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Sri Lanka's first Test skipper Warnapura dies
Sri Lanka's first Test captain Bandula Warnapura. — AFP file
Colombo - He captained Sri Lanka in four Tests and 12 one-day internationals
Bandula Warnapura, who captained Sri Lanka in their first ever Test match against England in 1982, has died at the age of 68, the country’s cricket board (SLC) said in a statement on Monday.
Warnapura died of a heart attack after undergoing a leg amputation for complications arising from diabetes, people close to him said.
Warnapura captained Sri Lanka’s first Test match in 1982, scoring 38 runs against England.
But his international career came to a crashing halt after four Tests, when he led a team of local players to South Africa in 1982, defying a government ban against any sporting contact with the then apartheid regime.
He and other players were banned for 25 years but it was lifted in 1990, allowing Warnapura to take an active role in coaching.
He never played international cricket again after the widely condemned rebel tour known as AROSA Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka’s former skipper Mahela Jayawardene paid tribute to Warnapura, who was one of his coaches as a young cricketer.
“He coached me at Nalanda (college) and was a steady influence in my growth as a cricketer and a person,” the 44-year-old tweeted.
Another ex-Sri Lankan captain, Sanath Jayasuriya, added that Warnapura would be missed.
“It is a sad day that the first Test captain Bandula Warnapura has played his last innings,” Jayasuriya wrote on Twitter.
Warnapura opened the batting for Sri Lanka and also represented them in 12 one-day internationals. He claimed eight wickets in the shorter format bowling medium pace.
“It was such a joy to chat to him on everything cricket. A good and gentle man. We will miss him. Our thoughts are with his loved ones,” former Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara said on Twitter. — Reuters/AFP
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