Remembering one of cricket’s finest leaders

Gamini Dissanayakae returns home having attended the ICC meeting that granted Sri Lanka Test status.

by Rex Clementine

The 79th birth anniversary of former Minister Gamini Dissanayake falls today. Dissanayake was one of the longest serving Presidents of Sri Lanka Cricket and was instrumental in winning the nation Test status in 1981, something that he achieved at the age of 39. Dissanayake had become a Minister at the age of 35 and had many feathers in his cap from 1978 to 1989.

World Cup winning captain Arjuna Ranatunga who delivered the keynote address at an event held yesterday at the Sports Ministry to mark his 79th birth anniversary elaborated on the immense contributions he made in developing the sport and building up leaders like him.

Having achieved the nation’s dream of Test status in 1981 after many failed attempts, it was a massive blow when several leading players defected to South Africa on a rebel tour. Gamini came down hard on the players handing all participants 25 year bans.

This was a bitter blow for players as they were banned from coaching and other cricket activities but none of them hold a grudge against Gamini. First Test captain Bandula Warnapura recently revealed that he did not have an axe to grind with the former Board President.

Business tycoon Abdul Rahman Bukathir, who conducted cricket tournaments in Sharjah, told this paper in 2011 how meticulous Dissanayake was in getting the best comforts for his players while they were in UAE.

The first instance where the players were paid per diem in USD was in Sharjah and this was negotiated by Dissanayake.

Ranatunga recalled how he visited Dissanayakae just before he went on a tour to Zimbabwe in 1994 and it was while in Harare that he learned the killing of his mentor while canvassing ahead of the Presidential election. The charismatic and caring leader was only 52. Dissanayake had wanted Ranatunga to get the right combination for the World Cup that was fast approaching.

Soon after landing at Katunayake having won the World Cup in 1996, one of the first things that Arjuna did was to visit Dissanayake family with the World Cup trophy.

Gamini’s elder son Naveen was the first Sports Minister of the Yahapalana government. Following negotiations with the International Cricket Council, Naveen had got the blessings of the global governing body to appoint an Interim Committee and change the constitution of SLC. Former Supreme Court Judge Prasanna Jayawardene had done a case study along the constitutions of South Africa Cricket and Irish Cricket boards. But before changes could take place, during a cabinet reshuffle then Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe agreed to give away the Sports Ministry to the SLFP. Under new Sports Minister Dayasiri Jayasekara cricket elections were called and all familiar faces returned to govern cricket. The rest as they say is history.