Galle International Stadium: A snapshot

The view from the press box at the Galle International Stadium is among the most breathtaking in Sri Lanka. Right across the ground, with just a road to separate the two is the imposing Galle Fort. Built in 1802 by the Dutch, the fort gives the stadium an air of tradition and sobriety. Where the fort ends, the jagged rocky coastline begins. The stadium itself was operational from 1996 onwards, under the auspices of the then BCCSL chief Thilanga Sumathipala. To the left is a stand that is chock a block with school kids out to watch their team do well. A steel band at full tilt belts out local hits one after the other to whip up the enthusiasm in the stands.

Getting down to the cricket, the pitch at Galle is generally a hard flat batting track. The proximity to the seashore gives the air a bit of a nip, giving the quicks something to look forward to in the first half an hour or so. The grass on the field is an even carpet, not thick enough to slow the ball down significantly, but certainly enough to keep the ball from getting scuffed up too early.

The man responsible for ensuring that the stadium stays in this condition is Jayananda Warnaweera, former Sri Lankan cricketer. Warnaweera is the Secretary of the Regional Cricket Board, Galle and is also the curator at the Galle Stadium.

In a conversation with CricInfo, Warnaweera said that he has played cricket at the international level and as such he knows that you mushave a good wicket to get a good game of cricket. ``Only then you can get results. Even people coming to the grounds will not like it if a team gets all out for a hundred or hundred and twenty runs. That is why we always prepare good wickets." True enough, the pitch has played very well in this tournament so far. When asked how the system in Sri Lanka encouraged young cricketers, he said that "Mr. Sumathipala introduced a regional system and even donated school association headquarters and computers in an attempt to further the cause of schools cricket. That is why the standard of schools cricket is so high."

Cricket in Galle seems to be in good hands. With a plan to install floodlights at the stadium it seems that it will be truly international in time to come.