Roy Dias
Encyclopedia
Roy Luke Dias is a former Sri Lankan
cricketer
, who played 20 Test matches
as a specialist batsman, and became the first Sri Lankan to hit 1,000 Test runs. He played representative cricket for Sri Lanka from 1979 to 1987, and with his 214 runs in the 1979 ICC Trophy
he was an integral part of Sri Lanka's tournament victory, as he played four matches with a batting average
of 71.33, scoring 214 runs. The victory meant Sri Lanka qualified for the 1979 cricket World Cup
, and, surprisingly, Sri Lanka won one match in that tournament as well. Dias made a patient 50 as Sri Lanka made their way to 238 for 5, before bowling India
out for a meagre 191.
Sri Lanka was promoted to Test status three years later, and Dias was picked for the first Test. He had a difficult start, being dismissed for nought by Bob Willis
as Sri Lanka fell to 11 for 2, but battled better in the second innings against England
's spinners Derek Underwood
and John Emburey
. He made 77, but when he departed and the third wicket fell, Sri Lanka fell apart from 140 for 3 to 175 all out, and England chased 171 to win with relative ease.
Indeed, Sri Lanka's first Test matches were promising, but in the end it often ran away from them at crucial moments. An example of this would be Dias' third Test, which was the second Test of three in Pakistan
. Batting first, Sidath Wettimuny
and Dias added 217 for the second wicket, then a Sri Lankan record partnership
for any wicket. That enabled Sri Lanka to be on top, leading by 184 on first innings, but they could not bowl out Pakistan and had to settle for a draw. Sri Lanka went on to lose the series 0-2, despite Dias recording a career best 109 in the Third Test.
Dias continued to make big scores, enjoying a personally good tour of India
in September 1982, where he made his only two ODI centuries, with scores of 39, 102 and 121 in the three-match series. However, India won the series 3-0 after relatively convincing victories. Sri Lanka also played a Test match, and Dias made two fifties as he and Duleep Mendis
cooperated to draw the match.
At the 1983 cricket World Cup
, Sri Lanka
only won one match, and Dias contributed with his only fifty of the series. Pairing up with 80 for the third wicket with Brendon Kuruppu
, Dias anchored the chase to 182, ending with 64 not out as Sri Lanka won by three wickets.
Sri Lanka continually improved, at least in Test cricket
, but Dias' career went the other way. He made few big scores in Tests, but he made quite a few fifties in losing causes in ODIs. Then, in September 1985, India
came to tour - a tour which was Sri Lanka's biggest success to date. In the first Test, Dias made 4 and 0, yet Sri Lanka dominated thanks to centuries from Ranjan Madugalle
and Arjuna Ranatunga
- India, however, survived out the five days and the match ended in a draw. However, in the second Test, Dias came in with the score 109 for 2 and made a stroke-filled 95 to lift Sri Lanka to 385. Then, India were bowled out for 244, and trailing by 141, but Dias scored a quick unbeaten 60 as Sri Lanka declared on 206 for 3, setting India 348 in a day. Despite 78 from Kapil Dev
, India were bowled out by 198, and Sri Lanka recorded their first Test victory. Dias then recorded his third and last Test century in the third Test, as Dias survived for five hours with Duleep Mendis
to save a draw and a series victory.
After this, Dias' career took a turn for the worse. He only passed 50 in Tests once again - in a drawn Test with India
were 1096 runs were scored for the fall of only 17 wickets - and poor form saw him being dropped from the ODI side after the first match in the 1987 cricket World Cup
, where he scored 1. He returned for the last match of the 1987 cricket World Cup
, the team having played and lost four matches without him, and while his team-mates failed to pass 40 he recorded 80 in his last international innings. However, the target of 219 was all too small, and Sri Lanka ended up without a single victory in that World Cup.
Sri Lankan cricket team
The Sri Lankan cricket team is the national cricket team of Sri Lanka. The team first played international cricket in 1926–27, and were later awarded Test status in 1981, which made Sri Lanka the eighth Test cricket playing nation...
cricketer
Cricketer
A cricketer is a person who plays the sport of cricket. Official and long-established cricket publications prefer the traditional word "cricketer" over the rarely used term "cricket player"....
, who played 20 Test matches
Test cricket
Test cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council , with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days...
as a specialist batsman, and became the first Sri Lankan to hit 1,000 Test runs. He played representative cricket for Sri Lanka from 1979 to 1987, and with his 214 runs in the 1979 ICC Trophy
1979 ICC Trophy
Canada proved too strong for Malaysia, Rasiah Ratnalingham's excellent analysis of 12-5-18-3 not enough to stop the Canadians winning by 44 runs thanks to 77 from Cecil Marshall and 4-33 from John Vaughan...
he was an integral part of Sri Lanka's tournament victory, as he played four matches with a batting average
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
of 71.33, scoring 214 runs. The victory meant Sri Lanka qualified for the 1979 cricket World Cup
1979 Cricket World Cup
The 1979 Cricket World Cup was the second edition of the tournament and was won by the West Indies. It was held from June 9 to June 23, 1979 in England. The format had remained unchanged from 1975. Eight countries participated in the event. The preliminary matches were played in 2 groups of 4...
, and, surprisingly, Sri Lanka won one match in that tournament as well. Dias made a patient 50 as Sri Lanka made their way to 238 for 5, before bowling India
Indian cricket team
The Indian cricket team is the national cricket team of India. Governed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India , it is a full member of the International Cricket Council with Test and One Day International status....
out for a meagre 191.
Sri Lanka was promoted to Test status three years later, and Dias was picked for the first Test. He had a difficult start, being dismissed for nought by Bob Willis
Bob Willis
Robert George Dylan Willis MBE , known as Bob Willis, is a former English cricketer who played for Surrey, Warwickshire, Northern Transvaal and England...
as Sri Lanka fell to 11 for 2, but battled better in the second innings against England
English cricket team
The England and Wales cricket team is a cricket team which represents England and Wales. Until 1992 it also represented Scotland. Since 1 January 1997 it has been governed by the England and Wales Cricket Board , having been previously governed by Marylebone Cricket Club from 1903 until the end...
's spinners Derek Underwood
Derek Underwood
Derek Underwood MBE is an English former international cricketer, and a former President of the MCC....
and John Emburey
John Emburey
John Ernest Emburey is a former English cricketer, who played for Middlesex, Northamptonshire, Western Province, Berkshire and England....
. He made 77, but when he departed and the third wicket fell, Sri Lanka fell apart from 140 for 3 to 175 all out, and England chased 171 to win with relative ease.
Indeed, Sri Lanka's first Test matches were promising, but in the end it often ran away from them at crucial moments. An example of this would be Dias' third Test, which was the second Test of three in Pakistan
Pakistani cricket team
The Pakistan cricket team is the national cricket team of Pakistan. Pakistan, represented by the Pakistan Cricket Board , is a full member of the International Cricket Council, and thus participates in , and cricket matches....
. Batting first, Sidath Wettimuny
Sidath Wettimuny
Sidath Wettimuny is a former Sri Lankan cricketer, who played Test cricket and One Day Internationals as an opening batsman from 1982 to 1987...
and Dias added 217 for the second wicket, then a Sri Lankan record partnership
Partnership (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, two batsmen always bat in partnership, although only one is on strike at any time. The partnership between two batsmen will come to an end when one of them is dismissed or retires, or the innings comes to a close In the sport of cricket, two batsmen always bat in...
for any wicket. That enabled Sri Lanka to be on top, leading by 184 on first innings, but they could not bowl out Pakistan and had to settle for a draw. Sri Lanka went on to lose the series 0-2, despite Dias recording a career best 109 in the Third Test.
Dias continued to make big scores, enjoying a personally good tour of India
Indian cricket team
The Indian cricket team is the national cricket team of India. Governed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India , it is a full member of the International Cricket Council with Test and One Day International status....
in September 1982, where he made his only two ODI centuries, with scores of 39, 102 and 121 in the three-match series. However, India won the series 3-0 after relatively convincing victories. Sri Lanka also played a Test match, and Dias made two fifties as he and Duleep Mendis
Duleep Mendis
Louis Rohan Duleep Mendis is a former Sri Lankan cricketer, who captained Sri Lanka to their first Test series victory in 1985. He was primarily a specialist batsman, whose best period as a player came from 1982 to 1985. His first years of school were spent at St. Sebastian's College, Moratuwa...
cooperated to draw the match.
At the 1983 cricket World Cup
1983 Cricket World Cup
The 1983 ICC Cricket World Cup was the third edition of the ICC Cricket World Cup tournament. It was held from 9 June to 25 June 1983 in England and was won by India. Eight countries participated in the event. The preliminary matches were played in two groups of four teams each, and each...
, Sri Lanka
Sri Lankan cricket team
The Sri Lankan cricket team is the national cricket team of Sri Lanka. The team first played international cricket in 1926–27, and were later awarded Test status in 1981, which made Sri Lanka the eighth Test cricket playing nation...
only won one match, and Dias contributed with his only fifty of the series. Pairing up with 80 for the third wicket with Brendon Kuruppu
Brendon Kuruppu
Don Sardha Brendon Priyantha Kuruppu is a former Sri Lankan wicket-keeper and opening batsman. He was often used in ODIs, as he played 54 from 1983 to 1990, but his Test career was largely unremarkable but for one productive innings in Colombo....
, Dias anchored the chase to 182, ending with 64 not out as Sri Lanka won by three wickets.
Sri Lanka continually improved, at least in Test cricket
Test cricket
Test cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council , with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days...
, but Dias' career went the other way. He made few big scores in Tests, but he made quite a few fifties in losing causes in ODIs. Then, in September 1985, India
Indian cricket team
The Indian cricket team is the national cricket team of India. Governed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India , it is a full member of the International Cricket Council with Test and One Day International status....
came to tour - a tour which was Sri Lanka's biggest success to date. In the first Test, Dias made 4 and 0, yet Sri Lanka dominated thanks to centuries from Ranjan Madugalle
Ranjan Madugalle
Ranjan Senerath Madugalle is a former Sri Lankan cricketer who became a match referee in 1993. He was educated at Trinity College, Kandy, and Royal College, Colombo....
and Arjuna Ranatunga
Arjuna Ranatunga
Arjuna Ranatunga is a retired Sri Lankan cricketer and politician. He was the captain of Sri Lankan cricket team, and led them to an unbeaten title-winning campaign at the 1996 Cricket World Cup...
- India, however, survived out the five days and the match ended in a draw. However, in the second Test, Dias came in with the score 109 for 2 and made a stroke-filled 95 to lift Sri Lanka to 385. Then, India were bowled out for 244, and trailing by 141, but Dias scored a quick unbeaten 60 as Sri Lanka declared on 206 for 3, setting India 348 in a day. Despite 78 from Kapil Dev
Kapil Dev
Kapil Dev Ramlal Nikhanj , better known as Kapil Dev, is a former Indian cricketer. He captained the Indian cricket team which won the 1983 Cricket World Cup...
, India were bowled out by 198, and Sri Lanka recorded their first Test victory. Dias then recorded his third and last Test century in the third Test, as Dias survived for five hours with Duleep Mendis
Duleep Mendis
Louis Rohan Duleep Mendis is a former Sri Lankan cricketer, who captained Sri Lanka to their first Test series victory in 1985. He was primarily a specialist batsman, whose best period as a player came from 1982 to 1985. His first years of school were spent at St. Sebastian's College, Moratuwa...
to save a draw and a series victory.
After this, Dias' career took a turn for the worse. He only passed 50 in Tests once again - in a drawn Test with India
Indian cricket team
The Indian cricket team is the national cricket team of India. Governed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India , it is a full member of the International Cricket Council with Test and One Day International status....
were 1096 runs were scored for the fall of only 17 wickets - and poor form saw him being dropped from the ODI side after the first match in the 1987 cricket World Cup
1987 Cricket World Cup
The 1987 Cricket World Cup was the fourth edition of the ICC Cricket World Cup tournament. It was held from October 8 to November 8, 1987 in India and Pakistan — the first held outside England. The format was unchanged from 1983 except for a reduction in the number of overs a team played from 60...
, where he scored 1. He returned for the last match of the 1987 cricket World Cup
1987 Cricket World Cup
The 1987 Cricket World Cup was the fourth edition of the ICC Cricket World Cup tournament. It was held from October 8 to November 8, 1987 in India and Pakistan — the first held outside England. The format was unchanged from 1983 except for a reduction in the number of overs a team played from 60...
, the team having played and lost four matches without him, and while his team-mates failed to pass 40 he recorded 80 in his last international innings. However, the target of 219 was all too small, and Sri Lanka ended up without a single victory in that World Cup.