The Island sports

Lahore, Feb 19- Sri lanka made a clean sweep of the 3-match one-day series when they drubbed Pakistan by 102 runs here at the Gadaffi Stadium, The occasion was historic as well for the Lankans under the leadership of Sanath Jayasuriya it being the first time they had whitewashed Pakistan away.

Sri lanka made 241 for 9 wickets in 50 overs and bowled out Pakistan for 139.The architect of Sri Lanka's victory was No.3 batsman Marvan Atapattu who made a flawless 77.

Mahela Jayawrdena 43 and Romesh Kaluwitharana 35 were the other main run getters for Sri Lanka.

Wasim Akram claimed 3 wickets for 38 to take his tally of one-day wickets to 414 from 294 matches for a total cost of 9,750 runs.Abdur Razzaq took 4 for 36.

Cricketers are the very essence of a game which came down the ages as the ‘gentleman’s game’. But today in Sri Lanka, in the name of cricket the name of the game seems one of vested interests. Cricket politics with the commercial boom? Ever since the country zoomed to the lofty heights of one-day kings of cricket, the affairs of the Board of Control for Cricket in Sri Lanka (BCCSL) have been diluted with power struggles. So much so that it has even evoked wide interest among the international community from time to time. The in-fighting in the last few years is a reflection of the sordidness to which its image has snowballed.

There cannot be a better example of this than 1999 when the BCCSL’s long-standing good image was tainted by a fracas at its hustings which ended in courts. Thilanga Sumathipala, who won a second term as President, found his election challenged by rival candidate, Dr. Clifford Ratwatte who alleged that the elections were rigged.There were allegations and counter allegations. Since then an interim committee appointed by the Sports Minister has run the affairs of the BCCSL. This year’s election which was scheduled for March 1 had drawn wide public interest with Sumathipala seeking a third term with Jayantha Dharmadasa, a Director of the Nawaloka Group of Companies to contest him. But last Friday when nominations were to be handed over, the crisis ridden BCCSL was once again in the news with the annual general meeting being postponed indefinitely by Sports Minister, S. B. Dissanayake following certain alleged financial discrepancies during Sumathipala’s tenure. He has denied this and alleged that interested parties were trying to stall his re-election.

The sad side of the coin of our cricket is that while the players sweat it out in the middle bringing laurels to the country, there is an orgy to be in that bandwagon of success. Bandwagon of success our cricketers have brought. The fruits of decades of labour. Of fine combing. Of intergrating Colombo talent with the rural talent. In effect the culmination of striking the correct blend in a long journey to which schools have been the cradle. A rags to riches rise. Where the majority schoolboy could hardly afford to buy a bat, leave aside his cricketing gear.

It is indeed sad for our cricket to think that winning ways and commercialism has brought the game to the brink of tug-a-wars due to vested interests.

by V. Nagadharshan
Royal beat Prince of Wales by an innings and 13 runs to take the Dr. O. C. Senaratne Challenge Trophy yesterday at Reid Avenue.

The Cambrians made 77 and 167. In their first innings the Cambrian batsmen found the Royal bowling too much to cope with. Medium pacie A. Kariyakarawana claimed 4 wickets for 30 and S. Edirimuni 3 for 14. When the Cambrians followed on R. Peiris made a fighting knock of 55 while R. Fernando made 48 as the visitors fared better than in the first essay.

Prince of Wales 1st Innings 77 (S. Edirimuni 3/14, A. Kariyakarawana 4/30) and 167 (R. Peiris 55, D. Fernando 48, A. Kariyakarawana 2/35, H. Rajakurana 2/25, M. Thotuvilage 2/13).

by Dhammika Ratnaweera
Lanka de Silva struck an unbeaten 101 to put CCC in a commanding position against SSC at Maitland Place yesterday.De Silva shared in a third wicket stand of 180 runs with Damitha Hunukumbura who was unbeaten on 51 in their Super League cricket match. This was in reply to SSC's 273 all out.

The former Sri Lanka wicket-keeper,Lanka de Silva had 16 boundaries in his flawless knock while Hunukumbura had 7 fours.

Earlier,SSC,continuing from their overnight total of 185 for 7 wickets declared,were helped along with contributions of 62 by Ruwan Galappatti and 30 by Ranil Dhammika.

Meanwhile,at the P.Sara Stadium the contest between Sebastinites and Tamil Union hotted up leaving fans with their fingers crossed for an interesting third day's play Sunday.

Tamil Union,who lost on the first innings were trying to force an outright win.Tamil Union made 177 and 125 for 6 wickets at the close.

The Sebastianites made 191 having resumed their first innings from an overnight 74 for 4 wickets.Nalin Wijesinghe made an unbveaten 45 and Marlon Pieris 32.

For Tamil Union,Nayantha Weeraman made 40 to keeps his side's hopes alive of forcing an outright win.L.Fernando took 3 for 25.

At the BRC grounds,Colts CC openers Dulip Samaraweera (87 n.o.) and Chaminda Mendis (61) made light of BRC's first innings total of 248 as the duo took their side to 204 for 2 wickes in reply at the close on the second day.The duo shared in an invaluable 150-run alliance.

It was Colts bowlers Jaminda Sigera (5/59) and Suchitra Alexander (4/61) who did the early damage to put their side in a strong position.

At the NCC grounds,NCC were badly placed at 122 for 5 wickets in reply to Galle CC's 239 all out.

Galle's Skipper duminda Wickramasingfhe made a fighting 56 not out inclusive of 4 fours.

Mr. Edward Grey who is now 81- years old will be an Olympic torchbearer for the Sydney 2000 Olympic Torch Relay. He has been honoured with an invitation by the Australian Olympic authorities to be one of the torchbearers in the 100-day round Australia marathon to end with the torch being carried into the Olympic Stadium for the opening of the Sydney Games.

Grey who was a world class boxer and represented Ceylon at several international meets where he was a medallist emigrated to Australia in the middle seventies. He is a frequent visitor here and an avid fan of local sports.

Wearing a uniform of long sleeved shirt, shorts and socks, Grey will jog a distance of 500 metres carrying the torch at Melton, Victoria on July 29. He is expected to be one of the oldest torchbearers.

Edward Grey who served with the Ceylon police and was officer-in-charge of the Police Mounted Division is now the Olympic Attache for Sri Lanka in Sydney. After retiring from active sports, Eddie Grey served as a boxing referee and was also very active in the National Olympic Committee in which he held senior office before he emigrated to Australia.

Pictured here is Eddie Grey with Juan Antonio Samaranch, President of the International Olympic Committee at the Atlanta Olympics in 1996.

by Asoka Goonetilleke
W. E. Hollies must have been the happiest man on earth on the August 18, 1948, when he tumbled the wicket of Sir Donald Bradman for a duck at the Kennington Oval. It was Sir Don’s last test match and the farewell to a matchless achievement in the form of a batsman.

Hollies did not punch the air or raise a wagging index finger in public to celebrate his prized and historical achievement. Maybe he swam in champaigne back in the dressing room.

It would have been the same with the bowler who got Sir Garfield Sobers’s last wicket, and, in Sri Lanka,Thilanga Sumathipala who is neither Don nor Garfield, will himself open the door for the party of the millennium to his opponents if he fails to bat straight this time.

Thilanga (35) , athletic, handsome and rich who directs 14 business ventures belonging to the family is now held cheaply accountable for the purchase of neck ties worth Rs. 67,585/-.

What is more, he is required to answer to a barrage of questions that revolve round millions of rupees not gone to the BCCSL coffers or books .

Hence , the indefinite postponement of the annual general meeting scheduled for March 11th 2000. And also in accordance with the paragraph 27 of the sports law number 25 of 1973 which say that every national Association shall present at its Annual General Meeting an Annual Report and Statement of Accounts audited by a qualified accountant in respect of the preceeding financial year of such association.

Things proper turned sour for Thilanga when he ran for cricket presidency last year which ended up in the court of law and today to seek the third term, he will have to explain as to how such a colossal amount of money went unaccounted for during the first six months of 1999.

As the President of the BCCSL Thilanga spent more time to counter waves and waves of questions from the media, yet he put a bold front. No questioner then had the audited accounts in his hands.But now, as he is used to, unhesitatingly says, ‘’let there be a proper forum. I will answer every question in detail, with documents and responsibility.’’ One will wonder why Thilanga failed to forward such documents to the auditors when called for!

Cricket administration in Sri Lanka, since of late has been hitting the headlines globally. For the mere fact that it is spinning on money and political manoeuvring. History also reveals that in most cases the fall came by for the godman through his team of advisers who are only good at driving sleek automobiles.

‘’I will definitely get rid of them,’’ Thilanga once told this correspondent.

The January 5 draft audited statement, now certified correct, addressed to the Chairman, Interim Committee, BCCSL specifically states. ‘’We view this letter as part of our service to you and it is to you alone that we owe a responsibility for its contents’’. But it leaked to a location of the press sooner than it left the auditor’s office. It has no reference to these called advisors, but very important suggestions for improving accounting procedures, internal controls and other aspects of the cricketing busiess! A hint at the BCCSL administrators’ who know nothing about the above.

It is alarming to note as to how a sum of Rs. 2,525,340 had been flushed down the peremeter drainage system of the Galle Stadium. So is the payment of Rs. 2,354,261/45 to EA Motors without obtaining a performance bond or a bank guarantee.

And in another interesting finding, the reports states that it is unable to verify the propriety of (Rs. 641,648/08) the payment of US $ 90,372/97 for the purchase of gymequipment as it is deviated from the quotation/invoice which reflected the value of items as US $ 75,938/-. (Rs. 53,91598/-) The exchange rate used to convert dollars into rupees is different from the rate agreed upon in the quotation/invoice,’’ the report further states.

No evidence, according to the report, was available to satisfy the auditor that the items purchased were in accordance with the original quotation and invoice sent by the supplier.

Lal Thamel, who received the equipment, had mentioned in the quotation that two electronic programmable bicycles were not received, but paid for.

The supplier of gym equipment, only known as Sam, is alleged to have been introduced to the BCCSL by Alex Kontouri.

Sumathipala, being a media man, will also have to explain as to how he authorised a thumping payment of Rs. 630,000/- as the legal fees for the private plaint filed by Arjuna Ranatunga against Hemasiri Fernando, ‘The Divaina’, ‘The Island’ and the ‘Weekend Express.’ In two other legal suits there is no accountability on payments of Rs. 288,750 and Rs. 2,282,547/- respectively. The cases mentioned are W. J. A. Fernando vs S. B. Dissanayake and 5305/99 SPL.

Sumathipala, a past cricketer himself, will also have to face the following straight on behalf of local Bradmans and Sobers who thronged at the cricket gates to catch a glimpse of ‘money in action’! And, beware the whole cricketing public is waiting to punch the air or swim in champagne.

by Mahinda Wijesinghe
Is it the Jayasuriya magic or that man Whatmore again? Or, is it a winning combination of both that is churning out victories for Sri Lanka? The last seven months or so has been the most glorious period in our Test history.

Sanath and his boys have done Sri Lanka proud Yet again! The victories which were getting less by the day to a side which peaked dramatically at the 1996 World Cup, has now returned. Memories of the disastrous 1999 World Cup, and its dismal aftermath, now seems a distant spectre. What could have been termed as a period when the country could very easily have claimed as a learning curve, after the departure of senior players, has now been transformed into a victorious era. First, it was the high-riding Australians, in both one-days and Tests and India, at home. Who bit the dust. Then it was in Zimbabwe, where previously Sri Lanka had not had the better of exchanges, and now winning the one-day series in Pakistan. Four countries downed on the trot. Unbelievable isn’t it? Youngsters have suddenly sprouted wings and lifted the team to heights, especially in the fielding department, to the golden era of a few years back. No doubt, the pressure good fielding exerts on the opposition is considerable, not forgetting the resultant effect it has on the bowlers. Even a mediocre bowling side can be transformed into a more effective unit by an attacking fielding combination. Currently, to behold the Sri Lankans on the field is a joy for all connoisseurs of the game though opposing batsmen will not share those sentiments! Long may this last.

At the time of writing, Sri Lanka leads 2-0 in the one-day series. Sanath Javasuriya’s return to form is welcome relief. True, in the first One-day game at Karachi, after having completed a half- century, he threw it away. Though there was much speculation whether the skipper should go down the order - a move which Jayasuriya himself strongly opposed - he has now proved that he can still deliver the goods from his accustomed position. Overall however, he has tightened his game, and cut out a few frills. This speaks volumes for his dedication and the hard work he - along with Whatmore ? - must have put in. A cricketer or any performer does not suddenly come on stage and put on a winning act. It just does not work that day. ‘Tiger’ Woods does not swing his club after partying all night nor did Andre Agassi suddenly recapture his winning ways by mulling over his bad luck. There must have been hours, days and possibly months and years of painful, and sometimes tearful, back-room hard work that must have gone on before the curtain goes up. What the spectators see is the finished product.

The Sri Lankan side is now taking shape. Marvan Atapattu continues to give the much-needed steel to the batting, and does it with style and grace. One does not need to refer the coaching manual when he is batting - it is all there in flesh and blood. Kaluwitharana too is batting with more responsibility. Romesh is a batsman of the highest class, he proved it with a blistering, unbeaten hundred on his Test debut against Allan Border’s Australians, no less. Unfortunately, Sri Lanka lost that Test - by 16 runs - unexpectedly when coasting to a facile win. Thus, Romesh’s brilliant effort has been submerged in the tragic loss just as a similar effort by Mahela Jayawardena, against England in a triangular series at Adelaide, has been relegated into the background due to the furore caused by the infamous Emerson-Arjuna confrontation. However, Romesh is now batting with an added sense of responsibility.

Mahela Jayawardena is, unfortunately, having a lean trot. This is a phase every top-class batsman has to endure. It will not be too long before he emerges from this trough. He is too good a player to remain in the doldrums for too long. Also, why Jayasuriya does not use Mahela for a few overs is a little puzzling, or perhaps with Arnold around, Sanath may be preferring the flighted type delivered by the latter. Tillekeratne Dilshan and Arnold can be termed as ‘finds’ in Sri Lankan cricket. Dilshan is indeed electric on the field? What an example he sets Indika de Saram may not have made big scores during the tour - due to the limited opportunities - but here again is a player worth his weight in gold on the field. Two run-outs and a blinding catch were his contributions in the second one-day game. Sadly, de Saram along with talented batsman Chamara Silva and off- spinner M. Pushpakumara has been recalled from the current One-day squad in Pakistan. Instead, the Selectors have picked former skipper Arjuna Ranatunga, his deputy Aravinda de Silva and left- arm leg-spinner Ranga Herath for the upcoming 3-Test series. The Sselectors are obviously thinking of introducing experience to the sterner test of the upcoming Test matches at the expense of the youngsters who have been performing. It is obviously a gamble taken by the Selectors after much thought. Time alone will tell the wisdom of such a move. Remember, one good ball or one mistake can undo a batsman but they all got to field. Of course, both Arjuna and Aravinda have been faring well with bat and ball in the domestic season, though, the competition would not have been not that stiff with the absence of the top players on tour in Pakistan. They are naturally expected to score, let us hope the duo will fulfill their fielding duties as well. After all, they have to justify their presence against the youngsters they have displaced. The question is who will be dropped?

In the bowling department, Vaas and Muralitharan continue to be the only flag-bearers. This must be a cause for grave concern, though, our brilliant and young fielders are camouflaging this situation. For how long, is the question. The presence of left-arm leg spinner Ranga Herath will help. Let us hope the Sri Lankans will continue their winning ways.

Last Sunday, a newspaper revealed some horrendous dealings that had allegedly taken place last year in the Board of Control, as per the findings by the external auditors. Further exposures were due to be made shortly. Now, if the auditors of an organization reveal acts of misdemeanours by any of its officers it is incumbent that action be taken against such officers. In the case of a company with limited liability, the directors will definitely see that wrong-doers will be punished appropriately, because, if they (the directors) do not, the shareholders will ensure that swift justice is dealt against the directors as well! According to reports, the Cricket Board annually deals with something like Rs. 800 million. So in such a scenario, accountability should be of prime concern. Naturally when there are questions being posed by none other than the auditors themselves, the ruling to stage the Annual General Meeting at the Sports Ministry, without tabling the annual accounts, seems very strange.

An Annual General Meeting without accounts beings tabled is akin to staging Hamlet without the Prince of Denmark - or possibly worse. Those who held office when the alleged misdemeanours took place should answer the queries posed by the auditors to the satisfaction of the members. Surely, that is basic. Let us all hope that good sense prevails, and accountability, a facet our society is currently paying scant regard to, is restored. Additionally, I wonder whether an AGM held without accounts being presented be held ultra vires subsequently? This could lead to unnecessary litigation. However, I am now told the AGM has been postponed and the accounts will be probed by a 2-member Treasury team. Let us see if any offender found guilty is punished. The buck must stop.

A bouquet for the Interim Committee who has, in the mains done a magnificent job amidst grave difficulties and at a time when Sri Lankan cricket was at its lowest, both on and off the field. Further, these gentlemen did not canvass for the job. They were appointed. Also, not knowing when they would be shown the door, they could not have undertaken any development work as such. However they dealt out justice sans any fear or favour. And, during the nine months or so, the Interim Committee held the reins, Sri Lanka enjoyed one of the golden periods in her Test cricket history. The cricketing public owes the Interim Committee a large debt of gratitude, and to the Minister of Sports for having appointed them. Well done, the Interim Committee.

Reggie Goonewardene, Moratuwa Correspondent
Overnight bat Dharshana Medagedara stroked a fine unbeaten century (125) with 14 boundaries and a six as Wesley declared at 259 for 9 wickets.Pubudu Chandrasekera (24) and Rishi Kanagasabey (32) were the chief scorers.This was in reply to St. Sebastian’s total of 263 for 9 declared in their inter-school cricket encounter for the Elephant Lemonade Trophy concluded in a tame draw at Moratuwa.

In their second essay the Sebastianites were in trouble with the fall of two early wickets.But with Kanchana Cooray joining a Premesh Perera the pair put up a 75-run partnership for the third wicket with an unbeaten half century by Cooray (54) and Premesh unbeaten on 14. At the close the Sebastianites were 79 for 2.

Chief Scores: St. Sebastian’s 1st innings 263/9 dec. and 2nd innings 79/2. Kanchana Cooray not out 54 and Premesh Perera not out 14.

Wesley 1st Innings 259/9 dec. in 103 overs. Pubudu Chandrasekera 24, Dharshana Medagedara 125 not out, Rishi Kanagasabey 32 and Amila Subasinghe 17, Malshan Fernando 4/43 and Sumanjan Fernando 2/49.

Hafiz Marikar from Kandy
Up-Country Motor Sports Club’s Millennium, Members Day Rally will be flaged off today, Sunday at 9.00 a.m. This Members Day Rally is organised in connection of their 30th year celebrations.

Today’s rally will be sponsored by the British Petroleum Company, and it is going to be a grand show. all participants and the officials will be greeted by a well knitted Elephant, and as soon as the first vehicle takes off the Elephant takes his route to the Digana Village Club, where the Rally will come to an end.

The start of the Rally will be oppositte the Kandy Club, which will be flaged off by the most senior member of the club, Rohan Peris, the Founder Secretary of the Club. The official starter will be Priya Munasinghe. The first vehicle is expected to take off at 9.00 a.m., and subsequent vehicles will be sent off at two minutes intervals. The route instructions will be issued exactly one hour prior to the start.

So, it is going to be a great Rally, where cream of Sri Lanka’s Motor races will be seen in action, to name a few are Tissa Wijesinghe a veteran driver will sport his ‘Anuk Special’, Dammika Suwarnasinghe will drive the "Suwarnasinghe Special", Rohan Peris, Janaka Pathirane will be at the wheel of "Pathi Special", S. H. M. Ziard on "Cell House Wheels", E. M. T. Dissanayake, Faizal Nizam, are to name a few, the organising committee which met on Saturday, have decided to make it 60 Vehicles only.

The Organising Committee Chairman, a Ex-Champion of Four Wheels Maurice Perera, a master planner has done his best to make this Members Day Rally a memorable one. There will be many surprises at this Rally, from the start to the end. The Chairman of the organising committee has appointed M. M. Saheed, the well known driving teacher, to be the king of the finishing point. Those who get lost on the way are requested to come direct to the Digana Village Club.

It is going to be a grand show, and the Members of the Up-Country Motor Sports Club invites all Motor Racing fans to join them and make it a grand one.

The prize distribution will take place at the Digana Village Club in the evening. Certificates and trophies will be given to those placed 1st, 2nd and 3rd. A certificate of participation will be given to all riders and drivers irrespective of their placing and finishing the course.

by Srian Obeyesekere
Duleep Mendis is ready to bat again.But nopes, there will be no thud of bat harmonising against ball, sending it on its way over or crashing to the ropes as he once did.

Certainly it will not be that once familiar stocky, dark complexioned dusky Duleep as he was known in his hey day taking his once customary guard in the middle at Lords or Chepauk where his bat beckoned the record books.

That was when his blade flashed like lightning as lithe feet danced to and fro. When his bat decorated self and country in the rarity of twin centuries which only a workman in his art can achieve. That was nigh 18 years ago and only an year after his country had been entered into the fold of Test cricket. The mecca of the game too beckoned him towards a twin feat. of his Madras feat.

The hallowed Lords could not have had a more hallowed Englisman leading his country than the red haired David Gower, a great batsman by his own right with the menacing Ian Botham staring down at batsmen from the bowling crease at his menacing best. But Mendis, who in later years was to hand over the baton to Aravinda de Silva in similarity of aggression, mauled the England bowling. That he fell short of that magical mark by only 6 runs getting out in the second innings for 94 in the second innings is one of those agonies that comes with the ecstasies of cricket the game is known for. The year was 1984, 2 years since becoming Sri Lanka a first twin centurin in Madras, India in that drawn match.

But Mendis fans who still dote over the man whom they dubbed, ‘Dusky Duleep’ like Aravinda ‘Ari’, here’s good news. Your former hero is after another record which he says he is not going to miss.

At age 47, in the mellowing years of administrator, Mendis will take guard for the International Cricket Council (ICC) in an altogether different ball game. He will be batting as a cricketing ambassador for the ICC in helping globalise the game. Indeed, the task will be that much challenging. The former Lankan captain, who in another ‘first’ led Sri Lanka to its maiden Test victory over India in 1985, will join some 11 other cricketing ambassadors of the Test member fold of the game’s ruling arm in taking cricket to less affluent countries.

The one-year job carries the task of coaching and giving his views as to further globalising cricket in keeping with an ICC drive at reviving a declining game in terms of finances. The ICC is to accelerate on this on recommendations by a sub-committee in taking cricket to such countries like even Canada, Malaysia and America.

Certainly, the ICC will find the ‘hard hitting’ Mendis an asset to its drive. If music is the food of love’, cricket indeed is the’ food of life for them that embrace the stage.’. Age will not wither the game.

by Mahinda Wijesinghe
Sadiq Mohammad, who umpired in the first One-day International played at Karachi in the current series, was an accomplished cricketer from a distinguished family, who began his career as a left-hand opening batsman. Maybe not as famous as his brother Hanif but not one whit less than another of his accomplished brothers, Musthaq.

Hanif, Musthaq, Sadiq and Wazir all played for Pakistan in Tests. The four Mohammads hold the record for the most number of brothers playing Test cricket. Another of the brothers Raees was the twelfth man in an official Test! The first three brothers, Hanif, Mushtaq and Sadiq, played together against New Zealand at Karachi in the first Test during the 1969-70 series. Incidentally, Sadiq was making his Test debut in this game while Hanif was making his last Test appearance and the pair opened the batting. Also making his Test debut was another ‘star’ batsman Zaheer Abbas. Sadiq top-scored in the first innings with a painstaking 69 runs in four hours and took another three hours in the second innings compiling 37. Batting for seven hours on his Test debut indicated his powers of concentration which stood him in good stead during his career spanning 41 Tests for his country. Also, he played for Gloucestershire in the English county championships — alongside his compatriot Zaheer Abbas - for a decade ending in 1982, and a couple of games for Tasmania in 1974/75 where he was doubling as coach.

Two other sets of brothers have opened batting in the history of Test cricket, they are the Graces (Dr. W.G. & E.M.) and Sri Lanka’s own, the Wettimunys (Mithra and Sidath).

Sadiq toured England thrice — in 1971, 1974 and 1978. On his final tour, he headed both Test and first-class batting averages, naturally, having acclimatised himself to English conditions while playing for Gloucestershire. In 1981, he scored his only first-class double century of his career - 203 - for his adopted county against Sri Lanka at Bristol. In an interesting game - Mike Whitney, the Australian left-arm fast bowler was making his county debut - Gloucester replied with 416/2 declared in reply to Sri Lanka’s first innings total of 246 (Mendis 75). Sadiq 203, Bainbridge 100* and Broad 70 were the main contributors. Trailing by 170 runs the tourists were in deep trouble at 145/6, but superlative batting by D. S. de Silva (97), coach of the Under-19 World Cup squad, and Ashantha de Mel (94), member of the Interim Committee, helped salvage the situation after Warnapura (70) had made an early contribution. Sri Lanka eventually totalled 398 all out. Gloucester went in, and after one over - bowled by Roy Dias! — the game was abandoned as a draw.

Sadiq was, despite his solidity, capable of hitting the ball - described by Christopher Martin-Jenkins - "with a wristy brilliance and whose approach was generally more aggressive than that of his even more prolific brothers Hanif and Musthaq." Just as his brothers did, Sadiq played first-class cricket as a schoolboy and made his debut at the reported age of 14 years and 9 months under the captaincy of the legendary Pakistani medium-pace bowler Fazal Mahmood in 1959/60.

Sadiq also toured Australia, West Indies and New Zealand with the Pakistani national side during his career, and visited Sri Lanka in 1972-73. In the solitary game played during that tour, under the leadership of Intikhab Alam, the present Pakistani coach, Sadiq failed to get into double figures in both innings in the 3-day fixture played at the Colombo Oval. In his first-class career (average 37.5) he carved 50 centuries and scalped 235 wickets (cost 31.8 runs) with his right-arm leg-spinners while in Tests he aggregated 2,579 runs (average 35.8) including five hundreds. He constantly proved his quality as a batsman by scoring 1000 runs in England in not less than seven seasons. In 1976, he had a run of 4 successive hundreds for Gloucestershire which included twin hundreds (163 * & 150), against Derbyshire. Sadiq also played in two World Cups (1975 & 1979).

All in all, an accomplished player having toured all Test-playing nations during his playing days, Sadiq is bound to make his mark as an international umpire. The manner in which he gives his verdict, an almost sad refusal but a firm and a pointed wag of his left-hand when answering in the affirmative, shows the makings of a confident and, hopefully, a consistent umpire.

by Srian Obeyesekere
At first glance it may look slow moving and dull to the eye. But indeed golf is a sport only for the skilled years of hard work on the course with a hawk’s eye.

And Sri Lanka’s Thuhashini Selvaratnam has all that. Training, experience and skill. Of course, these credentials which have taken her to an ascendancy, both locally and internationally have not come overnight.

Says the 23-year old, "I was teeing from the age of 3. I would accompany my mother who was a former national champion to the golf course where I was drawn to the sport. Since then there has been no looking back on my career". Of course, golf runs in the family. Like mother, like grandfather. "My mum Suwaneetha was a golfer from 1977 to ‘87 and my grandfather R. L. Illankoon in the 1960s",reminisced Thuhashini.

Today Thuhashini has teed her way to lofty heights. She is the undisputed national ladies champion. What is more her abundance of talent has seen her stamp her class on the international circuit as well.She has won 8 international titles since July 1999 to February this year.

She attributes her success to the hard training she underwent in the U.S.A. "From the time I was 13 years old I have been training in the States. I first came under the wing of the late Gardener Dikinson. When he passed away in 1995, I started training under Chris Walkey from the David Leadbetter Academy in Palm Springs and I am still training at the Leadbetter Academy", said Thuhashini.

Among her laurels is winning the Sri Lanka Ladies Open Amateur Golf Championship in 1989, 1991 and in 1999, the latter which was the 104th such event beating Shayanika de Silva 6/5 in the finals. In the first round, she beat Lalitha Balasubramanium 6/4 and in the second round, Neesha Nirmalingam 5/4.

She first made an impact on the international circuit when she was runner-up at the 16th Malaysian Ladies Open Amateur Championship ‘99 played at the Kota Peramai Golf Club when she created a new course record with a gross 66. There were 120 participants from Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Hong Kong and China.