Sri Lanka Board's Felicitation Dinner To World Cup Champions (22 Jul 1996)

22 July 1996

Board`s felicitation dinner to World Cup champions

The absence of two distinguished Cabinet Ministers at the felicitation dinner hosted by the Board of Control for Cricket in Sri Lanka for the World Cup cricket champions at Colombo Hilton on Saturday did not in any way take the glamour away from the occasion.

As a gesture of respect to the armed forces and due to matters of state, Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar and Youth Affairs, Sports and Rural Development Minister S.B. Dissanayake were compelled to forego the felicitation.

However, their absence was duly compensated to a great extent by Speaker K.B. Ratnayake, who held the centre stage and enlivened the evening with his whim, wit and humour.

The former Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Sports (from 1970-77) delved into the past when Sri Lanka cricket was still in its infancy on the international circuit.

"People must know the past to improve the future,`` he said.

The Speaker paid a handsome tribute to the former president of the Board of Control for Cricket in Sri Lanka, the late Robert Senanayake.

"Robert was a pillar of strength. In a time when no sponsors were available like today, he took it all by himself to ensure the Sri Lanka team went to England for the inaugural World Cup in 1975,`` he said.

He also paid tribute to the work done by the late Gamini Dissanayake, another former president of the Cricket Board and added that every Cricket Board president `did an excellent job of work`.

He went on to recall how Sri Lanka, when only an associate member of the International Cricket Council (ICC) put up a brave performance against Australia at the Oval in 1975, where only the intimidatory tactics adopted by fast bowler Jeoff Thomson stopped Sri Lanka from pulling off a sensational victory.

"Australia saw stars even at that time,`` said Ratnayake.

While praising the achievements of Arjuna Ranatunga and his men for winning the Wills World Cup and putting Sri Lanka on the world map, the Speaker admitted that he was no great supporter of one-day cricket.

"I don`t very much like limited-overs cricket because it is a `pol adi` game. But the greatest thing is that we won the World Cup because we were good in all departments. I hope winning the World Cup is a stepping stone to perform equally well in Test cricket,`` the Speaker said.

In the World Cup final played at Lahore in March this year, Sri Lanka defeated Australia by seven wickets.

The Speaker said that he was also pleased to note the national team comprised cricketers from many schools instead of a handful.

"After 1970, the myth of selecting the team from schools like Royal, S. Thomas`, Ananda and Nalanda were taken away,`` he said.

"We have always played the game according to the rules, but I am sorry to see the present state of cricket,`` he said.

"When it comes to sports and especially, cricket my principal is forget party politics. We have no UNP cricket or SLFP cricket. Ours is Sri Lanka cricket,`` he said.

In the same breath, the Speaker said that sportsmen make better ambassadors than the ambassadors the government appoints.

He said he envied the present Minister of Sport because of the encouragement he got from the private sector.

"When sports was given a Ministry for the first time in 1970 (it was formerly only a department), we did not have that kind of support from private sectors. It was with great difficulty we managed to send teams abroad,`` he recalled.

Sri Lanka Cricket Board president Upali Dharmadasa in his welcome address said that the World Cup was not won overnight, but after very hard work and personal sacrifices made by the team members over the years.

He said the World Cup victory had rekindled the enthusiasm of the youngsters to take the game even more seriously and that it has opened a wide expanse in the game in Sri Lanka. He thanked all past cricketers and the various administrators over the years for laying the foundation which has enabled Sri Lanka to achieve the present status.

Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar`s and Sports Minister S.B. Dissanayake`s speeches were read out in absentia by Cricket Board secretary Triphone Mirando.

Minister Kadirgamar while regretting his absence to be present personally for the occasion, paid a handsome tribute to our cricketers when he said: "Our World Cup team has won immense credit for Sri Lanka. As the Minister of Foreign Affairs, I am personally aware of the world-wide prestige their victory has brought us. They have generated for Sri Lanka in a few weeks, highly favourable publicity that decades of public relations work has failed to achieve``.

Sports Minister Dissanayake in his message said: "Winning the World Cup is no doubt a great achievement, which should be cherished for future progress of the game. It is my hope the Cricket Board with this in view, will take all positive steps to be the best test-playing nation in the near future``.

Mirando proposed the Vote of Thanks.

Source :: Daily News (https://www.lanka.net)