Sri Lanka batter Kusal Mendis took to social media yesterday to acknowledge an act of generosity that ensured he made it to the IPL crease fully kitted. His gratitude was directed at a Sri Lankan living in Pakistan who went above and beyond to deliver Mendis’ cricket gear to Colombo just in time. While Mendis mentioned the name – Mr. Wayne Jansz – what he left out was the man’s cricketing pedigree.

Wayne Jansz isn’t just another good Samaritan; he’s a former cricketer who turned out for St. Joseph’s College in the 1970s before donning the whites for Tamil Union. In fact, Jansz still holds bragging rights for a marathon 352-run opening stand with Athula Samarasekara in 1981, breaking the longstanding record set by the legendary pair of Herbie Felsinger and Markin Salih for Moors.

The following season, Tamil Union clinched the domestic title under the captaincy of the ever-graceful Mr. S. Skandakumar. That side was a Who’s Who of Sri Lankan cricket: Ashley de Silva, now CEO of Sri Lanka Cricket and Channa Wijemanne, the man who has run the travel desk for George Steuart like a maestro orchestrating a symphony. In cricketing circles, if you needed to be flown out last minute or pulled out of a visa muddle, you don’t have to look beyond anyone but Channa or Bernard Wijetunga. Legend has it Channa once whisked Sanath Jayasuriya off to the Netherlands from the UK, no visa in hand, no questions asked.

Back to Mendis. When tensions flared between India and Pakistan earlier this year, the players were evacuated from Islamabad via military aircraft. In the chaos, Mendis was forced to leave behind his kit bag – a batsman without his gear, as naked as a knight without his sword.

So when the IPL came calling, Mendis’ team scrambled to retrieve the bag. Couriers told them it will take several days. That’s when Channa stepped in. And like any good fielder who knows where the ball is headed before it’s hit, he knew exactly who to call – Wayne Jansz.

Now a high-flyer in Pakistan’s garment industry, Jansz didn’t hesitate. He hopped on a flight from Karachi to Islamabad, collected the kit bag, flew back to Karachi, and from there dashed to Colombo – delivering the prized possession just in time for Mendis to catch his connection to India. All in a day’s work for a man who plays the long innings in service and humility.

It’s people like Wayne Jansz who don’t make the headlines but play match-winning knocks behind the scenes. Juggling a demanding corporate job while batting for the country’s cricketers takes the kind of commitment you won’t find in any stat sheet.

by Rex Clementine