Sri Lanka have now played about 650 one-day internationals, winning almost as many as they have lost. Of course, in the early days of ODIs, they were not yet in the Test nation club and throughout the 1970s appeared only in World Cups, where they were usually served up as a tasty hors d'hoeuvre for the leading nations.
In 1979 Bandula Warnapura's side enjoyed a famous triumph over neighbours India - featuring Gavaskar, Vengsarkar, Bedi, Venkat and Kapil Dev - in a World Cup fixture at Old Trafford. They failed to make the knockout stage and their next official international was played nearly three years later. In fact, England popped across the water after a Test series against India to play two 45-over games at Colombo followed by Sri Lanka's inaugural Test match. The first took place thirty years ago today.
England fielded a pretty strong side, captained by Keith Fletcher and featuring the likes of Gooch, Gower, Botham, Willis and Underwood. England narrowly took the first, despite losing their last seven wickets for 20 runs. Ah, those were the days! Ashantha de Mel took 4-34 but despite a spirited 51 from Ranasinghe, Sri Lanka ended up five runs short.
The following day, both sides returned to the SCC and Fletcher put the home team into bat first. Wettimuny carried his bat for 86 not out but Botham bowled four maidens and was the star England bowler with 2-29. Set 216 to win, openers Gooch and Geoff Cook compiled a century partnership, the former scoring the lion's share. Ajit de Silva had them both stumped but de Mel was again in good form, conceding only 14 runs from his allocation. Captain Warnapura had Botham caught and bowled for 13 but at 203-5, with Fletcher and a young Mike Gatting at the crease, England looked favorites to win the series 2-0. However, they were slipping behind the asking rate. A couple of expensive overs from the spinners put them firmly in the driving seat but then came another calamitous climax. In just a few overs, Gatting, Taylor, Underwood and Fletcher were all run out. With two balls remaining, Bob Willis threw his bat in the hope of a match-winning boundary. Instead he skied a catch to Madugalle and SRi Lanka had won their very first ODI outside a World Cup.
Three days later they played their very first Test match against the same opposition.
Warnapura won the toss, chose to bat and became the first Sri Lankan to fall, having scored only two runs in 35 minutes. Derek Underwood took 5-28 but England's first innings lead was a mere five runs. De Mel took the first wickets, including Tavare for a two-ball duck, and the spinning de Silvas wheeled away tirelessly for five wickets between them. England's own slow men, Emburey and Underwood engineered an England-like collapse as Sri Lanka slumped from 167-3 to 175 all out, and England emerged triumphant by seven wickets early on the fourth day, Tavare recovering to top-score with 86.
Sri Lanka had joined the family of Test playing nations and had acquitted themselves fairly well. They didn't really become recognised as a truly top side for another decade or so, the Bangladesh of their day Then along came Aravinda da Silva, Muralitharan, Jayasuriya and Vaas, and the rest is history...
