. Better known as “Kara” in sporting circles, he then opted to get into hockey and cricket at school in1975 and 1977 respectively.   ...

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