Gamini Goonesena
Encyclopedia
Gamini Goonesena born in Colombo
, was a Sri Lanka
n first-class cricket
er prior to his country being granted Test status. He was educated at Royal College Colombo
where he played in the Royal-Thomian
encounter and thereafter at the University of Cambridge
from 1954 to 1957.
(94 matches between 1953–1964) where he twice completed the 'double' of 1000 runs/100wickets in a season, and Cambridge University
(52 matches between 1954–1957) where he was the first Asian player to captain the side in his last year. As captain he scored 211 in the University match in 1957, still the highest individual score by a Cambridge player in the annual fixture, and then took 4 - 40 in Oxford
second innings to secure a crushing victory for Cambridge by an innings and 186 runs.
He also played in 7 consecutive games for the Gentlemen v Players
between 1954–1958, which still remains an all time record for an overseas player. He represented Ceylon against Pakistan
in 1950 and again against an International X1 in 1968 before they obtained Test status as Sri Lanka
in 1982. He also toured the West Indies twice with an E.W.Swanton international team in 1956 and with the International Cavaliers
in 1965. He also appeared in 7 matches for the Australian state side New South Wales
in their domestic Sheffield Shield competition between 1961 - 1964.
In his very last first class match, playing for the Free Foresters against Oxford University at The Parks in June 1968, he took 10 - 87 (5 - 38 & 5 - 49) to spearhead his teams 299 run victory. During the course of his first class career he played in a total of 194 matches, scoring 5751 runs (average 21.53) and taking 674 wickets (average 24.37). He also took 108 catches.
, Australia
and died in Canberra
aged 80, on 1 August 2011.
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...
, was a Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
n first-class cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
er prior to his country being granted Test status. He was educated at 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...
where he played in the Royal-Thomian
Royal-Thomian
The Royal–Thomian , the annual cricket match between Royal College, Colombo and S...
encounter and thereafter at the University of Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
from 1954 to 1957.
Cricket career
A gifted allrounder who was a right-handed batsman and legbreak/googly bowler. He played first class cricket over a 19 year timespan, 1949–1968, representing 14 different teams during that period. His principal clubs were NottinghamshireNottinghamshire County Cricket Club
Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Nottinghamshire, and the current county champions. Its limited overs team is called the Nottinghamshire Outlaws...
(94 matches between 1953–1964) where he twice completed the 'double' of 1000 runs/100wickets in a season, and Cambridge University
Cambridge University Cricket Club
Cambridge University Cricket Club is a first-class cricket team. It now plays all but one of its first-class cricket matches as part of the Cambridge University Centre of Cricketing Excellence , which includes Anglia Ruskin University...
(52 matches between 1954–1957) where he was the first Asian player to captain the side in his last year. As captain he scored 211 in the University match in 1957, still the highest individual score by a Cambridge player in the annual fixture, and then took 4 - 40 in Oxford
Oxford University Cricket Club
Oxford University Cricket Club is a first-class cricket team, representing the University of Oxford. It plays its home games at the University Parks in Oxford, England...
second innings to secure a crushing victory for Cambridge by an innings and 186 runs.
He also played in 7 consecutive games for the Gentlemen v Players
Gentlemen v Players
The Gentlemen v Players game was a first-class cricket match that was generally played on an annual basis between one team consisting of amateurs and one of professionals . The first two games took place in 1806 but the fixture was not revived until 1819. It was more or less annual thereafter...
between 1954–1958, which still remains an all time record for an overseas player. He represented Ceylon against Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
in 1950 and again against an International X1 in 1968 before they obtained Test status as Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
in 1982. He also toured the West Indies twice with an E.W.Swanton international team in 1956 and with the International Cavaliers
International Cavaliers
The International Cavaliers were an ad hoc cricket team made up of famous cricketers in order to encourage local cricket. Their teams included many prominent cricketers from the 1940s, 1950s, 1960s and 1970s as many retired veterans and talented young players were in the team at one point or another...
in 1965. He also appeared in 7 matches for the Australian state side New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
in their domestic Sheffield Shield competition between 1961 - 1964.
In his very last first class match, playing for the Free Foresters against Oxford University at The Parks in June 1968, he took 10 - 87 (5 - 38 & 5 - 49) to spearhead his teams 299 run victory. During the course of his first class career he played in a total of 194 matches, scoring 5751 runs (average 21.53) and taking 674 wickets (average 24.37). He also took 108 catches.
Later Developments
In 1965 he was appointed as Ceylon's representative to the ICC International Cricket Conference and subsequently managed the Sri Lankan Test side on a tour of India. He also played club cricket for Waverley District Cricket Club (now Eastern Suburbs District Cricket Club) in the 1970s. During the 1990s he became President of Colts CC, one of the oldest clubs on the island, and during this time he also worked as a Test Match commentator for Sri Lankan radio and Television. He retired in 2004 to live in SydneySydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and died in Canberra
Canberra
Canberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...
aged 80, on 1 August 2011.