Thomian cricketer Lalith Ratnayake remembered

A batsman being called back is indeed a rare occurrence in the game of cricket. Not surprisingly, since it is a common tendency for batsmen to pretend they have got a bad decision even when they are out.

Consequently, no opposing captain will give much credibility to or lose any sleep over reactions of batsmen who appear distressed over a bad decision.

However, at the Royal Thomian in 1976 the entire Royal team appealed in unison for a caught behind down the leg side and the head umpire had no hesitation in lifting the dreaded finger to signal the end of the innings of the No. 3 batsman of the Thomian side.

The batsman appeared clearly shocked, as the ball had only grazed his shirt on the way to the wicket keeper. He instinctively shook his head and made his way back to the pavilion with his head down like a true sportsman.

His reaction was enough for the Royal captain, T. M. S. Saldin to think twice. Had the batsman been any of the 10 other Thomians in the team, Saldin would probably not have even considered doing what he did.

After a quick conference with his team-mates he requested the umpires to call the batsman back. Saldin and all his team mates were certain that the batsman concerned would never have reacted the way he did if he was in fact out.

The Thomian No. 3 was none other than the late Lalith Ratnayake who represented STC from 1975 to 1977.

Lalith was a great all-rounder: a very dependable No 3 bat, an intelligent left arm spinner and a brilliant cover fielder. Although he never did justice to his capabilities at the three big matches he played in, Lalith still shares a 33 year unbroken record for the highest 9th wicket partnership at the Mustangs Trophy limited over game.

Lalith's character and his fighting qualities was well reflected in that single memorable inning of 50 n.o. in 1977, when the side was hopelessly placed at 58 for 8 in the 20th over, in a match reduced to 40 overs a side.

He battled it out almost single handedly, farming the strike from the No 10 as much as possible.

STC ended the innings with a total of 118 for 9 in 40 overs, and with some tight bowling and fielding, ensured that Royal had to bat 34 overs to eventually win the match.

This performance was not a flash in the pan: Lalith had a remarkable batting average in the 1975/76 season and was awarded the Lady Jayathilake batting shield for the best Thomian batsman.

He also toured Pakistan in 1976 with the under 19 Sri Lanka schools cricket team for the Ali Bhutto Trophy in the company of schoolboy cricketers of the calibre of Ranjan Madugalla, Yohan Goonasekera, the late Anura Ranasinghe and his College team mate Ishak Sahabdeen, all four of whom went on to represent Sri Lanka.

Soft spoken, polite, well mannered, perfectly groomed and above all, honest, he remains in our memory, whether as friends, teammates or opponents as the "Gentleman" amongst us. May his tribe increase. Esto Perpetua

Team mates of 1975 to 1977