Bandula Warnapura
Encyclopedia
Bandula Warnapura (born 1 March 1953) is a former cricketer
and captain of the Sri Lankan cricket team
. He played 4 Test matches
and 12 One Day Internationals (ODI) during his international cricketing career from 1975 to 1982. He was a right-handed opening batsman
and a right-handed medium pace bowler
.
Warnapura captained Sri Lanka's first Test match, and also faced the first delivery and scored the first run for his team. He captained Sri Lanka in all the Tests he played, although he could not lead his team to victory in any of them. However, Sri Lanka won the first ODI match he captained. He has scored one half-century in ODI cricket.
His career came to a controversial end when he received a ban from cricket for participating in a "rebel tour" in 1982. Although the ban was later revoked, he did not play international cricket again. He has functioned as the coach of the Sri Lankan team, and has also served in its administration. Warnapura is now an official of the Asian Cricket Council
, who currently plays for the Sri Lanka national cricket team, is his nephew. He is an old student of Nalanda College Colombo. Warnapura has worked as an ICC match referee and an umpire
, and is also a certified cricketing coach. He has served as the coach for the Sri Lanka national cricket team, before he was appointed Director of Coaching in 1994. He became Director of Operations of Sri Lanka Cricket
in 2001. He functioned in that post for eight years before he resigned in 2008. He is now the Development Manager of the Asian Cricket Council
. He has also refereed two Tests and three ODIs in 2001
. got the opportunity to lead the Sri Lanka national cricket team in their very first Test match
, which was played against England in 1982. The five-day match started on 17 February 1982 at the Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu Stadium. Warnapura and English captain Keith Fletcher
made the toss in the morning, which was won by Warnapura. He elected to bat first, and opened the batting for Sri Lanka with Sidath Wettimuny
. He faced the first delivery
of the match, and scored the first Test run
for his country. According to a local newspaper, he was even the first Sri Lankan batsman to get hit on the chest. However, he was dismissed for only 2 runs, when he was caught by David Gower
off the bowling of Bob Willis
. The first player to bat in a Test match for Sri Lanka had faced 25 deliveries during the 35 minutes he batted. During the Sri Lankan second innings, Warnapura made 38 runs off 155 deliveries – the second highest score in that innings. England won the match, and Warnapura's 38 would remain as his highest Test individual score.
Warnapura was unsuccessful in his second match, played against Pakistan in March 1982, scoring just 13 runs in the Sri Lankan first innings, and getting out without scoring in the second. He could not play for the second match of the series due to an injury. In the next match, also against Pakistan, he scored 7 and 26 in the first and second innings respectively. Both matches were lost by Sri Lanka
Warnapura's fourth and last Test match was against India in September 1982. He was unsuccessful again, scoring just 4 in the first innings and 6 in the second, and the match ended in a draw. During his Test career, Warnapura captained the Sri Lankan side in all four matches he played. He had scored a total of 96 runs, with an average
of 12.00.
. His One Day International (ODI) debut was against West Indies on 7 June 1975, in a 1975 Cricket World Cup
match that was also Sri Lanka's first ODI. He was dismissed for 8 runs in that match, which Sri Lanka lost. He was given the captaincy of the team to temporarily replace Anura Tennekoon
(who was injured) in his fifth match, which was played against India on 16 June 1979, as part of the 1979 Cricket World Cup
. He led the team to victory, scoring 18 runs in the match and taking a wicket. It was also the only victory in the series by an Associate Member nation (Sri Lanka had not yet gained Full Member status) in the tournament.
In 1982, Warnapura was appointed captain of the Sri Lankan team. He made his first and only half-century
against Pakistan on 12 March the same year. He made 77 runs in that match, although it was lost by Sri Lanka. Warnapura played 12 ODI matches, accumulating a total of 180 runs at an average of 15.00. He also captured 8 wickets at an average of 39.50, as well taking 5 catches during his career.
(which was banned from international cricket at the time). Several Sri Lankan players took part in this tour, and the team which was captained by Warnapura and named Arosa Sri Lanka, left the country in secret in September 1982. The tour was unsuccessful; Arosa Sri Lanka played 12 matches and lost 10 of them, while the other two ended in draws. As a result of this tour, the Board of Control for Cricket in Sri Lanka (BCCSL) imposed 25-year bans from all forms of cricket on all Sri Lankan players who participated, including Warnapura. Although the ban was revoked after nine years, Warnapura did not play international cricket again. He later claimed that not only financial issues but pressure from some members of the BCCSL forced them to undertake the tour, and expressed disappointment at the fact that no formal inquiry was held.
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 captain of the Sri Lankan cricket team
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...
. He played 4 Test matches
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...
and 12 One Day Internationals (ODI) during his international cricketing career from 1975 to 1982. He was a right-handed opening batsman
Batting (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, batting is the act or skill of hitting the cricket ball with a cricket bat to score runs or prevent the loss of one's wicket. A player who is currently batting is denoted as a batsman, while the act of hitting the ball is called a shot or stroke...
and a right-handed medium pace bowler
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...
.
Warnapura captained Sri Lanka's first Test match, and also faced the first delivery and scored the first run for his team. He captained Sri Lanka in all the Tests he played, although he could not lead his team to victory in any of them. However, Sri Lanka won the first ODI match he captained. He has scored one half-century in ODI cricket.
His career came to a controversial end when he received a ban from cricket for participating in a "rebel tour" in 1982. Although the ban was later revoked, he did not play international cricket again. He has functioned as the coach of the Sri Lankan team, and has also served in its administration. Warnapura is now an official of the Asian Cricket Council
Asian Cricket Council
The Asian Cricket Council is a cricket organization which was established in 1983, to promote and develop the sport of cricket in Asia. It is the regional administrative body and is sub-ordinate to the International Cricket Council. The Conference became the Asian Cricket Council in 1995 and its...
Personal life
Bandula Warnapura was born on 1 March 1953 in Rambukkana. Malinda WarnapuraMalinda Warnapura
Basnayake Shalith Malinda Warnapura is a Sri Lankan cricketer. He is a left-handed batsman and right-arm off-break bowler. Making his first class debut in 1998/99, Warnapura did not play international cricket for Sri Lanka until 2007. He had however previously represented them in the cricket...
, who currently plays for the Sri Lanka national cricket team, is his nephew. He is an old student of Nalanda College Colombo. Warnapura has worked as an ICC match referee and an umpire
Umpire (cricket)
In cricket, an umpire is a person who has the authority to make judgements on the cricket field, according to the Laws of Cricket...
, and is also a certified cricketing coach. He has served as the coach for the Sri Lanka national cricket team, before he was appointed Director of Coaching in 1994. He became Director of Operations of Sri Lanka Cricket
Sri 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....
in 2001. He functioned in that post for eight years before he resigned in 2008. He is now the Development Manager of the Asian Cricket Council
Asian Cricket Council
The Asian Cricket Council is a cricket organization which was established in 1983, to promote and develop the sport of cricket in Asia. It is the regional administrative body and is sub-ordinate to the International Cricket Council. The Conference became the Asian Cricket Council in 1995 and its...
. He has also refereed two Tests and three ODIs in 2001
Test career
Warnapura was the 10th Sri Lankan Test cricket capCap (sport)
In sports, a cap is a metaphorical term for a player's appearance on a select team, such as a national team. The term dates from the practice in the United Kingdom of awarding a cap to every player in an international match of association football...
. got the opportunity to lead the Sri Lanka national cricket team in their very first Test match
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...
, which was played against England in 1982. The five-day match started on 17 February 1982 at the Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu Stadium. Warnapura and English captain Keith Fletcher
Keith Fletcher
Keith Fletcher is a former English cricketer, who played for Essex and England. He later became England's team manager. His nickname was "The Gnome of Essex", so christened by his Essex team-mate, Ray East, because Fletcher's winklepickers had begun to curl up at the toes due to wear...
made the toss in the morning, which was won by Warnapura. He elected to bat first, and opened the batting for Sri Lanka with Sidath Wettimuny
Sidath Wettimuny
Sidath Wettimuny is a former Sri Lankan cricketer, who played Test cricket and One Day Internationals as an opening batsman from 1982 to 1987...
. He faced the first delivery
Delivery (cricket)
A delivery or ball in cricket is a single action of bowling a cricket ball towards the batsman.During play of the game, a member of the fielding team is designated as the bowler, and bowls deliveries towards the batsman...
of the match, and scored the first Test run
Run (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, a run is the basic unit of scoring. Runs are scored by a batsman, and the aggregate of the scores of a team's batsmen constitutes the team's score. A batsman scoring 50 or 100 runs , or any higher multiple of 50 runs, is considered a particular achievement...
for his country. According to a local newspaper, he was even the first Sri Lankan batsman to get hit on the chest. However, he was dismissed for only 2 runs, when he was caught by David Gower
David Gower
David Ivon Gower OBE is a former English cricketer who became a commentator for Sky Sports. Although he eventually rose to the captaincy of the England cricket team during the 1980s, he is best known for being one of the most stylish left-handed batsmen of the modern era. Gower played 117 Test...
off the bowling of Bob Willis
Bob Willis
Robert George Dylan Willis MBE , known as Bob Willis, is a former English cricketer who played for Surrey, Warwickshire, Northern Transvaal and England...
. The first player to bat in a Test match for Sri Lanka had faced 25 deliveries during the 35 minutes he batted. During the Sri Lankan second innings, Warnapura made 38 runs off 155 deliveries – the second highest score in that innings. England won the match, and Warnapura's 38 would remain as his highest Test individual score.
Warnapura was unsuccessful in his second match, played against Pakistan in March 1982, scoring just 13 runs in the Sri Lankan first innings, and getting out without scoring in the second. He could not play for the second match of the series due to an injury. In the next match, also against Pakistan, he scored 7 and 26 in the first and second innings respectively. Both matches were lost by Sri Lanka
Warnapura's fourth and last Test match was against India in September 1982. He was unsuccessful again, scoring just 4 in the first innings and 6 in the second, and the match ended in a draw. During his Test career, Warnapura captained the Sri Lankan side in all four matches he played. He had scored a total of 96 runs, with an average
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
of 12.00.
ODI career
Warnapura was the 11th Sri Lankan ODI cricket capCap (sport)
In sports, a cap is a metaphorical term for a player's appearance on a select team, such as a national team. The term dates from the practice in the United Kingdom of awarding a cap to every player in an international match of association football...
. His One Day International (ODI) debut was against West Indies on 7 June 1975, in a 1975 Cricket World Cup
1975 Cricket World Cup
-Group B:-Knockout stage:-Semifinals:In the best World Cup performance to date by a bowler, Gary Gilmour took six wickets as England were bowled all out for 93 , after falling to 37/7...
match that was also Sri Lanka's first ODI. He was dismissed for 8 runs in that match, which Sri Lanka lost. He was given the captaincy of the team to temporarily replace Anura Tennekoon
Anura Tennekoon
Anura Tennekoon is a former cricketer.and captain of the Sri Lanka national cricket team. He was educated at the S. Thomas' College in Mount Lavinia. After captaining the school team and being selected as best schoolboy batsman of the year, Tennekoon went on to play first-class cricket for the...
(who was injured) in his fifth match, which was played against India on 16 June 1979, as part of the 1979 Cricket World Cup
1979 Cricket World Cup
The 1979 Cricket World Cup was the second edition of the tournament and was won by the West Indies. It was held from June 9 to June 23, 1979 in England. The format had remained unchanged from 1975. Eight countries participated in the event. The preliminary matches were played in 2 groups of 4...
. He led the team to victory, scoring 18 runs in the match and taking a wicket. It was also the only victory in the series by an Associate Member nation (Sri Lanka had not yet gained Full Member status) in the tournament.
In 1982, Warnapura was appointed captain of the Sri Lankan team. He made his first and only half-century
Century (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, a batsman reaches his century when he scores 100 or more runs in a single innings. The term is also included in "century partnership" which occurs when two batsmen add 100 runs to the team total when they are batting together. A century is regarded as a landmark score for...
against Pakistan on 12 March the same year. He made 77 runs in that match, although it was lost by Sri Lanka. Warnapura played 12 ODI matches, accumulating a total of 180 runs at an average of 15.00. He also captured 8 wickets at an average of 39.50, as well taking 5 catches during his career.
Arosa Sri Lanka
Disputes had arisen among members of the Sri Lankan team and its administration only a few months after Sri Lanka's inaugural Test match. This resulted in a "rebel tour" of apartheid South AfricaSouth Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
(which was banned from international cricket at the time). Several Sri Lankan players took part in this tour, and the team which was captained by Warnapura and named Arosa Sri Lanka, left the country in secret in September 1982. The tour was unsuccessful; Arosa Sri Lanka played 12 matches and lost 10 of them, while the other two ended in draws. As a result of this tour, the Board of Control for Cricket in Sri Lanka (BCCSL) imposed 25-year bans from all forms of cricket on all Sri Lankan players who participated, including Warnapura. Although the ban was revoked after nine years, Warnapura did not play international cricket again. He later claimed that not only financial issues but pressure from some members of the BCCSL forced them to undertake the tour, and expressed disappointment at the fact that no formal inquiry was held.
See also
- Sri Lankan cricket team in Bangladesh in 1977-78Sri Lankan cricket team in Bangladesh in 1977-78The month-long tour, during January 1978, turned out to be a big disappointment for both the sides. The Lankan visitors were disappointed by the low quality of local opposition, while the local players found their opponents too difficult to handle. As a result the tour was full of badly one-sided...
- Ananda-NalandaAnanda-NalandaAnanda - Nalanda is a cricket match played between Ananda College Colombo, and Nalanda College Colombo. It was first played in 1924. Over the years both schools has produced many world famous cricketers....