Sri Lanka: Voice of cricket wins applause for a splendid innings (1 Sep 1998)

1 September 1998

Voice of cricket wins applause for a splendid innings

by Sanjiva Wijesinha

Cricket - once the preserve of Englishmen and their local aspirants - has become Sri Lanka's national sport. One man who has delighted the growing band of fans with his radio commentaries has now been honoured, reports Gemini News Service, for his role in the game's rise.

His voice over Sri Lanka's airwaves is better known than many a politician.

For more than a quarter of a century, Premasara Epasinghe's illuminating commentaries, delivered in his distinctive rich tone, have entertained the nation and have helped to make cricket the island's number-one sport.

In July, the Board of Control for Cricket in Sri Lanka said thank you by presenting him with a gold award, "in appreciation of outstanding service to cricket".

Although cricket has been played in the country for more than 150 years, having been introduced during the British colonial era, the game remained the preserve of English-educated "brown sahibs" until relatively recently.

Even after independence in 1948, it was taught only in English schools, matches were reported in the sports pages of the English language newspapers, and cricket commentaries were carried only on English radio broadcasts.

To most Sinhala-speaking citizens, who comprise more than 80 per cent of Sri Lanka's population, cricket remained as foreign as croquet, lawn bowls and morris dancing.

But slowly, radio stations began to realise that there was sufficient interest among the non-English-speaking public to justify broadcasting cricket reports in the majority language.

Initially, the main interest was in inter-school cricket. The only international games that Sri Lanka - then known as Ceylon - played were when English or Australian teams, making the long sea voyage to play Test matches against each other, would break journey half way for a one-day "whistlestop" game against a hastily cobbled national side.

It was during this era, almost 40 years ago, that Epasinghe began his journalistic career as a freelance reporter for Associated Newspapers, the island's biggest publishing group.

His bilingualism and cricketing background stood him in good stead. He had been a talented wicketkeeper and batsman representing Nalanda College and Vidyodaya University before going on to play first-division club cricket for Saracens, Nondescripts and Bloomfield. Over the years, his descriptive and well-balanced articles proved popular with sports fans. He was able to de-mystify cricket without distorting the game, and he continues to write a regular column, School Cricket Review, for the Daily News.

But it has been his voice rather than his pen that has made Premasara Epasinghe a household name in Sri Lanka.

Soon after Radio Ceylon began broadcasting cricket coverage in Sinhala in the late Fifties, Epasinghe was called on to present a short sports round-up programme. He got his first big break as a commentator in 1971 when he was assigned to cover the highlight of the school cricket season - the annual encounter between Royal College and S. Thomas' College.

In those early days of Sinhala coverage, the language did not have the terminology to describe many cricketing terms. How, for example, does one translate terms such as "fine leg", "silly mid-off" and "full toss" into an Asian language? Epasinghe and his colleagues came up with equivalent terms, which were soon absorbed into the lexicon.

Gradually, cricket grew in popularity, conveyed into millions of homes and workplaces by Epasinghe's deep timbre. It is not uncommon for fans to watch television coverage, with the volume down, and accompanied by Epasinghe's descriptive commentaries.

It was he who brought news of Sri Lanka's World Cup victory in 1996 - a triumph that has given the game a major boost on the island.

"Cricket", he says, "is today the national game of Sri Lanka - the most popular spectator sport as well as the most widely played".

Former Sports Minister K. B. Ratnayake, who praised Epasinghe's "beautiful" World Cup coverage in 1996, points out: "A good commentator's task is to describe, not to criticise. There is a world of difference between commentating and merely commenting on a game".

Before he covers matches abroad, Epasinghe reads up on the host city and country, and always weaves some of the local culture into his commentaries. He explains: "People listening in can hear but not see, so you have to paint the scene for them. You have to bring the listeners to the site of the action so that they can see what you are seeing and feel the atmosphere you are experiencing".

Now 61, he continues to work as a public relations officer for a Colombo insurance company. He still broadcasts and writes on a part-time basis - more for the love of the game than for financial remuneration. (Courtesy: Gemini News) About the Author: Dr. Sanjiva Wijesinha has worked as a medical practitioner in Sri Lanka, Hong Kong, Britain and Australia. He writes regularly for Gemini News Service on health issues and sport.

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