Sri Lanka Gains Test Status Courtesy ICC

First Test encounter ends in England win

Two cricketing encounters stand sentinel over the privilege of Sri Lanka’s Test status.

The first of these in chronological order was when the ‘1981 Australians to England’ played a match against the islanders en route to the 51st Ashes series – the last time Sri Lanka featured in a non-Test encounter – where three limited over matches were played as well as one first-class contest, which ended in a draw after a rain affected game.

And the latter was the England cricket team’s tour of their former colony in February of 1982, featuring two One-Day Internationals (ODIs) and a Test match – Sri Lanka’s inaugural Test – which ended in a seven wicket victory for the guests. It was a day when all other activity in the island came to a virtual standstill as the P. Saravanamuttu Stadium in Colombo was the cynosure of all eyes.

From the President of Sri Lanka J. R. Jayewardene to the legendary one-man cheerleader Percy Abeysekera (who had long sung “ICC, Sir, when can we call you ‘friend’?”), everyone’s attention was riveted by the history being made at the Oval. In typical islander – and quintessential Percy – style, the refrain that day was “Now, we can call you ‘friend’!”

And it was certainly a proud moment for all islanders – to say nothing of the scores of national cricketers and their legions of fans, as well as aficionados of the gentlemen’s game – when Sri Lanka was admitted as a full member to the International Cricket Council (ICC) and awarded Test status on 21 July 1981.

None more so than for minister Gamini Dissanayake – President of the Board of Control for Cricket in Sri Lanka (BCCSL) – who was instrumental in securing this badge of belonging in the big league for ‘our boys’ who had played a perennial summer game.

The eighth nation to be granted Test status and gain entry to the ICC’s hallowed ranks, Sri Lanka’s international cricketing career has seen both harrowing disasters and halcyon days with the hallmark of their cricketers – as with the millions of islanders the national team represents – being grit, the ability to bounce back and ‘take it on the bump’ with that cheery tropical smile.

The eighth nation to be granted Test status and gain entry to the ICC’s hallowed ranks, Sri Lanka’s international cricketing career has seen both harrowing disasters and halcyon days