The nation’s journey to cricketing greatness over the years, captured through the careers and performances of the 30 greats.

The esteemed ‘panel of selectors’ – (seated from left to right) Vijaya Malalasekera, Chandra Schaffter and Kumar Boralessa

C. H. Gunasekera (Snr.)

THE LION MOMENT

Though Dr. C. H. Gunasekera led his country’s first overseas touring team to India in 1932/33, the captain was called back to the island during the tour. An outbreak of malaria in the capital and its hospital wards required the services of Colombo’s Chief Medical Officer of Health – and so his commitment and dedication to serve the medical profession and fellow citizens took priority over playing cricket for the country.

Mervyn Kelaart

THE LION MOMENT

In a game against a visiting MCC team in 1935, the selectors picked five opening batsmen to play for All-Ceylon and left out two of the fastest bowlers (D. S. Jayasundera and Hilton Poulier) who were in the squad from the playing XI. So Mervyn Kelaart – principally a batsman – took on the task of opening the bowling and displayed his passion for the game.

Sargo Jayawickreme

THE LION MOMENT

In one match, Sargo was hit by Indian fast bowler Mohammad Nizar in the first ball he faced. He fell to the ground but rose to take guard once again. Jayawickreme then hammered Nizar for a towering six and four hits to the ropes in the same over! He was indeed a true lion!

D. S. Jayasundera

THE LION MOMENT

Don Jayasundera was called for ‘chucking’ in a school game in 1929 – the first time the word was heard in this country – although there was no recurrence of this thereafter. So instead of a career that could have been tarnished by this incident, the right arm speedster rose from his humble beginnings to emerge as arguably one of Ceylon’s fastest bowlers.

F. C. de Saram

THE LION MOMENT

Trained at Sandhurst, the Colonel proved his mettle in the army as the officer commanding the artillery garrison that defended civilians against Japanese fighter planes, which attacked Ceylon in April 1942. He personally commanded an ack-ack battery that provided aerial defence for Trincomalee. Whether he fired ordnance or ornery expletives at the Zeros, Britain saw fit to award him an OBE for his bravery under fire.

Mahadevan Sathasivam

THE LION MOMENT

The mercurial Mahadevan Sathasivam captained as many as four national teams – to date, probably the only man to have worn that many hats: leader of the All-Ceylon team in the year of the nation’s independence (1948), skipper of a Singapore side, captain of a Malaya XI later on and also reportedly Hong Kong. He was indeed, a cricketing lion.

Ben Navaratne

THE LION MOMENT

Some heroes run into battle while others stand and deliver. And a handful of gifted individuals manage to do both. No matter how one gauges Ben Navaratne’s mettle, there’s little if any doubt that he stepped up to the plate – in his case, literally – to stamp his character on the game. And when none other than Wisden cited Navaratne as ‘Sri Lanka’s greatest wicketkeeper’ (in what was his obituary 40 years after his first-class cricket debut), his unique skills were recognised by cricket’s bible.

C. I. Gunasekera

THE LION MOMENT

Against an England team captained by Ted Dexter – on a whistlestop tour of the island in 1962 – C. I. Gunasekera thrashed the likes of Ray Illingworth and Fred Titmus. He hit five sixers over the sightscreen to score 28 in two overs. Dexter invited the tall lithe Ceylonese to join his team and play in England!

Stanley Jayasinghe

THE LION MOMENT

Following a successful stint in county cricket with Leicestershire, Stanley Jayasinghe was appointed Ceylon’s national coach. An outspoken personality, he unequivocally told the then sports minister what was what and where to get off – and that managing and coaching the team were his exclusive prerogatives. That procla­mation ended Jayasinghe’s tenure but sealed his reputation as a sportsman – someone whose love for the game was such that he took on the dual roles of manager and coach after retiring from playing the game.

Gamini Goonesena

THE LION MOMENT

On leaving school, the young Gamini Goonesena joined the Royal Air Force in Cranwell in England as a trainee jet pilot but abandoned this career opportunity to play county cricket for Nottinghamshire as a professional – such was the lion’s passion for the gentlemen’s game.

H. I. K. Fernando

THE LION MOMENT

On that fateful day in July 1983 when 13 soldiers were ambushed and killed, triggering riots that eventually led to a protracted civil war of nearly three decades, Dr. H. I. K. Fernando had the unenviable task of obtaining death certificates and sending the bodies of slain soldiers to their respective families. His bravery therefore, had no boundaries

P. I. Pieris

THE LION MOMENT

P. I. Pieris’ stand out contribution to the island’s then burgeoning cricketing portfolio was perhaps his unbeaten 46 in a stubborn but entertaining last wicket partnership of 110 over the course of 53 minutes with Neil Chanmugam in an unforgettable unofficial Test against a star-studded West Indies team in 1967. The grit of a pace bowler with a bat in hand was certainly on show!

Michael Tissera

THE LION MOMENT

Going in after Duleep Mendis and Sunil Wettimuny had been laid low by Jeff Thomson in the 1975 World Cup game against Australia at The Oval in England, Michael Tissera batted gallantly to score an undefeated 52 in 69 minutes against the menacing duo Dennis Lillee and Thomson – indeed, the lion stood up to the kangaroos!

Daya Sahabandu

THE LION MOMENT

Daya Sahabandu’s wicket taking streak goes as far back as his schooldays where bowling for Royal’s First XI from 1957 to 1960, he once scooped a match bag of 5 for 78. Go farther back in time to his primary school days, and you’d find that he opened the bowling for Royal. Later too, he would open the bowling and then dextrously switch to spin when the track showed no sign of life for pacies – a rare talent that benefitted his country in his day.

Anura Tennekoon

THE LION MOMENT

Kings have a calling. So it comes as no surprise that while captaining S. Thomas’ in 1966, Anura Tennekoon was summoned to the Colombo Oval – Thomian cap atop a kingly head – to defend Ceylon against Ted Dexter’s touring Englishmen. Tennekoon was then called by SSC, to which club he rendered yeoman service – a baptism of fire, shall we say.

Roy Dias

THE LION MOMENT

When Sri Lanka was promoted to Test status, Roy Dias was picked for the first Test – and a rude inauguration awaited him when he was dismissed for a duck by a Bob Willis thunderbolt. But bravery was to follow: the lionhearted batting prodigy stroked his way back into contention with a fluent 77 in the second innings.

Duleep Mendis

THE LION MOMENT

He may have been short on luck at times but the little lion had plenty of pluck. Duleep Mendis was fearless in the face of the most daunting pace attacks at the time and pulverised many a stupefied pacey with his uncanny shot selection. Those who watched ‘Dulla’ become the first Sri Lankan to score twin centuries in India (105 and 105) or his heroics at Lord’s (111 and 94) would never doubt that their heavyweight was an inspiring champion.

Sidath Wettimuny

THE LION MOMENT

‘Cool, calm and collected’ is how many chroniclers describe Sidath Wettimuny – for his cricket. Among the most stylish opening batsmen to pad up for Sri Lanka, he was not only a sophisticated initiate with the willow but an accomplished golfer too. Apart from his cricketing prowess, Wettimuny is an accomplished golfer whose claim to fame comes from having bagged golf’s Donald Steel Trophy on three occasions.

Arjuna Ranatunga

THE LION MOMENT

Arjuna Ranatunga is fondly remembered for his stand in a One-Day game against England when Australian umpire Ross Emerson called Muttiah Muralitharan for throwing. Having exchanged words with Emerson, the skipper led his team off the field – much to the delight of Sri Lankan fans across the seas. His fighting spirit in defence of Murali is legendary.

Aravinda de Silva

THE LION MOMENT

The highlight of Aravinda de Silva’s career was undoubtedly the 1996 World Cup. He was the tournament’s superhero, amassing 448 from six games at an average of 89.60 (with a strike rate of nearly 108) and taking four wickets at 21.75 apiece. In the final, Ara took 3 for 42, two catches and scored a masterly 107 not out to help Sri Lanka sail to a famous victory – a feat that will remain etched in the minds of cricket fans who watched the game.

Sanath Jayasuriya

THE LION MOMENT

Believe it or not, Sanath Jayasuriya’s entry into Sri Lanka’s Test team was as a middle order batsman who could bowl a bit; but it was his promotion to bat at the top of the order that opened the floodgates so to speak – and this transformation was to extend to the shorter versions of the game where he stunned the world of cricket with his power hitting. Opening the innings therefore, saw him discover an inner strength that produced a brand of batting not seen before.

Marvan Atapattu

THE LION MOMENT

Marvan Atapattu has been credited with being a smart, shrewd and strategic leader; a traditionalist of sorts, he disliked the use of sunglasses on the field. And despite an inauspicious beginning (his first six Test innings produced as many as five ducks), Atapattu’s perseverance saw him through – and he ended his glittering career as one of Sri Lankan cricket’s supreme stylists.

Muttiah Muralitharan

THE LION MOMENT

Muttiah Muralitharan is an enigma in more ways than one – both on and off the field. And when he was called for chucking down under, the nation literally rose to its feet in protest at what turned out to be an injustice. That said, the forgettable episode may have been a blessing in disguise because Murali’s wizardry grew in stature as his career progressed with the dreaded doosra taking the cricketing world by surprise. That he was a perennial match winner for his country, at times singlehandedly, is the stuff of legend.

Chaminda Vaas

THE LION MOMENT

Prophetically for the type of record-breaking wicket taker he was to become, Chaminda Vaas traced his once and future trajectory by taking 6 for 25 in the same tournament, which included a hat trick in his first three deliveries – the first such feat in international cricket. And as a spate of injuries sidelined him at regular intervals, Vaas shortened his run-up and cut his pace so that he could prolong a career that showcased an undeniable passion for the gentlemen’s game.

Tillakaratne Dilshan

THE LION MOMENT

A match winner and game changer who took a wicket off his last delivery in inter­national cricket, Tillakaratne Dilshan is no stranger to aggressive essays of the ball – six consecutive fours; anyone remember that? That he perfected the eponymous ‘Dilscoop’ is entirely to his credit. And when it came to all-round brilliance, T. M. Dilshan was all intentionality – he could bat, bowl, field and keep wickets; the epitome of a nonchalant skill set.

Mahela Jayawardene

THE LION MOMENT

Off the cricketing field, Mahela Jayawardene has won praise for his contribution to the HOPE cancer project. In memory of his deceased brother Dhishal, he became the project’s chief campaigner and has walked 670 kilometres from the very south to the northern tip of the island to raise funds – he is therefore, a man with a mission.

Kumar Sangakkara

THE LION MOMENT

Full of esprit de corps on the field, the dashing batsman and former Sri Lankan skipper was the youngest person – and first active international cricketer – to deliver the MCC Spirit of Cricket Cowdrey Lecture. Perhaps more than any derring-do, his speech was widely praised by the cricketing community for its gutsy outspokenness. It placed Sangakkara in a pantheon of immortals who have played the gentlemen’s game.

Rangana Herath

THE LION MOMENT

Rangana Herath said on his retirement that “it’s been a privilege and honour to play for my country because we have 22 million people so very few get the opportunity to play for Sri Lanka … that’s an honour for any player.” Which is why there’s no guessing why he is revered by cricket fans – above all, for his inner greatness.

Lasith Malinga

THE LION MOMENT

Discovered playing down south by former Sri Lankan fast bowler Champaka Ramanayake who was impressed by Lasith Malinga’s raw ability, the Slinga went on to resist attempts to straighten his bowling action – and his natural style eventually reaped rich dividends for this son of the soil who learned the game by playing ‘soft ball cricket’ on the streets of his hometown Rathgama. So Malinga came from outside the system and was propelled into the limelight for being one of a kind.

Angelo Mathews

THE LION MOMENT

It’s that indelible stamp of one’s juvenile origins: at 25, Angelo was Sri Lanka’s youngest Test captain, having impressed the selectors by virtue of stellar batting performances that were complemented by a knack of outthinking batsmen when he bowled. And above all, Mathews’ cool head belied his age – captaincy material he certainly was. Angelo Mathews was an all-rounder in the truest sense and he’s been ever ready to play any role for the sake of both his team and country.