Thursday 5th May, 2011 15 Muttiah Muralitharan celebrates his 200th Test wicket dur- ing the 1998 Oval Test. His 16 for 220 is the fifth best bowl- ing figures in a match in the history of Test cricket Sidath Wettimuny during his epic 190 at Lord’s in 1984 against the lowly ranked Sri tor commented. Apart from winning the tri-nation Lankans, they were looking for “This was a great occasion for Sri tournament in 1998, Sri Lanka’s notewor- some breathing space. Lanka, on which they won many new thy performance on English soil in ODIs David Gower, the England admirers. Wettimuny’s 190 will have came during their last visit when they captain, put the Sri Lankans made him something of a legend,” Engel whitewashed England 5-0 in a one-sided in after winning the toss. went on to add. series. After their struggles against Sri Lanka’s next two visits to England Mahela Jayawardene has scored the West Indies, he might have to play Tests in 1988, under Ranjan most number of runs by a Sri Lankan on thought the Sri Lankans Madugalle, and in 1991, under Aravinda English soil having made 511 in seven wouldn’t pose them any de Silva, ended in defeats. After the 1998 Tests at 42.58 with two hundreds and two BY REX CLEMENTINE major challenge. triumph mentioned above, they toured fifties. Both his hundreds came in Lord’s “They probably took us England in 2002 to play their first ever Tests. ri Lanka’s preparation for their two- lightly,” Sidath Wettimuny Test series. Off-spinner Muralitharan has taken month long tour of England has who stroked an elegant 190 Injury to Muttiah Muralitharan had the most number of wickets by a Sri Shardly been ideal with several off- in that Test told The made Sri Lanka’s chances slim, but Lankan in England. He took 48 wickets in the-field developments prior to it. With Island recently. “After the thanks to a superb batting display, they six Tests at 19.20. His 16 for 220 in the the first Test between the countries in game, if you read the were eyeing a massive win by the end of Oval Test in 1998 is the fifth best bowling Cardiff exactly three weeks away, it is papers, they said we had day three. Sri Lanka amassed 555 for figure in Test cricket ever. time to look back at Sri Lanka’s perform- outshone England by miles. And we eight in the first innings with Marvan Jayasuriya is the only Sri ance in England in Test cricket across Africa, they drew large crowds eager to really did. We played a lot more exciting Atapattu (185) and Mahela Jayawardene Lankan to score a double hun- almost three decades. witness a zestful approach which had cricket,” Wettimuny recalled. (101) making hundreds and Aravinda de dred in England while there From Sri Lanka’s inaugural Test tour become more widely appreciated since “The biggest challenge in playing in Silva (88) and Russel Arnold (50) making are nine other Lankans who to England in 1984, the country has done their victory in the 1996 World Cup. The England is that you can do very well in half-centuries. have made centuries in exceptionally well with several individu- English authorities, who had routinely all the county games, but you have just England were bowled out for 275 and England in Tests. als raising their game at the home of sought to justify the sparse number of one Test Match to prove yourself,” Sanath Jayasuriya, the Sri Lankan cap- cricket, Lord’s in London. matches against Sri Lanka since their Wettimuny further said. tain, forced England to follow on having a Their first three tours to the country, elevation to Test status on economic There were three Sri Lankan school- first innings lead of 280 runs. But Sri in 1984, 1988 and 1991, were for one off grounds, confirmed a three-Test tour of boys on that tour; Aravinda de Silva, Lanka’s fielders didn’t live up to expecta- Test Matches. But it all changed after the island in 2000-01, with a lengthier Sri Marlon von Hagt and Don Anurasiri and tions and dropped vital catches and in the their historic triumph at the Oval where Lankan visit to England provisionally de Silva went on to make his debut in the end England went on to post a mammoth they won by ten wickets. And that igno- scheduled for 2002. The gesture was not Lord’s Test. 529 for five declared to force a draw. minious defeat forced the English Cricket before time.” Sri Lanka went on to post 491 with Sri Lanka never recovered and lost Board (ECB) to confirm a tour of three “For Arjuna Ranatunga, the Sri Wettimuny hitting 190 and Mendis scor- the next two Tests in Birmingham and Sanath Jayasuriya Tests for the Sri Lankans in four years’ Lankan captain, the tour of England was ing 111. Arjuna Ranatunga missed out on Manchester by an innings and ten wick- returns with sou- time. a personal triumph. Ranatunga, who had what would have been a memorable hun- ets respectively. venirs after helping “A clutch of Tests against New made his debut against England in Sri dred. He scored 84. Sri Lanka gained a Four years later, they returned to Sri Lanka to their Zealand, the world’s least charismatic Lanka’s inaugural Test 16 years earlier, first innings lead of 121 after Vinothan England under Mahela maiden Test win in team... It was an absurdity to give them was contemplating retirement after the John and Ashantha de Mel shared eight Jayawardene. Against all odds English soil. four Tests this year, having allowed Sri 1999 World Cup in England. He arrived wickets between them. they drew the first Test at Lanka only one in 1998,” Wisden com- for what would therefore be his last Test Amal Silva, the wicket-keeper bats- Lord’s as Sri Lanka’s tail mented. in the country nearly two stones lighter man entered his name in record books batted for two full days to Never a person to mince his words, than usual,” Cricket’s Bible added. when he too hit a century to complete a ensure a draw. They lost captain Arjuna Ranatunga rubbed salt Prior to the 1998 Test, the Sri Lankans Sri Lankan domination against Gower, the second Test in into the English wounds at the post under Duleep Mendis had given an Ian Botham and co, and a partisan crowd. Birmingham by six match media conference, after the his- account of what they are capable of dur- Mendis was unlucky to miss out on scor- wickets before winning toric 1998 Oval triumph, when he was ing their inaugural visit to England. It ing twin tons at the home of cricket as he in Nottingham to asked the reason why England didn’t was also the first time that a new Test was dismissed for 94 when trying to take square the series. award Sri Lanka a three Test series. match opposition had been entertained in on Sir Botham. In all, there “I don’t know. Probably they don’t England since Pakistan’s first visit in “Many followers of the game were of have been ten want to lose 3-0 to us,” he said in the typi- 1954. the opinion that the most agreeable crick- Tests played cal sarcastic Ranatunga style. The Sri Lankans arrived in England et they watched in 1984 was played on the between the That wasn’t the only victory for the more than a month before the first Test first two days of the Test match against countries in Sri Lankans in that tour. A tri-nation ODI and travelled around the country playing Sri Lanka at Lord’s, when our visitors England with tournament had preceded the one off counties. In all, they played nine warm- were batting. Their batsmen stood in the the hosts winning Test and Sri Lanka had emerged champi- up games ahead of the first Test. England natural position, rather than with bat on five occasions and ons beating England in the final at had had a tough summer as they were aloft; they used their feet, and bouncers the Sri Lankans record- Lord’s, in a series that also involved thrashed 5-0 by the West Indies and were few and far between,” Wisden’s edi- ing two wins. South Africa. Only a fortnight later, Ranatunga’s men would go on to record Sri Lanka’s greatest tri- umph in their Test histo- ry. “The Sri Lankans could regard their short tour of England as an unmitigated success,” Wisden Editor Mathew Engel commented. “Not only did they win both their sole Test match and the one-day triangu- lar series against England and South.