A schoolboy prodigy Anura Ranasinghe made his international debut in the 1975 World Cup against the might of the West Indies whilst still only 18 years of age. Ranasinghe played in all three matches for the Sri Lankans without producing any performance of note. His Test debut came on Sri Lanka's inaugural Test tour of Pakistan in 1981-82, but he struggled with the bat scoring 6 and 5 batting at No. 7. Despite taking the new ball he was used sparingly although he did take 1 for 23 in the first innings. His second and final Test came against India later in 1982 - he made a duck in the first innings but showed his skill in making a battling 77 second time round, a n innings which not only help Sri Lanka save the game after conceding a first-innings lead of 230, but almost allowed them to snatch a remarkable win as India closed on 135 for 7 chasing. He was expected to continue to be a key player in the fledgling Sri Lankan team but all that ended when he chose to join the infamous Sri Lankan rebel tour to South Africa in 1982-83, earning him a life ban. When that was rescinded in 1989 he resumed his club career for another couple of seasons and then moved into coaching. He died suddenly in 1998 four days before his 42nd birthday.
Martin Williamson