After their inaugural Test in 1982, Sri Lanka won her first Test in 1985, defeating India at the Saravanamutu Stadium in Colombo. Eleven years later, the island nation crowned it all by winning the most valuable ‘Plum of World Cricket’, the World Cup by beating Australia by seven (7) wickets.
It was the shrewd captaincy of Arjuna Ranatunga and the moral and the team spirit of the 1996 Sri Lanka team that helped them annex the prestigious World Cup. Aravinda de Silva played a very vital role in the semi-final and final.
According to the records, the first five (5) World Cups from 1975-1992, Sri Lanka’s track record was not upto standard at all. Out of 26 World Cup games, before 1996, they had 20 losses.
However, under the dynamic, inspiring and committed captaincy of Arjuna Ranatunga, the turnaround took place with the winning the World Cup on 17 March 1996.
One of the leading English newspapers ‘Daily Mail’, named the 1996 World Cup winning team, at number three, behind the Brazilian football team of 1970 and the U.S. Harlem Globetrotters basketball team, among the top 50 entertaining teams in the history of sports.
Stockily built, rolly-polly, left-hand batsman, Ranatunga led Sri Lanka to their greatest victory by winning the 1996 Wills World Cup. The final was played at the picturesque Gaddaffi Stadium, Lahore.
With this victory, Arjuna Ranatunga and his team members became national heroes.
During the period 1988-1999, he captained in 193 matches, won 89, lost 95, and tied one, with eight matches ending in no-results.
He was born on December 1, 1963 in Colombo. His father was the late Reggie Ranatunga, a Member of Parliament, a former Minister and later a Governor. He was one of the leading lights in the Sri Lanka Freedom Party, who represented the Gampaha District for many years. Arjuna’s mother Nandani Ranatunga was a highly respected graduate teacher who served Ananda College. She was the wind behind the wings of Reggie, as well as six sons. They hail from Udugampola in the Gampaha District.
Reggie and Nandani were blessed with six sons. They are Dhammika, Arjuna, Prasanna, Nishantha, Sanjeewa and Ruwan. Out of the lot Arjuna, Prasanna and Ruwan took to politics. Arjuna is a Member of Parliament, presently representing the Kalutara District. He served as the Chairman of the Interim Committee of Sri Lanka Cricket for nearly two years.
Prasanna, who played in the First XI for Ananda College, took to politics, following in the footsteps of his illustrious father Reggie and today he is the Chief Minister of the Western Provincial Council.
The youngest Ruwan, is a Parliamentarian representing the Gamapaha District.
Sanjeeva is attached to MTV/Sirasa Maharaja Organisation.
Nishantha is the Secretary of Sri Lanka Cricket.
The eldest in the family, former Sri Lanka opener Dhammika, is domiciled in the United States.
Like the Wettimuny brothers, Mitra, Sunil and Sidat, the Ranatunga brothers made a huge contribution to cricket at Ananda College.
Arjuna, played in 93 Test matches, and in 155 innings, scored 5105 runs and remained unbeaten on 12 occasions. His highest score was 135 not out at an average of 35.69.
He scored four hundreds, 38 fifties, hit 40 sixes in Tests and held 47 catches.
He captured 16 wickets, in 93 matches in 56 Test innings. He delivered 2373 balls, and gave away 1040.
Ranatunga played in 269 One Day Internationals. In 255 innings, he collected 7458 runs and remained unbeaten on 47 occasions. His highest score was 131 not out. His average was 35.84. In his ODI career, this dashing left-hander maintained a strike rate of 71.93. He scored four centuries and 49 half centuries and held 63 catches.
In ODI matches, in 135 innings, Arjuna Ranatunga bowled 4790 deliveries, gave away 3752 runs and captured 79 wickets.
He had the proud distinction of playing for the country in the inaugural Test, while a schoolboy. The first official Test was played at the Sara Stadium from February 17 to 21, 1982. He scored a magnificient half century and became the first half centurian of the country in Test cricket. He played Test cricket for 18 years and retired in 2000, after playing against South Africa in August.
His first One Day International was on February 14, 1982, against England at the Sinhalese Sports Club (S.S.C.). His last ODI was against Kenya. This match was played at Southampton on May 30, 1999.
In the inaugural Test, Ranjan Madugalle (65) and Ranatunga (54) were involved in a record partnership by debutants.
Arjuna Ranatunga has the best average for the period spanning from 1983-1999. In 30 matches in 29 innings, he scored 9569 runs at an average of 46.14, with seven 50s. He remained not out on eight occasions.
Further, Ranatunga recorded the highest strike rate – 187.5. He scored 75 not out in 40 balls at Asgiriya in the 1996 World Cup match at Asgiriya. In this brilliant swashbuckling innings of 75 not out, he had 13 fours and one six.
Arjuna, as a captain, studied the weaknesses of their opponents and under his captaincy Sri Lanka made the highest total by a Test team (952/6 declared) against India in August 1997. This was a world Test record. Sri Lanka hit 109 boundaries and two sixes making a total of 488 runs versus India on 6th August 1997 at the Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.
Arjuna captained the most number of matches – 56 – won 12 lost 19. Drew 25 from 1989 to 1999.
One of his great qualities was that he always stood by his players on and off the field. The Darrel Hair and Emerson umpiring incidents are two examples. He stood up to safeguard his bowling ‘wizard’ Muralidaran. That’s history. The unassuming and gutty fighter, who always put country before self, Ranatunga, was a dominant figure on playing fields all over the globe for nearly two decades.
About two decades ago, an epic innings of Ranatunga in Sharjah against India in the Australasia tour, he single handedly, led Sri Lanka to one of the most unbelievable victories. Half the side was down for a paltry total. Sri Lanka were tottering. Arjuna arrived at the crease. To achieve the victory target, Sri lanka had to maintain 15 to 18 runs per over in the last 14 overs. This cricketing maestro, who believed that attack is the best form of defence, belted Kapil Dev and company. He had an able partner in Rumesh Ratnayake. Both of them jointly played aggressive innings – sixes and fours were the order of the day. In the end Sri Lanka won with two overs to spare. Ranatunga remained unbeaten on 88 and Ratnayake on 26. It was a gem of an innings from Arjuna.
Skipper Arjuna Ranatunga was a pugnacious left-hander, who showed no respect to opposing bowlers. On 17th March 1996 at Gaddaffi Stadium, Lahore in the final against Australia, he thrashed the daylights out of Shane Warne. Warne’s one over looks similar to a telephone number in the score book (2, 6, 4, 4, 2, 1). The Lahore scoreboard moved like a taxi metre.
Ranatunga was a shrewd captain. He was a good leader, who led from the front. He always believed in team work.
As a captain, Arjuna was amazing. They say a cricket captain has to be half a dozen men all rolled into one. Ranatunga had the human understanding of a psychologist. In any situation, he was unruffled. He was always a thinking captain.
In cricket – the game of glorious uncertainties they say – form is temporary, class is permanent.
Ranatunga is one of the best batsman the world has seen. His value was priceless. Here was a captain who believed in leading from the front.
When Arjuna Ranatunga and his ‘DASAMAHA YODAYO’ – ‘Ten Giants’ clinched the World Cup at Lahore, Pakistan on March 17 1996, the entire nation was agog. Everyone living in the beautiful, resplendent island, knew Arjuna Ranatunga and his ten warriors had turned the cricket world upside down.
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