On Saturday night, legendary Arjuna Ranatunga, along with his team-mates from Sri Lanka’s first U19 England Tour team, walk down the memory lane to relive the historical day from Island’s glorious past. It was a night of bellyaching laughter and well intention leg-pulling. Of fun and food, and a slice of serious cricket talk. As they reignited their link with Sri Lanka’s first U19 England Tour after a gap of 40 years, Navin de Silva, captain of the tour, brought together majority of the members on one platform at his residence yesterday night, and the outcome was predictably rip-roaring.
The tour, that brought glory for Sri Lanka cricket, was also a forerunner for many greats down the line such as Ranatunga, Aravinda de Silva, Romesh Rathnayake, Graeme Labrooy, Ravin Wickramarathne, Charith Senanayake and Ashley de Silva.
In coming years, Ranatunga went on to rewrite the history of Sri Lanka cricket with greatest cricket triumph in 1996 World Cup. Aravinda, one of the greatest batsman the Island has ever produced, was the mainstay of Sri Lanka’s roller coaster ride.
While Rathnayake, Labrooy, Senanayake played for Sri Lanka and brought glory for their motherland, Wickramarathne and Ashley have been serving cricket board since last two decades!
Other members of the memorable tour Oshadie Weerasinghe, Ranil Peiris, Hiran Cooray, Gamini P, Mihara Egodage and Sanjaka Wijemanna were also presented in the reunion.
