Prasad’s eccentrics will be missed not his service

There is a bus stop in Nagoda, just before Kandana junction on Negombo road. It’s called ‘No ball Handiya’. Not because of Dilhara Fernando but as even Dhammika Prasad, who represented Sri Lanka in 25 Test matches, hails from the same vicinity. Both fast bowlers attended the same school – De Mazenod. They had a fine coach – Vernon Senanayake, even he couldn’t rectify their overstepping problems.

Prasad was quite a handful with the new ball as he could generate genuine pace. Once in Galle he dismissed Chris Gayle and celebrated it by lying down on the pitch with outstretched arms. The embarrassment was just around the corner. Umpire Richard Kettleborough approached him to inform that it was a no ball. Gayle would go onto score a career best 333 with 34 fours and nine monstrous sixes with most of them landing on the Galle bus halt!

Not sure whether any other Sri Lankan fast bowler has had an impressive debut as Dhammika Prasad. It was against India at P. Sara Oval. He took three wickets in the first innings. Guess the names? Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and Virender Sehwag.

There was lot of bad blood during Sri Lanka’s tour of England in 2014. The England and Wales Cricket Board had reduced Sri Lanka’s Test matches to two and instead hosted India for five Tests. Sri Lanka’s Head Coach Paul Farbrace had defected to England ranks just two weeks prior to the tour. Then, there was the Mankading of Jos Buttler, ordered by of all people Marvan Atapattu, one of the nicest guys to play the game of cricket.

The first Test at Lord’s was a thrilling draw. Kumar Sangakkara playing his last Test at The Home of Cricket scored a hundred. Sri Lanka’s last pair saw off some tensed moments thanks to the DRS.

The tourists fought tooth and nail in the second Test at Headingley. After conceding a lead of over 100 runs in the first innings, they fared better in the second innings. Sri Lanka were 150 runs ahead with four wickets in hand and needed 100 or so more to set England a decent target. Captain Angelo Mathews was their biggest hope. When Dhammika Prasad joined him, the instructions were clear. Mathews was going to do the scoring, Prasad had to block. But our man had a brain fade. The first ball he faced, Prasad slashed Liam Plunkett and was caught at third man. Mathews was furious and threw his bat away.

As Prasad was nearing the dressing room, team manager late Michael De Zoysa told all his players and support staff to give the batsman, who had just collected a pair, the cold shoulder. Not a single person in the dressing room spoke to Prasad that afternoon.

This angered Prasad. What followed was an aggressive spell of fast bowling. Prasad finished with career best figures of five for 50. More importantly, Sri Lanka went onto win their first ever Test series in England.

By 2015, Prasad had emerged as Sri Lanka’s leading fast bowler. That year he finished as one of the top ten wicket takers in the world in Test match cricket. We weren’t short of Prasad’s eccentrics. He picked up a fight with India’s Ishant Sharma at SSC. Prasad peppered Ishant with a barrage of short pitched bowling and exchanged words. Team mate Dinesh Chandimal came to Prasad’s aid and even brushed shoulders with the lanky Indian fast bowler. All three were charged by the Match Referee Andy Pycroft.

Later that day, as Pycroft entered Taj Samudra he saw a sight that warmed his heart. Prasad and Ishant were having coffee at the lobby. The Match Referee treated Prasad with kid’s gloves but banned Chandimal for one match. Chandimal did not speak with Prasad for several weeks.

We never saw Prasad’s full potential. He was very unlucky with injuries; like ahead of the ICC Cricket World Cup in 2015. On the eve of the curtain-raiser in Christchurch, Prasad hurt his hand attempting a return catch and was sent home. He played little cricket from thereon.

Despite all eccentrics, Prasad’s team mates vouch that the bloke has a heart of gold. Successive Sri Lankan captains have valued his service for he makes their jobs so easy.

Most cricketers can be found in Colombo-7s posh clubs socializing with friends when they have day-offs. To trace Prasad you have to go to the local bar. He will either be found spending time with his villagers at Sensasia in Peralanda or CASA in Ragama. Once established, most players prefer to move to Colombo. Prasad has remained in his village – Ragama, not too far away from No Ball Junction.

Prasad feels the pain of his fellow Sri Lankans. As the country went into a lock-down following the outbreak of the pandemic last year, Prasad was busy collecting dry rations and distributing them among daily wage earners. Jesus fed 5000 people in Capernaum. Prasad fed 2000 families in Gampaha, week after week. He will announce his retirement from cricket today. He will be missed.