Book Review: ``Kings of Cricket'', by Tyronne Fernando (25 December 1998)
Perhaps the best piece of advice former Sri Lanka Cricket Board president Tyronne Fernando gives in his latest publication "Kings of Cricket - Sri Lanka's path to victory at World Cup '96" is found in the final page of the 108-page book
25-Dec-1998
25 December 1998
Book Review: "Kings of Cricket", by Tyronne Fernando
The Daily News
Perhaps the best piece of advice former Sri Lanka Cricket Board
president Tyronne Fernando gives in his latest publication "Kings of
Cricket - Sri Lanka's path to victory at World Cup '96" is found in
the final page of the 108-page book.
Fernando says: "Above all, if Sri Lanka is to remain the Kings of
World Cricket and stay ahead of emerging challengers like S. Africa
and India, we must shed the view that the same team which won the
1996 World Cup must play in the 1999 World Cup in England. Nothing
could be more disastrous. Each player in the team to play in 1999
from top to bottom must prove his worth again and again.
"After the 1992 World Cup, I presided over the emergence of Romesh,
Murali, Vaas, Marvan, Dharmasena and Pushpakumara. Who has emerged
since the 1996 World Cup?" Good question.
The author traces rather briefly the history of the game in the
country from 1832 to 1980 and the first decade in Test cricket from
1981-1992, in the first two chapters of the book.
The third chapter onwards traces Sri Lanka's successful path towards
winning the 1996 World Cup.
The author claims : "The foundation for Sri Lanka's World Cup victory
in 1996 was laid with the famous six tours to Sri Lanka in 1992 and
1993 - Australia, New Zealand, England, India, South Africa and West
Indies. Playing against six nations in the two years - which had
never happened before - gave the team, rocklike experience in
international competition".
The author was during the period the president of the Cricket Board.
The book traces the author's close connections with South African
Cricket Board managing director and International Cricket Council
(ICC) development committee chairman Dr. Ali Bacher, who has written
the preface. It also includes some humorous off the field incidents
which makes it a laudable publication for a price of Rs. 150.
For instance, the author recounts how he got Asanka Gurusinha a pair
of contact lenses, and in another chapter, how he taught Sanath
Jayasuriya some phrases to counter sledging by the South Africans.
The critical aspects of the book are that some of the Sri Lankan
cricketer's names are misspelt, the black and white pictures that
adorn the publication are of poor quality, and that Shane Warne did
not make his debut as a spinner in Test cricket in the SSC match of
1992 (In fact, he came to Sri Lanka having played in two Tests
against India and figures of one for 228).
Otherwise, it is a most welcome publication in a period where there
is a dearth for such material in book form.
Source :: Daily News (https://www.lanka.net)