Dearest Sanga!
Today is one of the unforgettable days in my life and it is pleasure to have this great chance to meet you. In another words, 'It is a dream come true'.
Basically I am from northern part of Sri Lanka. As you mentioned in your Cowdrey Lecture at MCC, survival of life became as a daily part of our life in the early 1990s. During the 1996 World Cup, we were displaced from our homelands due to ‘Rivi Rasa’ military project. Even though we did not have electricity, I kept listening to the live commentary in radio along with my father. He was the translator for me as I don’t understand both Sinhala and English. My father speaks good Sinhala as he served in Southern Sri Lanka as an Electricity Board Officer. During that time Cricket was the only entertainment for us. I still remember that we managed to watch the Final game with the help of an electricity generator. As you said, that victory brought many changes to the Sri Lankan cricket, in terms of Selection of team and the life style of Cricket players.Cricket players became as heroes to us. We're collecting stickers and posters of them as a hobby.
You were the first Sri Lankan who had been honoured by MCC to be given a chance to deliver a speech. That moment proofed that you’re not only a master in Cricket, but also in English. I appreciate the way you talked about all the facts of team selection before 1995 and how they treated other school boys in SSC. There you mentioned that, your family saved number of Tamils’ life during the saddest riots which happened in 1983. That incident showed how all your family members are good human beings. Your voice cracked towards the end of the speech due to the dryness of your throat. I was quite surprised, that no one noticed the empty glass when you were desperately in need of water. However it was an amazing speech where you re-called all your memories and how it linked with cricket.
I keep watching all your tremendous innings, since my childhood. It is no wonder for you to read the following lines as probably you would have heard or read similar in your past, from other fans of yours. However I have no other vocabulary to describe you due to my lack of knowledge in English. You have a unique style in batting whether it comes to a Test, ODI, or a T20 innings. This talent brought you in the list of World Class batsmen and being part of Sri Lanka cricket for the past 15 years. Apart from batting, it is always so nice to watch you cheering along with your team members whilst standing behind the stumps.
My friend and I had a chance to watch the live innings of which Mahela and you made a remarkable partnership world record, in Test cricket against South Africa at SSC in 2006. During that time, we spoke with Nitini as he was standing nearby the boundary rope. He was stating that, ‘he was running out of ideas to get a break through’. I was proud to hear that from a leading blower. It was an outstanding performance by both of you. Once again I had a chance to watch a live match at Colombo last year during my visit home. As a coincidence, that game was also against South Africa and you made a brilliant ‘not out’ 75. As a result of chasing your innings, today I had an opportunity to meet you here in the Southern tip of England, Brighton. Playing county cricket would be good practice for you, as you are going to meet England in few weeks time.
Few humble requests for you as a well wisher.
I wish you to cross 13,430 runs by the time you retire from ODI. For that I wish you to play all the possible ODI games. However I don't want you to stress yourself physically or mentally. I believe that you have much more (self) confident to achieve as you are less than 1000 runs away from it.
According to cricinfo's news, I read that you had an idea to retire from ODIs after 2015 World Cup. Even though I have no right to interrupt with your personal wish, I still wish you to keep playing for Sri Lanka for another couple of years as you are physically fit enough to do so.
I wish you to enjoy your entire retired life with your wonderful kids and wife rather than entering in to stupid (I am sorry to use this indecent word) politics or into Sri Lanka Cricket board. Rather I would recommend you to take a part in ICC.
As you are the second leading scorer in Test Cricket amongst the Sri Lankan batsmen, I would like to see your retirement innings of Test Cricket in one of the Sri Lankan pitches as like the way Steve Waugh, Sachin and Kallis did. It would be pleasure, if you could make a century at Lord’s test and join the Lord’s century club along with Atapattu, Mahela and Dilshan.
Since you are an ex- student of Trinity College, you visit St. Patricks College of Jaffna in the past couple of years. As I am an ex-student of Jaffna Hindu College, I kindly request you to visit to my school during your next visit to Jaffna and share your valuable experience with our boys. It could be encouraging and an amazing experience for them. Compare to the Southern part of Sri Lanka, we have a lack of facilities and resources in Jaffna. Absence of above being as barrier to produces a player up-to the international standard from Jaffna. I would be thankful to you, if you could create such facilities for them to become as good cricketers in future as we have many hidden talents, which we are unable to bring out.
From the statistics, Sri Lanka is doing well in all the ICC events from 1996. Your team came up to the finals in the past couple of seasons. In this way, I still have hope that your team can be one of the finalists in the upcoming World Cup series. Also I hope to see you and your team live at MCG. You brought the World Cup to Sri Lanka with a fantastic half century. I believe that it would be a full filled retirement innings in your T20 career.
Thank you for spending your precious time reading this letter and spending time with me. I will never forget this wonderful moment.
Good luck for the England tour as well as the rest of your cricket career.
With Love,
Sutharshan Prakash.
Today is one of the unforgettable days in my life and it is pleasure to have this great chance to meet you. In another words, 'It is a dream come true'.
Basically I am from northern part of Sri Lanka. As you mentioned in your Cowdrey Lecture at MCC, survival of life became as a daily part of our life in the early 1990s. During the 1996 World Cup, we were displaced from our homelands due to ‘Rivi Rasa’ military project. Even though we did not have electricity, I kept listening to the live commentary in radio along with my father. He was the translator for me as I don’t understand both Sinhala and English. My father speaks good Sinhala as he served in Southern Sri Lanka as an Electricity Board Officer. During that time Cricket was the only entertainment for us. I still remember that we managed to watch the Final game with the help of an electricity generator. As you said, that victory brought many changes to the Sri Lankan cricket, in terms of Selection of team and the life style of Cricket players.Cricket players became as heroes to us. We're collecting stickers and posters of them as a hobby.
You were the first Sri Lankan who had been honoured by MCC to be given a chance to deliver a speech. That moment proofed that you’re not only a master in Cricket, but also in English. I appreciate the way you talked about all the facts of team selection before 1995 and how they treated other school boys in SSC. There you mentioned that, your family saved number of Tamils’ life during the saddest riots which happened in 1983. That incident showed how all your family members are good human beings. Your voice cracked towards the end of the speech due to the dryness of your throat. I was quite surprised, that no one noticed the empty glass when you were desperately in need of water. However it was an amazing speech where you re-called all your memories and how it linked with cricket.
I keep watching all your tremendous innings, since my childhood. It is no wonder for you to read the following lines as probably you would have heard or read similar in your past, from other fans of yours. However I have no other vocabulary to describe you due to my lack of knowledge in English. You have a unique style in batting whether it comes to a Test, ODI, or a T20 innings. This talent brought you in the list of World Class batsmen and being part of Sri Lanka cricket for the past 15 years. Apart from batting, it is always so nice to watch you cheering along with your team members whilst standing behind the stumps.
My friend and I had a chance to watch the live innings of which Mahela and you made a remarkable partnership world record, in Test cricket against South Africa at SSC in 2006. During that time, we spoke with Nitini as he was standing nearby the boundary rope. He was stating that, ‘he was running out of ideas to get a break through’. I was proud to hear that from a leading blower. It was an outstanding performance by both of you. Once again I had a chance to watch a live match at Colombo last year during my visit home. As a coincidence, that game was also against South Africa and you made a brilliant ‘not out’ 75. As a result of chasing your innings, today I had an opportunity to meet you here in the Southern tip of England, Brighton. Playing county cricket would be good practice for you, as you are going to meet England in few weeks time.
Few humble requests for you as a well wisher.
I wish you to cross 13,430 runs by the time you retire from ODI. For that I wish you to play all the possible ODI games. However I don't want you to stress yourself physically or mentally. I believe that you have much more (self) confident to achieve as you are less than 1000 runs away from it.
According to cricinfo's news, I read that you had an idea to retire from ODIs after 2015 World Cup. Even though I have no right to interrupt with your personal wish, I still wish you to keep playing for Sri Lanka for another couple of years as you are physically fit enough to do so.
I wish you to enjoy your entire retired life with your wonderful kids and wife rather than entering in to stupid (I am sorry to use this indecent word) politics or into Sri Lanka Cricket board. Rather I would recommend you to take a part in ICC.
As you are the second leading scorer in Test Cricket amongst the Sri Lankan batsmen, I would like to see your retirement innings of Test Cricket in one of the Sri Lankan pitches as like the way Steve Waugh, Sachin and Kallis did. It would be pleasure, if you could make a century at Lord’s test and join the Lord’s century club along with Atapattu, Mahela and Dilshan.
Since you are an ex- student of Trinity College, you visit St. Patricks College of Jaffna in the past couple of years. As I am an ex-student of Jaffna Hindu College, I kindly request you to visit to my school during your next visit to Jaffna and share your valuable experience with our boys. It could be encouraging and an amazing experience for them. Compare to the Southern part of Sri Lanka, we have a lack of facilities and resources in Jaffna. Absence of above being as barrier to produces a player up-to the international standard from Jaffna. I would be thankful to you, if you could create such facilities for them to become as good cricketers in future as we have many hidden talents, which we are unable to bring out.
From the statistics, Sri Lanka is doing well in all the ICC events from 1996. Your team came up to the finals in the past couple of seasons. In this way, I still have hope that your team can be one of the finalists in the upcoming World Cup series. Also I hope to see you and your team live at MCG. You brought the World Cup to Sri Lanka with a fantastic half century. I believe that it would be a full filled retirement innings in your T20 career.
Thank you for spending your precious time reading this letter and spending time with me. I will never forget this wonderful moment.
Good luck for the England tour as well as the rest of your cricket career.
With Love,
Sutharshan Prakash.
