Sidath Wettimuny
Encyclopedia
Sidath Wettimuny is a former Sri Lankan
cricketer
, who played Test cricket
and One Day Internationals as an opening batsman
from 1982 to 1987. Wettimuny was a typical opening batsman in that he often played very defensively, grafting for his runs, and his ODI strike rate of 48 shows this quite clearly.
Wettimuny made his international debut with a composed 46 in an ODI with England
, which left the required run rate too high for his team-mates to chase. However, he got his revenge in the next match the following day - the last of the 2-match series - where he scored 86 not out
, his highest ODI score, which boosted Sri Lanka to 215 in their 45 overs
. Sri Lanka won the match by three runs, thus drawing their first ODI series.
Wettimuny did not impress in his first Test match, however, scoring only 15 runs in two innings as England
won by seven wickets. But in the 1981-82 tour of Pakistan
, he established his place in the team, scoring 71 in the first Test before recording Sri Lanka's first Test century
at Faisalabad
. Spending over six hours at the crease, he managed 157 runs, powering Sri Lanka to 454. Sri Lanka eventually drew the Test, failing to bowl Pakistan out in 59 overs, but it was Sri Lanka's first non-loss in Test cricket. Sri Lanka lost the last Test, despite Wettimuny top-scoring with 41 in the second innings, but Wettimuny would be rather pleased with his tour personally.
He also impressed in ODIs, making 37 in the first of four ODIs against Australia
in 1982-83. Sri Lanka won the match, their first ODI win in seven matches, and went on to win the second as well thanks to 56 from Wettimuny. Two matches were rained off, and so Sri Lanka won their first ODI series, but they were quickly brought down to earth as Australia won the Test match by an innings and 38 runs. Wettimuny made 96 in the second innings as Sri Lanka were bowled out for 205.
The ODI fifty against Australia would turn out to be his penultimate - indeed, he only passed 35 once again, in the 1983 World Cup
against Pakistan
. However, it took him 127 balls
, and when he was out
at 162 for 3 Sri Lanka needed plenty of runs quickly. Despite a blitzing 26 from Ranjan Madugalle
, Sri Lanka lost too many wickets to Abdul Qadir
, and fell 11 runs short. After this, Wettimuny suffered a poor run of form, only scoring 115 runs at an average
of 12.77 in the following nine matches. He was dropped from the team after the 1984-85 World Series Cup
, but returned for one last match against India
in 1986-87. He made 14 before being bowled
by Raju Kulkarni
.
He also suffered a form slump in Tests, but that was not quite as brutal, and he was never dropped from the Test team. Despite recording eight single-figure scores between the 1982-83 tour of New Zealand
and the end of the 1983-84, but that period also included three Test fifties. On one of those occasions, at Wellington
, he carried his bat through the Sri Lankan innings. And he paid up for his lean streak with his second Test century on the 1984
tour of England
. Batting for eleven hours in a match frequently interrupted by rain, he eked out 190, which gave Sri Lanka a 121-run first innings lead. However, that had taken four days to achieve, and Sri Lanka opted to bat out the fifth day for a draw. Wettimuny only made 13 in the second innings, but he had set a new Sri Lankan record highest score, which stood until Brendon Kuruppu
passed it with Sri Lanka's first Test double century in a 1986-87 Test against New Zealand
. The 190 also made an imprint in the minds of English cricket fans, as he was made Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1985, the first Sri Lankan to be thus honoured, and only the fifth Sri Lankan to date.
After that century, however, Wettimuny's Test form went the same way as his ODI form. Despite hitting two fifties, he had too many scores below 20, and the 12 Tests following the England tour only yielded 402 runs at an average of 19.14. Wettimuny never got into control of the pitches
in his home country, as he averaged a paltry 18.19 with the bat at home - an average more usually associated with a bowling all-rounder - but 39.95 overseas.
His brothers Mithra
and Sunil
also played cricket for 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...
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 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...
and One Day Internationals as an opening batsman
Batting order (cricket)
In cricket, the batting order is the sequence in which batsmen play through their team's innings, there always being two batsmen taking part at any one time...
from 1982 to 1987. Wettimuny was a typical opening batsman in that he often played very defensively, grafting for his runs, and his ODI strike rate of 48 shows this quite clearly.
Wettimuny made his international debut with a composed 46 in an ODI with 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...
, which left the required run rate too high for his team-mates to chase. However, he got his revenge in the next match the following day - the last of the 2-match series - where he scored 86 not out
Not out
In cricket, a batsman will be not out if he comes out to bat in an innings and has not been dismissed by the end of the innings. One may similarly describe a batsman as not out while the innings is still in progress...
, his highest ODI score, which boosted Sri Lanka to 215 in their 45 overs
Over (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, an over is a set of six consecutive balls bowled in succession. An over is normally bowled by a single bowler. However, in the event of injury preventing a bowler from completing an over, it is completed by a teammate....
. Sri Lanka won the match by three runs, thus drawing their first ODI series.
Wettimuny did not impress in his first Test match, however, scoring only 15 runs in two innings as 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...
won by seven wickets. But in the 1981-82 tour of 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....
, he established his place in the team, scoring 71 in the first Test before recording Sri Lanka's first Test century
Century (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, a batsman reaches his century when he scores 100 or more runs in a single innings. The term is also included in "century partnership" which occurs when two batsmen add 100 runs to the team total when they are batting together. A century is regarded as a landmark score for...
at Faisalabad
Iqbal Stadium
Iqbal Stadium is a Test cricket ground in Faisalabad, Pakistan. Previous names for the ground include Lyallpur Stadium, National Stadium, and City Stadium. The current name honours Pakistani poet Sir Allama Muhammad Iqbal. Capacity is 25,000. It has hosted 25 Test matches and 14 One Day...
. Spending over six hours at the crease, he managed 157 runs, powering Sri Lanka to 454. Sri Lanka eventually drew the Test, failing to bowl Pakistan out in 59 overs, but it was Sri Lanka's first non-loss in Test cricket. Sri Lanka lost the last Test, despite Wettimuny top-scoring with 41 in the second innings, but Wettimuny would be rather pleased with his tour personally.
He also impressed in ODIs, making 37 in the first of four ODIs against Australia
Australian cricket team
The Australian cricket team is the national cricket team of Australia. It is the joint oldest team in Test cricket, having played in the first Test match in 1877...
in 1982-83. Sri Lanka won the match, their first ODI win in seven matches, and went on to win the second as well thanks to 56 from Wettimuny. Two matches were rained off, and so Sri Lanka won their first ODI series, but they were quickly brought down to earth as Australia won the Test match by an innings and 38 runs. Wettimuny made 96 in the second innings as Sri Lanka were bowled out for 205.
The ODI fifty against Australia would turn out to be his penultimate - indeed, he only passed 35 once again, in the 1983 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...
against 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....
. However, it took him 127 balls
Delivery (cricket)
A delivery or ball in cricket is a single action of bowling a cricket ball towards the batsman.During play of the game, a member of the fielding team is designated as the bowler, and bowls deliveries towards the batsman...
, and when he was out
Dismissal (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, a dismissal occurs when the batsman is out . Colloquially, the fielding team is also said to have snared, bagged or captured a wicket. At this point a batsman must discontinue batting and leave the field permanently for the innings...
at 162 for 3 Sri Lanka needed plenty of runs quickly. Despite a blitzing 26 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....
, Sri Lanka lost too many wickets to Abdul Qadir
Abdul Qadir (cricketer)
Abdul Qadir Khan is a former Pakistani international cricketer, later commentator and was recently the Chief Selector of Pakistan Cricket Board. He resigned from the post because of his differences with the top brass of Pakistan cricket board...
, and fell 11 runs short. After this, Wettimuny suffered a poor run of form, only scoring 115 runs at an 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 12.77 in the following nine matches. He was dropped from the team after the 1984-85 World Series Cup
World Series Cup
The World Series Cup was the name of the One Day International cricket tournament that took place in Australia every season between Australia and two touring teams from 1979-80 to 1995-96. The tournament was renamed the World Series from 1990-1. This was the very first of the One Day International ...
, but returned for one last match against 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 1986-87. He made 14 before being bowled
Bowled
Bowled is a method of dismissing a batsman in the sport of cricket. This method of dismissal is covered by Law 30 of the Laws of cricket.A batsman is out bowled if his wicket is put down by a ball delivered by the bowler...
by Raju Kulkarni
Raju Kulkarni
Rajiv Ramesh Kulkarni is a former Indian cricketer. He played domestic cricket for Mumbai as a pace and swing bowler...
.
He also suffered a form slump in Tests, but that was not quite as brutal, and he was never dropped from the Test team. Despite recording eight single-figure scores between the 1982-83 tour of New Zealand
New Zealand cricket team
The New Zealand cricket team, nicknamed the Black Caps, are the national cricket team representing New Zealand. They played their first in 1930 against England in Christchurch, New Zealand, becoming the fifth country to play Test cricket. It took the team until 1955–56 to win a Test, against the...
and the end of the 1983-84, but that period also included three Test fifties. On one of those occasions, at Wellington
Basin Reserve
The Basin Reserve , is a cricket ground in Wellington, New Zealand, used for Test, first-class and one-day cricket. Some argue that its proximity to the city, its Historic Place status and its age make it the most famous cricket ground in New Zealand...
, he carried his bat through the Sri Lankan innings. And he paid up for his lean streak with his second Test century on the 1984
1984 English cricket season
The 1984 English cricket season saw a continued dominance by the best-ever Essex team who won a second successive County Championship and also won the Sunday League.-Honours:*County Championship - Essex*NatWest Trophy - Middlesex...
tour of 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...
. Batting for eleven hours in a match frequently interrupted by rain, he eked out 190, which gave Sri Lanka a 121-run first innings lead. However, that had taken four days to achieve, and Sri Lanka opted to bat out the fifth day for a draw. Wettimuny only made 13 in the second innings, but he had set a new Sri Lankan record highest score, which stood until 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....
passed it with Sri Lanka's first Test double century in a 1986-87 Test against New Zealand
New Zealand cricket team
The New Zealand cricket team, nicknamed the Black Caps, are the national cricket team representing New Zealand. They played their first in 1930 against England in Christchurch, New Zealand, becoming the fifth country to play Test cricket. It took the team until 1955–56 to win a Test, against the...
. The 190 also made an imprint in the minds of English cricket fans, as he was made Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1985, the first Sri Lankan to be thus honoured, and only the fifth Sri Lankan to date.
After that century, however, Wettimuny's Test form went the same way as his ODI form. Despite hitting two fifties, he had too many scores below 20, and the 12 Tests following the England tour only yielded 402 runs at an average of 19.14. Wettimuny never got into control of the pitches
Cricket pitch
In the game of cricket, the cricket pitch consists of the central strip of the cricket field between the wickets - 1 chain or 22 yards long and 10 feet wide. The surface is very flat and normally covered with extremely short grass though this grass is soon removed by wear at the ends of the...
in his home country, as he averaged a paltry 18.19 with the bat at home - an average more usually associated with a bowling all-rounder - but 39.95 overseas.
His brothers Mithra
Mithra Wettimuny
Mithra de Silva Wettimuny is a former Sri Lankan cricketer who played in 2 Tests and one ODI in 1983. His brothers Sunil and Sidath have also played cricket at international level....
and Sunil
Sunil Wettimuny
Sunil Ramsay de Silva Wettimuny is a former Sri Lankan cricketer who played three ODIs between 1975 to 1979. Sunil is the oldest of the two other Sri Lankan cricketers, Mithra and Sidath.-External links:*...
also played cricket for Sri Lanka.
External links
- Ananda-NalandaAnanda-NalandaAnanda - Nalanda is a cricket match played between Ananda College Colombo, and Nalanda College Colombo. It was first played in 1924. Over the years both schools has produced many world famous cricketers....