Kapila Wijegunawardene: the man who bowled Viv Richards

Kapila Wijegunawardene, Sri Lanka's new chairman of selectors, was an unsung cricketer. Not many know that he bowled Viv Richards and played a key role in Sri Lanka's first ODI win over West Indies. Wijegunawardene was a swing bowler with an easy action. He could hurry often batsmen and had a deadly inswinger, which undid Richards that day.

The seamer played only two Tests and 26 ODIs between 1988 and 1992 when Sri Lanka was in turmoil. His greatest moment came when he bowled Viv Richards for 24 in the World Series Nehru Cup, helping Sri Lanka beat West Indies by four wickets in Rajkot in October 1989. He also bowled Winston Benjamin for 7 and ended with figures of 2 for 30.

It was Richards' wicket that was special. Having been inserted, West Indies struggled against swing and were reduced to 96 for 5 before Gus Logie's unbeaten 54 helped his team reach 176 for 9. The Sri Lankan fielders were electric in the field and ably backed up the bowlers. Perhaps, West Indies underestimated a team that had lesser international exposure than Ireland has today.

Sri Lanka lost their openers early but Asanka Gurusinha, a stodgy batman, put Sri Lanka back on track with 66 off 90 balls. By the time he was dismissed, Sri Lanka were only 21 runs away from the target. Athula Samarasekera and Hashan Tillakaratne completed the formalities as Sri Lanka sealed their first ODI victory over West Indies in 11 completed attempts.

Wijegunawardene described Richards' wicket as an unforgettable moment: "Viv Richards walked in after two early wickets. We feared him not only because he was Viv Richards, but because he had smashed 181 against us in the 1987 World Cup. The great man walked in with supreme confidence. After about 30 minutes at the crease, he had got his eye in. I bowled Viv Richards for 24 through the gate with an inswinger. Richards was on the front foot. It is a moment that I will not forget."

Wijegunawardene's journey to international cricket was long and hard. He had led the elite St Thomas College to defeat in 1983. After leaving school, Wijegunawardene soon established himself as a fine bowler for Colombo Cricket Club.

However, Ashantha de Mel, Rumesh Ratnayake and Vinothen John were ahead of him in the pecking order. Wijegunawardene, though, continued to make steady progress and was handed his ODI debut against Pakistan in the Asia Cup in 1988, where he played a handy part in Sri Lanka's five-wicket win.

Wijegunawardene was given his Test debut in the one-off Test against England at Lord's in 1991. Sri Lanka were left depleted by Arjuna Ranatunga's suspension and went on to lose the game by 137 runs, Wijegunawardene going wicketless.

Wijegunawardene's second and final Test provided a brief glimpse of his talent. He took Sri Lanka within touching distance of victory, collecting match figures of 7 for 98.

Wijegunawardene was expected to be picked for home series against Australia in 1992. However, Sri Lanka turned to spin. A slim 20-yearold by the name of Muttiah Muralitharan made his debut. Wijegunawardene then built his career as a business executive at Maharajas.

Wijegunawardene now has plenty of challenges ahead of him after taking over from Sanath Jayasuriya as Sri Lanka's chief selector; Mahela Jayawardene has retired, Kumar Sangakkara has quit ODIs and will done done with Tests by August . If Wijegunawardene rediscovers the courage and mojo that rattled Richards, Sri Lankan cricket could be in a healthy state.