Sports
Bertie; all-rounder of Ananda staffroom
At our monthly meeting of the Ananda Past Teachers in September this year, in our house, while having lunch, I asked Bertie whether there are people called past teachers. He said yes of course and that he is a past teacher and I am one too. But what I then went on to ask him was, had he really retired?
Even though Bertie was not teaching maths any more very often teachers and Old Boys would continue to consult him. This is because when he was in school, there was no important function in which Bertie had no hand. In addition to his classroom work he was the Prefect of Games, the Boarding House master and the Secretary of the Teachers’ Guild and much more. No boy was out of his ken. He touched everyone in the upper school. Col Rajapakse depended very heavily on his support. Indeed the school was very fortunate to have him. The entire Big Match operation revolved round him. Everyone knows the varied tasks that go into the match and the funds that are involved. He would execute all tasks with such transparency and care that there was no unhappiness in the aftermath. He would do the match year in and year out with such aplomb. Indeed all sports activities found in him a true gentleman. He loved the game of cricket and played on week-ends. In addition he commanded the Cadet Corps, the training ground for many a general and war hero. We have seen how these generals, when they meet him forget their ranks and bow down to him.
He also ran the Boarding House on a tight schedule. He would brook no nonsense and woe unto the law breakers!. Even the junior staff were regimented and did not fall out of line. The minor staff found in him a strict but understanding master.
Prize Givings at Ananda were events of remarkable significance with very important guests attending. Bertie knew all of them and how on behalf of the school, to greet them.
As Secretary of the Teachers’ Guild, he would see the staff were in at the meeting. He would organise the annual trip and the annual dinner with such class and distinction that there was no one else who would dare to handle it after him.
Of course when Kumi came (she came with the blessings of Ananda, for Mr Rajapakse may have had a hand in the union) Bertie’s attention was divided but Kumi had to fight hard with Ananda, nevertheless.
Bertie was then called for work in the private sector where the staff looked up to him.
It is true Bertie left Ananda but did Ananda leave Bertie? Ask the numerous Old Boys who continually invited him for Old Boy functions and gatherings. Bertie was obliging and there at all these functions. The respect they had for their teacher continued to guide their relationships. Bertie would always maintain his dignity before them. When Old Boys came from overseas the first point of reference would of course be Bertie. There were instances when as a past teacher he helped the school events. The current teachers valued his advice.
In the early 90s D.L.B. Perera, a former Headmaster wanted to gather some of the former teachers together to renew acquaintance with them. Several teachers met and one of them was Bertie. As time passed DLB’s idea grew into what is now The Past Teachers’ Association. At that time no other school had their past teachers meeting. Bertie, the organiser he was, gave the meeting a structure and form. He it was who proposed that we should meet monthly in a member’s house rather than in the school. He saw that some fellowship should accompany the meetings and the school premises were improper. He proposed we award scholarships to poor children who had no hope of having an Ananda education. He went to far places in his car to look for suitable candidates and the Association was able to find funds for the project. Even today there are boys in the University sponsored by the Association. Many Old Boys contributed willingly to these projects.
In 2016 the Association celebrated its 25th Anniversary. Bertie who had been president for several years was elected to organise the function. All were proud of the event with good food and good fellowship.
Bertie was friendly to all but at the meetings he would query anything he thought was not accurate. He was a stickler for proper minutes and for follow-up of work. Many teachers thought he was critical of them but it was his army and Richmond training which wanted everything in order and to rule.
All that is left now it to be thankful to him for undertaking so much on behalf of all of us. We are thankful that he lived a full life and left us with such strong memories that nothing could deter his memory from our midst.
Upali Rathnayake
The first truly heavyweight clash of this expanded T20 World Cup format comes freighted with both history and subplots. A rematch of the 2010 World T20 final at Kensington Oval, the match pits Jos Buttler’s defending champions – who are aiming to become the first team to retain the trophy – against the Australian winning machine, victors at the 2021 edition and current world title-holders in Test and ODI cricket. And that’s before you throw in the Ashes for afters.
Already there is added pressure on England, after the rain in Bridgetown led to a share of the points in their opener against Scotland (and that having conceded 90 runs from 10 overs without taking a wicket in a tepid bowling display). Lose to their oldest rivals and it will leave their Super 8 prospects open to being waylaid by the perils of net run-rate calculations, or worse.
The Scotland match was the third abandonment in five suffered by England, after a rain-affected home series against Pakistan, which has clearly hampered their readiness for this campaign after almost six months without playing T20 together. It does not take much for a side to click in this format – and England looked in decent shape when they did get on the field against Pakistan – but Buttler will be anxious for things to go their way on Saturday, if only to avoid further questions referencing the team’s disastrous ODI World Cup defence last year.
Australia, under the laidback leadership of Mitchell Marsh would love nothing more than to add to the English sense of jeopardy – having helped bundle them out of the tournament in India on the way to taking the crown. Their head to head record is less impressive in T20 however, with England having won six of the last seven completed encounters, as well as that 2010 final.
Despite a wobble with the bat, Australia avoided mishap against Oman earlier in the week, the experience of David Warner and Marcus Stoinis shining through in difficult batting conditions. Surfaces in the Caribbean – not to mention those games staged in the USA – have already had teams scratching their heads; rather than the “slug-fest” England had prepared for, following a high-scoring tour of the Caribbean in December, it looks as if boxing smart may be the way to go.
Speaking of Warner, this could be the last time he faces up against England in national colours – and another match-winning contribution would likely reduce the chances of them meeting again in the knockouts. On the other side of the card is Jofra Archer, fresh from an emotional maiden outing at Kensington Oval and ready to take on Australia for the first time in any format since 2020. Can Mark Wood fire up England’s campaign, as he did during last summer’s Ashes? Will Pat Cummins be back to harass the old enemy once again? Seconds out, it’s almost time to rumble.
Cummins is set to return after being rested for the Oman game, which saw Mitchell Starc leave the field with cramp. Starc is understood to be fine and could keep his place – which would likely see Nathan Ellis miss out. Marsh is still not fit to bowl, with Australia likely to continue with the allrounder combination of Stoinis and Maxwell to give them cover.
Australia (probable XI): David Warner, Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh (capt), Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Josh Inglis (wk), Tim David, Pat Cummins, Nathan Ellis/Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood
The one change England may consider is Reece Topley coming in for Wood, with the expectation that there will be some rotation among the seamers through the course of the tournament.
England (probable XI): Phil Salt, Jos Buttler (capt & wk), Will Jacks, Jonny Bairstow, Harry Brook, Liam Livingstone, Moeen Ali, Chris Jordan, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Reece Topley/Mark Wood
[Cricinfo]
Once is coincidence, twice is a clue, and three times is proof.
To paraphrase Agatha Christie, that is the narrative around South Africa’s meeting with Netherlands at this T20 World Cup.
The Dutch beat South Africa at the 2022 tournament and ended their semi-final hopes in a match where South Africa appeared to be sleep walking, and then beat them again at the 2023 ODI World Cup, where they exposed South Africa’s vulnerability in the chase. If they to do the treble, not only will Netherlands take the lead in Group D, but they will offer conclusive evidence of the threat they pose to Full Members, especially South Africa.
Of course, it will take some doing after South Africa’s opening performance against Sri Lanka, where they reduced their opposition to their lowest T20I total and chased it down in fairly straightforward fashion thanks to the most stable middle-order of their white-ball era. In Aiden Markram, Tristan Stubbs, Heinrich Klaasen and David Miller, South Africa have bankers and big-hitters and, for this match, they also have the advantage of experience. They’ve already played at Eisenhower Park, and have first-hand knowledge that run-scoring doesn’t come easily;Klassen said they are prepared to use their “cricket brains” and play “smarter cricket”.
But the conditions could be good news for Netherlands, who are not naturally a line-up of big hitters and build their innings on a foundation of turning ones into twos. In other words, they tend to take a slightly more conservative approach to batting, which may work well here, but they’ll be wary of the uneven bounce of the surface and will have to come up with plans to counterattack especially against South Africa’s seamers. Their own bowlers were exemplary in Dallas and will look to build on that performance against a line-up that will likely be more proactive than Nepal’s, but who they have managed to keep quiet not once, but twice in the past. Third time’s the charm, they say.
Anrich Nortje’s stunning return to form against Sri Lanka means South Africa may not have to tinker with the bowling combination, and Gerald Coetzee and Tabraiz Shamsi may have to wait their turns to get a game. The batting line-up should be unchanged, with no space for Ryan Rickelton yet.
South Africa: Quinton de Kock (wk), Reeza Hendricks, Aiden Markam, Tristan Stubbs, Heinrich Klaasen (wk), David Miller, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Ottneil Baartman, Anrich Nortje
Conditions in New York may tempt Netherlands to include an extra seamer and they have Kyle Klein in their squad. But it could come at the expense of a shortened batting line-up and they may not want to risk that.
Netherlands: Michael Levitt, Max O’Dowd, Vikramjit Singh, Sybrand Engelbrecht, Scott Edwards (capt, wk), Bas de Leede, Teja Nidamanuru, Logan van Beek, Tim Pringle, Paul van Meekeren, Vivian Kingma
[Cricinfo]
Nuwan Thushara’s last over brought Sri Lanka screaming back into the match,as he first bowled Rishad Hossain, and then nailed Taskin Ahmed in front of the stumps with a pinpoint swinging yorker. This left Bangladesh eight wickets down, with 12 runs still to get.
However, the experienced Mahmudullah was at the crease for Bangladesh, and despite some further nervy moments, pushed Bangladesh across the line off the last ball of the 19th over.
But this was a match chiefly decided by Bangladesh’s own outstanding bowling. Mustafizur Rahman was the best among them, using shorter lengths and his cutters efficiently, to claim figures of 3 for 17. Rishad Hossain’s three-for through the middle overs also kept Sri Lanka quiet.
Mustafizur was instrumental in Sri Lanka’s downward spiral through the middle overs, which culminated in a crash-and-burn end. Ultimately, their inability to find boundaries, or even rotate strike against good Bangladesh bowling resulted in their downfall. A score of 125 for 9 always seemed poor on a decent pitch, even if their bowlers made a match of it in the end.
Brief scores:
Bangladesh 125 for 8 in 19 overs (Towhid Hridoy 40, Litton Das 36; Dhanajaya de Silva 1-11, Nuwan Thushara 4-18, Wanidu Hasaranga 2-32, Matheesha Pathirana 1-27) beat Sri Lanka124 for 9 in 20 overs (Pathum Nissanka 47, Dhananjaya de Silva 21; Tanzim Hasan Sakib 1-24, Taskin Ahmed 2-25, Mustafizur Rahman 3-17, Rishad Hossain 3-22) by two wickets
[Cricinfo]
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