Friday 6th May, 2011 15

Ian Botham said that Sri Lanka were a piece of cake for him. This was after they had lost to West Indies 5-0, mind you. That really motivated us and we wanted to do well. We put up a good show and the English didn’t know where to hide… When I was batting, Botham told me, ‘Go and bring your mother.’ I told him, ‘My dad is at home’. There was quite a bit of sledging.

school elsewhere. So they put me to Prince of Wales. Finally I ended up taking on my own brothers at the Big Match. We were literally fighting each other. My brother was a Sebastianite supporter and I was playing for Prince of Wales. Lot of people ask me this question. We have about 30 cousins and almost everyone went to St. Sebastian’s and the only excep- tion was me. Question: You said you had fights with your brother? Amal: Well after the first day of the Big Match I had a huge fight with my brother. On the second day we won the Big Match, after some 30 years you know. Pemlal Fernando was our , he had scored 1,000 runs for the season and he was our biggest hope. But he got a pair in the Big Match. Walter Fernando was St. Sebastian’s captain. He also had done well in the school season but ended up getting a pair. I think it’s a Guinness Record. Question: Of your nine Test Matches, you played one each at P. Sara and SSC, but ended up playing two Tests at Lord’s. That must be pretty pleasing. Amal: It didn’t strike me until you told me. I played in 1984 and 1988 at Lord’s. Honestly, 1988 was a better year for me. I scored heavily in county games, but I failed in the Test. In 1984 also I scored Amal Silva batting during his big in county games. I had a 90 odd against unbeaten 102 at Lord’s in 1984. Gloucestershire, 160 and 70 against Warwickshire. It’s so funny. I scored the on the last day of the Lord’s Test and the same night we had to drive to Edgbaston. The very next day after the Test was the match against Warwickshire and I scored 160 not out. Then the next day I scored anoth- er 70 in the second innings. So in three days I had scored 300 runs. I was in the zone. It was terrific. Those are very good you know. Conditions are different no doubt, but they are good bat- ting tracks. Now it’s all differ- ent. During our earlier tours, we played mostly in July and August when wickets were dry. The Englishmen now know that we have difficulties playing in the early part of the summer when it’s cold and the wickets are wet and seaming around. For the last three tours, they have been inviting us to start in May. Question: Scoring a Test hundred at Lord’s must have been one of the highlights of your career?

Amal: It’s the greatest place on earth to play cricket and every cricketer’s BY REX CLEMENTINE dream is to play at Lord’s. Getting an opportunity to play there was great and ricketers from any part of the world dream of to score a hundred was even better. It’s playing at Lord’s, the Mecca of cricket. the Mecca of cricket and my knock CInternational cricketers consider making a helped the team to do well. We went Test Match hundred at the game’s spiritual head- when West Indies were playing England quarters the ultimate achievement. Some of the all early that summer. I think we reached time greats, however, have missed out on reaching there midway of the third Test between the milestone. Brian Lara has 34 Test hundreds, but England and West Indies. We played a none at Lord’s. Sachin Tendulkar has scored 51 cen- lot of county games and it was a good turies in , but hasn’t even got a half-cen- lead up. tury at Lord’s. But one certain Sampathwaduge Question: David Gower won the Amal Rohita Silva has one. toss and put Sri Lanka in when condi- Popularly known as Amal Silva, the former tions were good for batting. Did the -keeper batsman has in fact played more English take you guys lightly? Tests at Lord’s than at SSC or P. Sara Oval. Silva Amal: The British press said that played one Test each at the two Sri Lankan venues, Sri Lanka will go home in three but went onto play two Tests at the ‘Home of days, not five days. Ian Botham Cricket’ and cashed in on the glorious summer of said that Sri Lanka were a piece 1984 when Sri Lanka played their first ever Test of cake for him. This was after Match on English soil. they had lost to West Indies 5-0, Speaking of that epic encounter in August 1984, mind you. That really motivated us many remember how elegantly Sidath Wettimuny and we wanted to do well. We put up crafted his 190. People even reminisce the brutal hit- a good show and the English didn’t ting by . But Amal Silva’s unbeaten know where to hide. The Test ended century in the second innings of the match is often in favour of us and we even had a forgotten. chance of winning the game having In today’s ‘Lords at Lord’s’, Silva who turned 50 got a lead of 180 runs in the first last year, says it all —from getting sledged by his innings. Then we got 290 odd in the hero Ian Botham, choosing the school Prince of year and around ten Test Matches. It’s very difficult second innings for seven wickets. We Wales ahead of St. Sebastian’s and accepting the especially in the sub-continent. Ours was a different were once in trouble at 115 for five in challenge to do the dual role of keeping wickets and era altogether. the second innings. Then Duleep and opening batting. Question: Talk us through your time at S. I batted till tea and Duleep got 90 odd Peter’s. and I was unbeaten on 102 at stumps. Here are the excerpts. Amal: I actually started off at Prince of Wales. Question: Was there a fair bit of Then I had to leave for St. Peter’s purely due to aca- sledging? Question: Some believe that keeping wickets is demic reasons. I had to do different subjects for Amal: Yes. Those days it was only the toughest job in cricket while others say facing Advanced Level. For me, studies was equally or sledging. Ian Botham told me, ‘Go and the new ball is tougher. You did both jobs and that more important than cricket. I was the first in class. bring your mother.’ I told him, ‘My dad too at the highest level. How was it to hold two of The move to St. Peter’s was purely an academic one is at home’. There was quite a bit of the toughest positions in cricket? and not due to cricketing reasons. I scored a lot of sledging, but the Aussies were the worst Amal: From my young days, say since when I runs for St. Peter’s and they helped me to go onto lot. (To be continued) was 14, I used to open batting. One season I batted play for Sri Lanka. I scored 1,000 runs in the school lower down, but from under-16 onwards, I started season without scoring a hundred and then in the opening and kept wickets. I actually enjoyed both Big Match I got 140. NCC then offered me a job. jobs and the reason for that was I always believed Ranjit Fernando gave his gloves to me and soon that when I batted after I keep, I could see the ball after school, I played for NCC. I remember getting better. That helped me a lot. four or five ducks in a row and I wanted to give up Question: We don’t see players nowadays keep- cricket. Then in the next season I scored heavily ing wickets and opening batting in Tests. Did you at and I was selected for the pool at the age of 22. any point want to move down the order due to the Question: You are a devout Catholic. Why workload involved in keeping wickets? Prince of Wales and not St. Sebastian’s? Amal: Not really. I actually liked it. At St. Amal: Good question. My father and his Peter’s, at NCC and then with the national team, I eight brothers and my brothers all studied at St. did the dual role. However, I don’t see that happen- Sebastian’s. They always took me to St. ing nowadays. If you keep wickets for two days, you Sebastian’s versus Prince of Wales Big Match can’t bat for another day. The biggest reason is that when I was small and I grew up watching you play so much of cricket these days. In my case, Sebastianite cricket. Due to some reason, I we used to play one Test this year and the next Test had told my parents when I was young that Amal Silva achieved what either Sachin Tendulkar or Brian Lara couldn’t; to the following year. So I was walking in like a fresh- I don’t want to go to St. Sebastian’s. They er. We didn’t have more than five ODIs a year. But had asked why? I had told them because score a hundred at Lord’s, the headquarters of cricket. today it is very difficult. You play 30 to 40 ODIs a everyone is at St. Sebastian’s I want to