Sports
Remembering Martin Crowe
by Rex Clementine
Anyone who debuts as a teenager has got to be a special talent and to do it against the Aussies makes it even more special. Martin Crowe was 19 when he debuted against Greg Chappell’s side of which the attack was spearheaded by Dennis Lillee and Jeff Thomson.
Crowe was a natural. He had so much time to play his shots. Technically sound and so pleasant on the eyes.
Crowe was destined for greatness from a young age. He was 21 when Somerset picked him as the county’s overseas signing. Guess whom he replaced? A certain Viv Richards.
What made Martin Crowe a cut above the rest was not just his technique or stroke-play, he was a keen student of the game and a fierce competitor. Sri Lanka’s maiden Test win overseas should have come in 1991 in Wellington but Crowe’s competitive nature put an end to it. In the same game, he broke Glenn Turner’s record for the highest individual score (259) by a Kiwi in Tests. But cruelly was dismissed one run short of a triple hundred. That one run would have meant that he became the first New Zealander to score a triple hundred in Tests. The worst thing was that he was dismissed by the harmless medium pace of Arjuna Ranatunga.
Tactically, he was brilliant. New Zealand were cruising in the 1992 World Cup as Crowe used Mark Greatbatch as an opener during field restrictions and handed the new ball to spinner Dipak Patel surprising opponents.
By the time Crowe retired he was New Zealand’s highest run getter in both forms of the game. He could have done more but knee injuries restricted him. He quit at 33.
More than his batting exploits or captaincy skills, Sri Lankans will remember him for one thing, for saving the county from cricketing isolation.
There was no international cricket played in Sri Lanka from 1987 to 1991 due to the war. In 1991, Ian Pieris was President of Board of Control for Cricket and S. Skandakumar was the Secretary. They attended the ICC meeting and appealed to the rest of the cricketing word to tour Sri Lanka. Australia had given an undertaking to come in September 1992 followed by New Zealand later that year. Over the next 12 months, India, West Indies, England, Pakistan and South Africa were scheduled to come.
The Australian series was a grand success but when the Kiwis landed there was trouble. Navy Commander Clancy Fernando was killed in front of Taj Samudra hotel where the teams were putting up. Troubled by the suicide attack, just outside their team hotel, the New Zealand team wanted to go home.
Not only the tour but cricket’s future in Sri Lanka was in jeopardy.
It was captain Martin Crowe who decided to stay on and convinced his team to do so. Yet, all his team didn’t agree. Some players wanted to go back home. Crowe ensured replacements were flown in from New Zealand and the tour went on uninterrupted.
Sri Lanka owe it to Crowe for ensuring the tour went on. Had it been interrupted, the country would have faced another long isolation without cricket.
In 2016, Martin Crowe lost his battle with cancer and died at the age of 53 sending the cricketing world into mourning. He was certainly someone ahead of his time and the World Test Championship that’s currently in play was first mooted by him. Crowe certainly was a friend of Sri Lanka. Impressed by cheerleader Percy Abeysekara’s passion for the game, Crowe once gave away his Man of the Match award to the cheerleader. Several years later upon hearing that Crowe was unwell uncle Percy organized a bodi pooja. He called up journalists asking them to put a reminder in the papers so that fans could turn up for the event. He promoted the event with these words, ‘I crow, you crow, we all crow, for Martin Crowe.’
Under 19 Cricket
Left-arm spinners Vishwa Peiris and Demion de Silva took five wickets each as St. Joseph’s cruised to an innings and 51 runs victory over St. Benedict’s in the Traditional Mack – Croner trophy cricket encounter at Darley Road on Tuesday.
St. Benedict’s came to the match having done well in the Tier B tournament matches but the spin might of the Joes was too hot for them to handle as they collapsed for 62 runs in the second innings.
The result somewhat exposed the gap between the Tier A and Tier B teams of the Under 19 Division I category as the team from Kotahena were bowled out within 25 overs. They were following on after being dismissed for 197 runs in the first innings, where Nushan Perera grabbed five wickets bowling the bulk of the overs for the Joes. He was adjudged the Best Bowler.
While Vishwa was the Man of the Match, Rishma Amarasinghe (Best Fielder) and Senuja Wakunugoda (Best Batsman) won the other individual awards.
The Joes made 313 in their innings with Senuja top scoring with 106 runs.
In the Division I Tier ‘A’ matches Gurukula (against St. Sebastian’s) and St. Anthony’s Katugastota (against Royal) registered first innings victories.
Maliyadeva took first innings points against De Mazenod in a tier B match.
(RF)
Organisers of the ICC T20 World Cup are sweating over after Pakistan refused to play nuclear-armed neighbours India in Colombo, a decision that has left administrators scratching their heads and staring at a potential financial googly.
The India–Pakistan contest, the jewel in the tournament’s crown, is the game that oils cricket’s economic engine. If the marquee clash is bowled out, the loss of revenue will have every stakeholder feeling the pinch from boardroom to boundary rope. Islamabad’s call to withdraw, taken at government level, has sparked fears the verdict will not be overturned.
Anticipation for the grudge match had reached fever pitch. Tickets vanished on day one of sales, while Colombo’s hotels were snapped up quickly. Five-star rooms that normally fetch 150 US dollars were hiked to 600 USD, some even soaring to 800 USD as the city braced for a carnival.
With the capital full to the rafters, tour operators shuttled visitors to nearby Negombo, an hour’s drive from the stadium, while others opted for apartments as accommodation ran dry. Flights, too, were booked well in advance, but uncertainty over the epic duel has now cast a long shadow.
“We haven’t had many cancellations yet, but we fear the worst. Everyone will take a hit if the game doesn’t take place,” aviation industry official Thusitha Perera told Telecom Asia Sport.
Gihan Wickramasinghe, representing Colombo’s hoteliers, echoed the concern. “Our hope is the match goes ahead. If not, we’ll have to refund bookings and the tour operators will be hit even harder.”
Tour operator Lisa Fernando said the anxiety was mounting. “Two groups from Dubai alone, 75 people, were coming. Corporate clients had planned trips down south as well. There’s a lot of money at stake and so much unnecessary stress.”
Indian fan Varun Kumar from Bangalore has already paid for flights and hotels but intends to travel regardless. “Sri Lanka has been on my bucket list. Whether the match happens or not, we’ll come to experience the country,” he said.
Sri Lanka Cricket remains optimistic the contest will be rescued before the final over is called. But if the showpiece is scratched, it would be a hammer blow to an economy only just finding its feet after years of setbacks, leaving the tournament badly caught behind.
SSC Open Tennis Championship 2026
Zacharia Akbar and Thishya Banagala were crowned champions in the Under 12 boys’ and girls’ singles respectively of the SSC Open Tennis Championships in Colombo.
In the boys final, Zacharia Akbar beat Kashya Seneviratne 6-2, 2-6, 6-4. The S.Thomas’ College player reached the finals with a 6-1, 6-3 win over Satheesh Appathuri in the semi-finals.
The Under 12 girls’ final saw Thishya Banagala beat Thiyansa de Silva 7-5, 6-2.
The Visakha Vidyalaya player reached the final after a 6-4, 6-4 win over Manuli Seneviratne in the semis.
Zacharia Akbar (Pix by Kamal Wanniarachchi)
House erupts over suspension of Deputy Secretary General
78th Independence Day celebrations at Bogambara Stadium
Colombo-Kandy railway line to be fully restored this year – Minister Bimal
FCID records statements from Shiranthi and Namal
The dawn of another Independence Day
The hollow recovery: A stagnant industry – Part I
‘Dates have the highest sugar content to fight Coronavirus’
Sunday Island 27 December – Headlines
#SundayIsland 17th December – Headlines
Sunday Island – 28th March
Sunday Island Headlines – 21 March
Sunday Island – 21st February – Headlines
-
Opinion5 days agoSri Lanka, the Stars,and statesmen
-
Business6 days agoClimate risks, poverty, and recovery financing in focus at CEPA policy panel
-
Business4 days agoHayleys Mobility ushering in a new era of premium sustainable mobility
-
Business1 day agoSLIM-Kantar People’s Awards 2026 to recognise Sri Lanka’s most trusted brands and personalities
-
Business4 days agoAdvice Lab unveils new 13,000+ sqft office, marking major expansion in financial services BPO to Australia
-
Business4 days agoArpico NextGen Mattress gains recognition for innovation
-
Business3 days agoAltair issues over 100+ title deeds post ownership change
-
Business3 days agoSri Lanka opens first country pavilion at London exhibition