Rumesh Ratnayake - The Bandanna Bowler with a wily action!
Rumesh Ratnayake who held on to the winning catch in Sri Lanka's inaugural Test win and the present Head Coach of the Women's Team, turns 61 years today.
Long before we Sri Lankans fell in love with a curly haired fast bowler with a slingy action from Downsouth, there was a similar bowler with a Bandanna and a rather wily action to generate some serious pace and earn himself a place in the national team before he even captained his school team!
Born on a day like this in 1964, Rumesh Joseph Ratnayake was destined for sporting greatness while he was schooling, having played for St.Peter's College as the frontline fast bowler across 5 seasons and in 1982, he earned his ODI cap against India in Bengaluru. It also happened so that he missed the opportunity to lead the Peterites as the captain in their annual Big Match encounter as he made his Test debut against New Zealand in Christchurch.
Missing the Joe-Pete...
It would have been a tough decision for young Rumesh, dreaming to play for the Joe-Pete as the Captain but instead, made the decision to play for the Test team which goes on to show the sheer talent he possessed as an 18 year old. It's said that he missed most of his final school season due to national commitment.
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