Stanley Jayasinghe honoured by ONSC
Stanley Jayasinghe, the first Nalanda cricketer to represent Sri Lanka during the pre-Test era, was honoured at a felicitation ceremony organised by the Old Nalandians Sports Club (ONSC).
The event held at the Malalasekara Theatre Hall of Nalanda College, was graced by two iconic Nalanda cricketers – Bandula Warnapura, the first Test captain of Sri Lanka and Roshan Mahanama, a key member of the 1996 World Cup winning team, as guests of honour.
Jayasinghe, a right- handed batsman and an occasional offspin bowler, made his international debut on the tour of Pakistan in 1950 as a schoolboy while captaining Nalanda.
He had the distinction of scoring his maiden century, the first by a Sri Lankan cricketer in Pakistan. The following year, he was crowned Sportsman of the Year by the Times of Ceylon.
During the early 1950s, while being a successful columnist, the all-rounder continued his cricket career playing for the SSC, NCC and Nomads Sports Club, but the love towards his alma- mater made him an assistant coach of Nalanda later on.
"Stanley used to come after our practices, and he'll only see us for a short time. But the advice he gave and the efforts he put in that time, not only developed us to achieve national level but also excel in international level," stated Bandula Warnapura.
Although it was very challenging to pursue a professional career for cricketers in Ceylon in that era, Jayasinghe's enthusiastic commitment reserved him a place in league cricket in England in 1956. He was invited by Leicestershire County Cricket Club and the Indian Cricket Board to represent the Prime Minister's XI against a Commonwealth team in Bombay in 1960, before deciding to retire in 1968.
In spite of his on- field retirement, the avid engagement Jayasinghe had on cricket pushed him further to get involved in the administration of nation's cricket. He had been the ministry representative of the cricket selection committee, national cricket coach and manager of Sri Lanka team on New Zealand and West Indies tours. In fact, he was the first to introduce a mechanised roller to prepare wickets, which he did at CCC grounds prior to the West Indies tour.
"The advices which he gave before playing in England soil were remarkable. And his administration skills were really inspiring for us, especially how he handled an issue we faced in New Zealand," stated Roshan Mahanama.
Apart from cricket, Jayasinghe is also renowned for his community services in building a better lifestyle for people in the rural area. The oldest living Sri Lankan cricketer celebrated his 90th birthday on January 19.
ONSC decided to organise this ceremony to give tribute to this prominent nonagenarian. The ceremony was held under the health guidelines issued by the authorities, with the gathering of all the past Nalandian cricketers, who had the opportunity to recollect their memories in this nostalgic evening.