Wirantha Fernando
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born |
6 February 1959 Ceylon | ||||||||||||||
| Died |
17 April 2000 (aged 41) Colombo, Sri Lanka | ||||||||||||||
| Batting style | Right-handed batsman | ||||||||||||||
| Role | Batsman | ||||||||||||||
| Domestic team information | |||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | ||||||||||||||
| 1989-1990 | Colts Cricket Club | ||||||||||||||
| 1993 | Moratuwa Sports Club | ||||||||||||||
| Career statistics | |||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||
| Source: CricketArchive | |||||||||||||||
Wirantha Fernando (6 February 1959 - 17 April 2000) was a Sri Lankan first-class cricketer and politician.
Cricket career
Fernando, who went to Prince of Wales' College in Moratuwa, captained the Combined Schools team in his youth.[1] He represented the Sri Lanka Under-19 cricket team in a tour of Pakistan in 1976 and again in 1978, when the Australia Under-19 cricket team came to the island.[2]
A right-handed middle order batsman, Fernando played for the Colts Cricket Club throughout the 1980s and had the distinction of captaining them in all five matches they played in the 1988/89 Lakspray Trophy, the first time the tournament had first-class status.[3] He was the club's leading run-scorer that season with 208 runs at 52.00, which included three half centuries.[4]
In the 1989/90 Lakspray Trophy, Fernando handed over the captaincy to Rupanath Wickramaratne and amassed only 130 runs in the three matches he played, but did score his maiden first-class century, an innings of 111 against Moratuwa Sports Club at the Colts Cricket Club Ground.[5][5]
Fernando didn't play at first-class level in either of the next two seasons, then returned in 1992/93, with the Moratuwa Sports Club. He appeared in all five matches of Moratuwa's Saravanamuttu Trophy campaign, which saw them not lose a match and finish second in Group B.[6] His own contributions were minimal, making 163 runs at 32.60.[7]
Politics
A member of the People's Alliance, Fernando served as the Minister of Fisheries in the Western Provincial Council.[8]
Murder
On the night of 14 April 2000, after a visit to Chilaw Hospital, Wirantha arrived at his sister-in-law's house in Kurana and along with his driver was involved in a confrontation with two cyclists.[9] The cyclists later returned to the house, in a mob of 20 people, armed with knives and swords.[10] They made their way into the house and attacked the residents.[9] Fernando was the most seriously injured and was taken to Colombo National Hospital, where he later died.[9]
References
- ↑ Daily News,"Kusal – first Cambrian to lead Sri Lanka under 19 team", 26 August 2013
- ↑ "Miscellaneous Matches Played By Wirantha Fernando (21)". CricketArchive.
- ↑ "Lakspray Trophy 1988/89". CricketArchive.
- ↑ "Batting And Fielding For Colts Cricket Club". CricketArchive.
- 1 2 "Colts Cricket Club v Moratuwa Sports Club in 1989/90". CricketArchive.
- ↑ "Saravanamuttu Trophy 1992/93". CricketArchive.
- ↑ "Batting And Fielding For Moratuwa Sports Club". CricketArchive.
- ↑ The Sunday Times,"Jayatilleke shines at powerlifting meet", 19 December 1999
- 1 2 3 The Sunday Times,"Crime time", 23 April 2000, Leon Berenger and Chris Kamalendran
- ↑ The Sunday Times,"Mob attacks provincial minister", 16 April 2013