Silibiris from Sillypoint

Silibiris from Sillypoint

Anura Ranasinghe, was one of the finest all-round cricketers produced by Nalanda and the first schoolboy to play in the World Cup.

I did field to his off spin bowling at silly point in an inter house cricket match, I am honoured to say somewhere in a score book it should record Wimalanatha Ct yours truly b Anura Ranasingha. That was the one and only game I had the fortune to play with him. However, I did watch him from the boundary line for many years after that.

I recall the day he brought his scrap book to our Grade 6 class. It was full of pictures and paper cuttings of his hero, Colin Cowdrey. As he turned the last page of his scrap book I said to him” I predict you will play for Nalanda and then one day you will represent your country just like your hero.” He laughed off my prediction.

Even at the age of 12, he was fiercely competitive, no matter what the game we played  which varied from suitcase-wicket softball inter class cricket matches to Elle to Nondi Paneema.

I still remember, him showing me how to pick the cricket ball’s seam. He was all of 12 years of age, long before anyone had dreamt of ball tampering.

He did go on to play for Nalanda at the age of around 14 years.

Ranasinghe distinguished himself as a right-hand batsman and bowled left-arm medium-pace and slow spin. As an allrounder he was renowned for his fighting qualities, where on several occasions he rescued Nalanda College from perilous situations with both bat and ball.

In 1975 Battle of the Maroons, Anura Ranasinghe broke the 32 years old bowling record by taking 8 wickets for 39. If I recall correctly, he had been hospitalised the day before after being injured during a practice session.

Ranasinghe created history in 1975 when he became the first schoolboy to play in a World Cup when he represented Sri Lanka in the inaugural tournament in England at the age of 18 years. He played in all three matches against West Indies, Australia and Pakistan.

He was unlucky not to make it to the final XI of Sri Lanka's inaugural Test against England at the Sara Stadium in February 1982. Arjuna Ranatunga got the vote ahead of him.

He never had the chance to fulfil his potential to the full at the highest level. Less than a year after Sri Lanka had played their inaugural Test with England in February 1982, he went to South Africa with a Sri Lanka rebel side. Along with 13 other players who undertook that tour he was banned for a period of 25 years.

The ban virtually ended his career as a cricketer. Cricket was Rane's life and he was never the same man again.

May he have a happy and a short journey though Sansara.