Appu (ha) Army inspires Lankans

Sri Lanka cricket team regained its confidence with a convincing eight-wicket win over India in their crucial CB Series match played in Australia on Tuesday. It was a do or die situation for Sri Lanka who had to win their decisive third league match if they were to keep their chances alive.

It was nice to see Lankan supporters in Australia coming under the Appu Army brigade to match England's famous Barmy Army. Appu Army reminds one of the famous Sinhala name Appuhamy, keeping the truly Lankan traditions Down Under.

Having opened their campaign on an inauspicious note with a rain-hit game against India in Sydney, the Lankans painted a poor picture in suffering a humiliating defeat at the hands of Australia in their second game. Then the Indians had a memorable win over Australia to keep the tournament wide open.

Considering the thrashing Sri Lanka got against the hosts Australia and the manner in which the world champions lost to India, none expected Mahela Jayawardene and his boys to make such a great comeback. It was Tillakaratne Dilshan who was the architect of the Lankan win, smashing an unbeaten 62 off 59 balls. If a couple of more Lankan batsmen could negotiate the Indian and Australian bowling in equal fashion, then Jayawardene's boys should keep their chances alive.

Yet, Sri Lanka remains at the bottom of the points table and the pressure is still on Mahela Jayawardene and his boys. They have to win tomorrow's game against Australia in Perth, if they are to advance to the second spot.

Making it to the final in a competition featuring the high-riding India and world champions Australia is a tough task. But underdogs Sri Lanka could always spring a surprise in a tournament like this. They have a history of doing that. The Indians would never have thought that they would suffer such a defeat at the hands of Sri Lanka, especially after India's morale boosting win against Australia.

Tuesday's win was an inspiration for the Lankan fans not only in Australia but back home too. It was nice to see the Lankan expatriates in their numbers cheer Jayawardene and his team and their backing would definitely be an inspiration for Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka's first win has kept the tri-nation tournament wide open. With Australia's unbeaten record coming to an end, they would make every endeavour to rebuild their cricketing image. On the other hand, India would certainly try to climb a step up the ladder with a title in Australia. Unpredictable Sri Lanka would now give a testing time for both these teams, making the tournament a keenly contested affair.

Sri Lanka team will have to be a little cautious in the remaining games and should make every endeavour to make it to the triangular final. It does not matter who their opponents would be but the target of the Lankans right now should be to win their next two games and keep their chances alive.

Gunaratne Banda no more.

It is with great sorrow that we report the death of former Sri Lanka weightlifter H.M. Gunaratne Banda after a brief illness. Incidentally, he died on the day of his 66th birthday.

A product from the hill capital, Gunaratne Banda was twice appointed as the Secretary of the Sri Lanka Weightlifting Federation and also served as a Vice President of the National Olympic Committee of Sri Lanka. He was a Director at the Ceylinco Insurance Company and had also served as the President of the Ceylinco Sports Club.

He was a versatile sportsman during his day, with a proven track record as a rugby player, bodybuilder, weightlifter and an athlete. He became the first gold medallist at the inaugural National Sports Festival, winning the discus throw 'crown' in 1972.

Gunaratne Banda rendered yeomen service to Sri Lanka sports and was an active figure in the mercantile sector. As a President of the Sri Lanka Weightlifting Federation, Gunaratne Banda played a big role in sports promotion.

I first met Gunaratne Banda nearly 18 years ago when Ceylinco Group offered employment to Sri Lanka's double medallist at the 1990 Beijing Asian Games - Sriyantha Dissanayake.

Gunaratne Banda was also instrumental in finding a sponsorship for woman sprinter Damayanthi Darsha from Ceylinco Group Chairman Deshamanya Lalith Kotelawale. Together with the coach of Dissanayake and Darsha - Sunil Gunawardene, Gunaratne Banda played a key role in athletic promotion too.

He helped many sportsmen and women by finding employment for talented rural stars.

He had the ability of getting all forces together to promote Sri Lanka sports in a big way. He was a popular in the sports circles and was a vital cog in managing teams and played a prominent role at the South Asian Games.

Gunaratne Banda was a champion lifter during his day and a former national record holder. He was instrumental in securing many sports sponsorships from Ceylinco Insurance to many sporting events through the kind assistance from Ajith Gunawardene (Ceylinco General Insurance chief) and R. Renganathan (Ceylinco Life chief).

It was a pity that Gunaratne Banda had his life's journey cut short due to illness. His death is a great loss for Sri Lanka sports, especially to the weightlifting circles.