Lankans spoil Australia Day celebrations

In my preview of the First Twenty20 game at the Sydney Olympic Park appearing in the ‘Daily News’ on Saturday headlined ‘Mockery cricket on Australia Day – with a strapline – Lankans can spoil celebrations’– I stated that the Sri Lankan cricketers could spoil celebrations on Australia Day by winning the game.

And that is exactly what the Sri Lankans did by smashing the Australians by 5 wickets with 7 balls to spare. It took two Josephians--skipper Angelo Mathews and Thisara Perera--to get their act right, in the middle, to steer Sri Lanka. In reply to Australia’s 137 for 8, Sri Lanka replied with 139 for 5.

Perera blasted two big consecutive sixes to signal victory and send the Sri Lankan fans into raptures and leaving the Australians shell shocked on Australia Day and downing barrells of beer to drown their sorrow!

Strenuous tour

After a strenuous tour covering the Tests and the one day games, my friend Upula Fernando and I took a break in Perth and were the guests at dinner hosted by Dr. Shivanthi and Seneka Seneratne a leading Solicitor where we took in the Twenty20 action. Also present was Mahesh Herath.

The moment Perera hit the six for victory, there were loud explosions signaling the fireworks display at the Swan River to mark Australia Day, which made Shivanthi to quip that the fireworks was meant to celebrate Sri Lanka’s victory. How true!

We took in the fireworks display at the banks of the Swan River and stood amazed, watching what wondrous patterns that fireworks in all colours of the Australian Flag could make as 300,000 thousand West Australians watched and broke into loud applause when the final firework was lit.

Too time consuming

Incidentally Dr. Shivanthi’s brother Suren was also a good cricketer at Royal College. But studies took him away from cricket which was too time consuming, but he had the distinction of playing in the Royal-Trinity Bradby game in 1982 under Hiran Muttiah.

In the morning we visited Buddhist Nuns’ Monastery –‘Dhammasara’ in Gidgegannup off Perth with friends Dimuthu, Mahesh, Nagina, Mahesh’s wife who is in great demand as a caterer in Perth. Dimuthu who was celebrating her birthday and with their children offered Dhaane to the nuns at the monastery.

We also took in the Bo Sapling from the sacred Bo Tree in Anuradhapura which was donated by the Atamasthanadhipathi the Most Venerable Pallegama Sisiniwasa Maha Nayaka Thero and planted at Dhammasara Nuns Monastery in February 2012.

Buddhism to Sri Lanka

Incidentally Arahat Mahinda Thero – son of Emperor Dharmashoka of Maha Bharat – brought Buddhism to Sri Lanka in the 3rd century BC and his daughter Arahat Sangamitta Theri brought the Sacred Sri Maha Bodhi now planted in Anuradhapura.

After the handing over of the sapling to the Dhammasara nuns who flew down from Perth to Anuradhapura, it was kept and treated by the Botanists of the Peradeniya Botanical Gardens to suit the environs of Western Australia (Gidgegannup) for a period of almost a year.

Then it was flown to Perth under suitable special conditions of luggage temperature. In Perth it was kept and quarantined for 3 months at the Murdoch University, before it was taken to Gidgegnnup for planting at the Dhammasara Buddhist Nuns Monastery.

The nuns at the Monastery showed us a video of the proceedings that took place at the handing over and planting ceremony of the sacred Bo Sapling. The sapling is now in full bloom and shows signs of growing.

The Chief Incumbent of the Anuradhapura Atamasthanaya, Most VenerablePallegama Sirinivasa Thero was present during the planting ceremony in Gidgegannup.

Welcome Sanath Teran Jayasuriya

The good news to trickle down from Sri Lanka to Australia is that Sanath Teran Jayasuriya the ‘master blaster’ is to be appointed Chairman of the new Cricket Selection Committee of Sri Lanka Cricket.

Jayasuriya who rewrote cricket record books with his belligerent hitting, enters the selection field for the first time and takes guard at a time when a lot of work has to be done for the betterment of the game.

He will, as usual, have his frustrated critics. But he must not be unduly worried and hit them like he did when hitting the scorching fours and sixes with his bat which was like a magic wand in his hand.

Jayasuriya must forget school, club tie and friends when sitting to pick teams and must do fearlessly. He has been entrusted with a sacred job and he must perform it to the best of his ability.

Political affiliations

Critics will take him to task citing his political affiliations as a setback and saying he would not be able to perform, his functions honestly and with dedication. But, these are critics who also held high office in Sri Lanka Cricket, failed in their duties and were kicked out. No one would dare criticize his credentials as a cricketer. From the time he toured Pakistan with the ‘A’ team and blasted two double hundreds, he had not looked back and went on to take cricket to great heights.

His crowning moments were being adjudged the Player of the tournament at the 1996 World Cup in Lahore, Pakistan which Sri Lanka won and the memorable 340 he made against India at the R. Premadasa Stadium.

First Sri Lankan

In making that 340, he wrote his name in the books as the first Sri Lankan cricketer to go over the 300-run mark and join a rare band of illustrious batsmen in world cricket who achieved a similar run mark.

Among world renowned batsmen who have gone over the 300-run mark was the great Australian batsman Sir Donald Bradman who achieved it more than once. Mahela Jayewardene, who relinquished his job as captain after the Aussie tour was the next to go over the 300 mark making 374 against South Africa at the Sinhalese Sports Club Ground.

Jayasuriya also captained Sri Lanka with success. When his bating form dipped and when his team lost couple of games in Australia and everyone was blaming it on him and with the management of that time failing to support him, he said to hell with the captaincy, but continued to bat for game and country with resounding success.

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