Rex Clementine interviews Sidath Wettimuny, Island 9 & 10 February 2011
The achievements of Sidat Wettimuny in Test cricket are unique and unbeatable, but more than the records, if there was a competition to choose the nicest man to have played Test cricket for Sri Lanka, he’d probably beat Roshan Mahanama for the gold medal. Now 54, Wettimuny has more interest in golf than cricket, but in the 1980s he helped immensely to shape the country’s cricketing image. Sidat was the first Sri Lankan to score a Test century (157 against Pakistan in Faisalabad) and followed that up with the longest Test innings ever played at Lord’s. After his epic 190 at the home of cricket, Wisden bestowed him with the honour of Five Cricketers’ of the Year in 1985 and the Editor went onto comment thus. “Few, surely, would have backed a 28-year-old Sri Lankan Buddhist, and a vegetarian at that, to demonstrate his stamina for 637 minutes, or 642 minutes if the two hold-ups by Tamil protesters are included. But Wettimuny did so, and thereby converted sceptics who had previously doubted Sri Lanka’s right to Test status. His innings of 190 was enhanced by some of the finest cover driving seen in England all summer, which was all the more creditable for someone who had never played at Lord’s before.”
He played just one World Cup, the 1983 tournament and in today’s ‘Memorable World Cup Moments’ he speaks on his World Cup experiences and what Sir Gary Sobers brought into Sri Lankan cricket as coach. He also speaks on the influence of his father in his cricket, coming close to beat Pakistani in 1983 and lots more. Here are the excerpts.
Question: They say your father Ramsay Wettimuny was a huge influence on your cricket career.
Wettimuny: Absolutely. Our father was cricket crazy. He built the first indoor nets in this country at the Health Department just to teach us cricket. He got Bertie Wijesinghe to coach us and he just loved the whole game. He thought cricket was a way of life, something which will teach you a lot more than the game. He thought cricket was a good comparison to life, the ups and downs and how you take it and stuff. He said if you learn to play the game, how it should be played, you will hugely benefit in your future endeavours. He said if you want to play the game, play it properly and learn the art of the game. He was very technique conscious and I am eternally grateful to him. He died just before I captained Ananda. So he missed out on seeing the third son captaining Ananda and he missed out a lot. By the time I was 17, he had ingrained in me enough to carry on with the way he wanted me to.
Question: You were five boys in the family. Three of you went onto play for Sri Lanka. What about the other two?
Wettimuny: Sunil was the eldest followed by Mithra, then Ranjan and I. There was a younger brother Nimal, who was nine years old when our father died. Ranjan played a little bit of cricket. He was very talented and played for Trinity and then gave up. He was a jack of all trades and the master of none. He did all the sports, but didn’t pursue. Nimal pursued. He played for SSC briefly and then shifted to motor racing and became a motor racing champion. Continue reading →
Chris Gayle on Thursday announced that his ultimate goal is to get his hands on the World Cup trophy. The big left-hander, rated as one of the most destructive batsmen of all time, said he has a desire to become a world champions and bring back glory to West Indies cricket during the upcoming ICC Cricket World Cup. “I’m looking forward to the tournament and the dream is to see the West Indies come out on top. The World Cup is the pinnacle of a player’s career and it is good to be part of the tournament here in the sub-continent,” Gayle told reporters during the team’s open media session. 
