Ashantha De Mel
Encyclopedia
Ashantha Lakdasa Francis De Mel (born 9 May 1959, Colombo
) is a former Sri Lankan
cricketer
and selector for the national team. He was one of few Sri Lanka
bowlers
in the 1980s who could get the ball
to anything above medium pace, and he was also said to have the ability to get the ball to swing
out
.
outside the Indian subcontinent
, which may explain why his Test
average is so high, as conditions there are generally not thought suitable for swing bowlers
. He often made small contributions with the bat, and only made duck
s three times.
He was educated at Isipathana Vidyalaya
Colombo
up to ordinary level and then moved to Royal College Colombo
.
in England
, where he used the helpful conditions to register his two only ODI five-wicket-hauls. First, at Headingley
against Pakistan
, he took five for 39, but got little help from his team-mates and couldn't quite carry the team to the target, being last out as Sri Lanka needed 12 more to win off 10 balls. Two days later, however, they moved to The County Ground, Derby, and de Mel once again took five wickets - this time for only 32 runs, as New Zealand
crumbled to 181 and Sri Lanka won by three wickets, their only win in the tournament. De Mel returned Sri Lanka's best bowling figures in every match. He was the tournament's second highest wicket taker with 17 wickets, one behind India's
Roger Binny
. Many years later, it was discovered that one of the wickets credited to Rumesh Ratnayake
in Sri Lanka's first round match against England
was actually taken by De Mel, but the scorecards still don't reflect that.
. The visitors had chosen to bat, but de Mel ran through the middle order, getting players like Ravi Shastri
, Kapil Dev
and Dilip Vengsarkar
out, and finishing with five for 64. Sri Lanka led by 129 runs on first innings, but de Mel failed to take a wicket in the second innings as India drew the match.
had announced that he would be retained for another year. De Mel has also played bridge
, appearing in the Commonwealth Games
playing this sport.
(SLC) which was responsible for selecting players for matches and tours. He was also the Chairman of the state owned Ceylon Petroleum Corporation
.
Colombo
Colombo is the largest city of Sri Lanka. It is located on the west coast of the island and adjacent to Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte, the capital of Sri Lanka. Colombo is often referred to as the capital of the country, since Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte is a satellite city of Colombo...
) is a former Sri Lankan
Sri Lankan cricket team
The Sri Lankan cricket team is the national cricket team of Sri Lanka. The team first played international cricket in 1926–27, and were later awarded Test status in 1981, which made Sri Lanka the eighth Test cricket playing nation...
cricketer
Cricketer
A cricketer is a person who plays the sport of cricket. Official and long-established cricket publications prefer the traditional word "cricketer" over the rarely used term "cricket player"....
and selector for the national team. He was one of few Sri Lanka
Sri Lankan cricket team
The Sri Lankan cricket team is the national cricket team of Sri Lanka. The team first played international cricket in 1926–27, and were later awarded Test status in 1981, which made Sri Lanka the eighth Test cricket playing nation...
bowlers
Bowling (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, bowling is the action of propelling the ball toward the wicket defended by a batsman. A player skilled at bowling is called a bowler; a bowler who is also a competent batsman is known as an all-rounder...
in the 1980s who could get the ball
Cricket ball
A cricket ball is a hard, solid leather ball used to play cricket. Constructed of cork and leather, a cricket ball is heavily regulated by cricket law at first class level...
to anything above medium pace, and he was also said to have the ability to get the ball to swing
Swing bowling
Swing bowling is a technique used for bowling in the sport of cricket. Practitioners are known as swing bowlers. Swing bowling is generally classed as a subtype of fast bowling.-Physics of swing bowling:...
out
Outswinger
An outswinger is a type of delivery in the sport of cricket. It is bowled by swing bowlers.An outswinger is bowled by holding the cricket ball with the seam at an angle and the first two fingers running along either side of the seam...
.
Cricketing career
He only played one Test matchTest cricket
Test cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council , with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days...
outside the Indian subcontinent
Indian subcontinent
The Indian subcontinent, also Indian Subcontinent, Indo-Pak Subcontinent or South Asian Subcontinent is a region of the Asian continent on the Indian tectonic plate from the Hindu Kush or Hindu Koh, Himalayas and including the Kuen Lun and Karakoram ranges, forming a land mass which extends...
, which may explain why his Test
Test cricket
Test cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council , with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days...
average is so high, as conditions there are generally not thought suitable for swing bowlers
Swing bowling
Swing bowling is a technique used for bowling in the sport of cricket. Practitioners are known as swing bowlers. Swing bowling is generally classed as a subtype of fast bowling.-Physics of swing bowling:...
. He often made small contributions with the bat, and only made duck
Duck (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, a duck refers to a batsman's dismissal for a score of zero.-Origin of the term:The term is a shortening of the term "duck's egg", the latter being used long before Test cricket began...
s three times.
He was educated at Isipathana Vidyalaya
Isipathana Vidyalaya
Formerly known as Greenlands College, Isipathana College is a leading public school located in Colombo, Sri Lanka.-History:In January 1952,with an intake of 400 boys who constituted the overflow from the Royal College Primary, Greenlands College was born in a coconut grove amidst the lush greenery...
Colombo
Colombo
Colombo is the largest city of Sri Lanka. It is located on the west coast of the island and adjacent to Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte, the capital of Sri Lanka. Colombo is often referred to as the capital of the country, since Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte is a satellite city of Colombo...
up to ordinary level and then moved to Royal College Colombo
Royal College Colombo
The Royal College of Colombo was founded in January 1835 in Colombo. It is considered to be the leading Public School in Sri Lanka...
.
1983 cricket World Cup
His finest moment as a bowler arguably came at the 1983 World Cup1983 Cricket World Cup
The 1983 ICC Cricket World Cup was the third edition of the ICC Cricket World Cup tournament. It was held from 9 June to 25 June 1983 in England and was won by India. Eight countries participated in the event. The preliminary matches were played in two groups of four teams each, and each...
in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, where he used the helpful conditions to register his two only ODI five-wicket-hauls. First, at Headingley
Headingley Stadium
Headingley Stadium is a sporting complex in the Leeds suburb of Headingley in West Yorkshire, England. It is the home of Yorkshire County Cricket Club, rugby league team Leeds Rhinos and rugby union team Leeds Carnegie ....
against Pakistan
Pakistani cricket team
The Pakistan cricket team is the national cricket team of Pakistan. Pakistan, represented by the Pakistan Cricket Board , is a full member of the International Cricket Council, and thus participates in , and cricket matches....
, he took five for 39, but got little help from his team-mates and couldn't quite carry the team to the target, being last out as Sri Lanka needed 12 more to win off 10 balls. Two days later, however, they moved to The County Ground, Derby, and de Mel once again took five wickets - this time for only 32 runs, as New Zealand
New Zealand cricket team
The New Zealand cricket team, nicknamed the Black Caps, are the national cricket team representing New Zealand. They played their first in 1930 against England in Christchurch, New Zealand, becoming the fifth country to play Test cricket. It took the team until 1955–56 to win a Test, against the...
crumbled to 181 and Sri Lanka won by three wickets, their only win in the tournament. De Mel returned Sri Lanka's best bowling figures in every match. He was the tournament's second highest wicket taker with 17 wickets, one behind India's
Indian cricket team
The Indian cricket team is the national cricket team of India. Governed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India , it is a full member of the International Cricket Council with Test and One Day International status....
Roger Binny
Roger Binny
Roger Michael Humphrey Binny is an Indian former cricket all-rounder who is best known for his impressive bowling performance in the 1983 Cricket World Cup where he was the highest wicket-taker , and in the 1985 World Series Cricket Championship in Australia where he repeated this feat .Binny...
. Many years later, it was discovered that one of the wickets credited to Rumesh Ratnayake
Rumesh Ratnayake
Rumesh Joseph Ratnayake is a former Sri Lankan cricketer who played in 23 Tests and 70 ODIs from 1982 to 1993.Ratnayake was a right arm fast-medium bowler who was capable of swinging the new ball and generating considerable pace and bounce...
in Sri Lanka's first round match against England
English cricket team
The England and Wales cricket team is a cricket team which represents England and Wales. Until 1992 it also represented Scotland. Since 1 January 1997 it has been governed by the England and Wales Cricket Board , having been previously governed by Marylebone Cricket Club from 1903 until the end...
was actually taken by De Mel, but the scorecards still don't reflect that.
1985 Test with Indian cricket team
After this, he usually put in solid performances, but the closest he came to the 1983 heroics was in a 1985 Test with IndiaIndian cricket team
The Indian cricket team is the national cricket team of India. Governed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India , it is a full member of the International Cricket Council with Test and One Day International status....
. The visitors had chosen to bat, but de Mel ran through the middle order, getting players like Ravi Shastri
Ravi Shastri
Ravishankar Jayadritha Shastri is a former Indian cricketer and captain. He was an all–rounder who batted right-handed and bowled left arm spin. His international career started when he was 18 years old and lasted for 12 years...
, Kapil Dev
Kapil Dev
Kapil Dev Ramlal Nikhanj , better known as Kapil Dev, is a former Indian cricketer. He captained the Indian cricket team which won the 1983 Cricket World Cup...
and Dilip Vengsarkar
Dilip Vengsarkar
Dilip Balwant Vengsarkar is an Indian cricketer and cricket administrator. He was one of the most stylish batsmen of his time, known as one of the foremost exponents of the drive. He was also known by the nickname 'Colonel'....
out, and finishing with five for 64. Sri Lanka led by 129 runs on first innings, but de Mel failed to take a wicket in the second innings as India drew the match.
Career end
His career was ended in 1987 due to a knee injury, but he continued within the Sri Lankan cricket system, and in May 2004 he was appointed head of selectors in Sri Lanka. That lasted for one year, whereupon he was sacked, only one month after the sports minister Jeewan KumaranatungaJeewan Kumaranatunga
Jeewan Kumaranatunga is a Sri Lankan politician, a member of the Parliament of Sri Lanka and a government minister.-References:...
had announced that he would be retained for another year. De Mel has also played bridge
Contract bridge
Contract bridge, usually known simply as bridge, is a trick-taking card game using a standard deck of 52 playing cards played by four players in two competing partnerships with partners sitting opposite each other around a small table...
, appearing in the Commonwealth Games
Commonwealth Games
The Commonwealth Games is an international, multi-sport event involving athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was first held in 1930 and takes place every four years....
playing this sport.
Post Cricket Career
Ashantha De Mel went on to become the Chairman of the Selection Committee, Sri Lanka CricketSri Lanka Cricket
Sri Lanka Cricket, formerly the Board for Cricket Control in Sri Lanka , is the controlling body for cricket in Sri Lanka. It operates the Sri Lankan cricket team and first-class cricket within Sri Lanka....
(SLC) which was responsible for selecting players for matches and tours. He was also the Chairman of the state owned Ceylon Petroleum Corporation
Ceylon Petroleum Corporation
Ceylon Petroleum Corporation is the national oil and gas company of Sri Lanka. It was set up as a state enterpise by Act. No. 28 of 1961 in parliament and further amendments carried out subsequently....
.