I was there, 25 years ago

Inaugural Test at the P. Saravanamuttu Stadium

Elmo Rodrigopulle

It has fallen on Jayantha Dharmadasa, Chairman of the Interim Committee and his co-members to celebrate the country's 25 years in the game of Test cricket.

To mark the occasion, SLC has arranged a simple yet, memorable ceremony where the celebrations will start with the handing over of memorabilia to the players who figured in that inaugural Test at the P. Saravanamuttu Stadium in the morning of the Second Test between Sri Lanka and South Africa begins.

Sri Lanka was admitted a full member of the International Cricket Conference at a meeting held at Lords on July 21, 1981.

When this occasion is being celebrated, men who made it all possible, such as the Late Gamini Dissanayake, who was President of the Cricket Board of that time, Abu Fuard, R. Rajamahendren and Daham Wimalasena, to name a few who batted to make the reality of playing Test cricket, must not be forgotten.

Dissanayake when he took strike on that day at the ICC meeting, had bouncers, googlies and even underarms bowled at him by the lords at Lord's of that time, who were reluctant to let Sri Lanka into the elite of cricket.

But Dissanayake countered all those deliveries, and hit the lords all round the wicket to use cricketing parlance, and at the end of it all, the lords knew that they were beaten and let Sri Lanka into the game of Test cricket.

Did not the lighting of firecrackers herald our entry into the big league. One cannot also forget the President of that time and the Prime Minister His Excellency J. R. Jayewardene and Ranasinghe Premadasa who worked behind the scenes to take us to the promised land of Test cricket.

When Sri Lanka played the inaugural Test I was there taking in the action on all days and describing it for the now defunct 'Times of Ceylon' in the company of M. Enver Marikar, our man from Kandy and Gamini Perera.

An incident that readily comes to mind was this: On the day of the Test, Marikar was taking the long walk to the stadium, when President Jayewardene spotted the huge figure of Marikar. The President stopped his limousine and asked Marikar in, asking him on the way as to whether Sri Lanka could win the inaugural Test.

But sadly, Sri Lanka at one point had a chance of making history by beating the Englishmen led by Keith Fletcher, but irresponsible batting and with off spinner John Emburey having the Lankan batsmen in a flat spin, the game was lost.

Since that beginning cricket in the country has flourished in the 25 years with Sri Lanka beating every Test playing nation in Test cricket and enjoying its greatest moment with the World Cup triumph under Captain Cool Arjuna Ranatunga, who also made a memorable debut as an 18-year-old schoolboy scoring a half century in the inaugural Test before being bowled by Derek Underwood. Others who scored half centuries in that game were Ranjan Madugalle, ICC Chief Match Referee now and Roy Dias.

England who were always asking us to go back and grow when we requested for Test status, has sadly yet to win the World Cup, whereas Sri Lanka has won it - 1995/'96.

Hatton National Bank sponsors of the inaugural Test, will once again be in the scene of action and sponsor this event on Friday.

This is how the inaugural Test ended:

Sri Lanka 218 and 175: England 223 and 171 for 3 wkts. England won by 7 wickets.

Sri Lanka's history makers were: Bandula Warnapura (Capt), Dulip Mendis (Vice Capt), Sidat Wettimuny, Roy Dias, Ranjan Madugalle, Arjuna Ranatunga, D. S. de Silva, Asantha de Mel, Lalith Kaluperuma, Mahesh Gunetilleke, Ajit de Silva, Anura Ranasinghe (reserve). Sadly Anura Ranasinghe is no more. The umpires: H. C. Felsinger and K. T. Francis. Manager M. Rajasingham. Coach Sir Garfield Sobers.