Bandula Warnapura opened bowling and sometimes bowled accurately at just above medium-pace. He was not great at batting either, scoring 2,280 runs at 25 from 57 First-Class matches and taking 13 wickets.
However, he deserves a place in history, for he was Sri Lanka’s first Test captain.
Warnapura first grabbed eyeballs at 16, on a tour of India for Ceylon Schools, where he scored 392 runs at 78.40.
He had a miserable 1975 World Cup but he took on Dennis Lillee and Jeff Thomson to smash a 39-ball 31. And against Pakistan he removed Sadiq and Mushtaq Mohammad and Wasim Raja for 42.
He led Sri Lanka in the 1979 edition. When Sri Lanka famously upset India in the tournament, Warnapura got rid of Sunil Gavaskar.
The win pushed Sri Lanka’s cause for a Test status to a great extent, and Warnapura did further justice to it when Sri Lanka beat Australia in a 45-over match. Up against a target of 189, Warnapura led from the front with 106.
On their tour of Sri Lanka in 1981-82, England won the first ODI by 5 runs and lost the second. Sri Lanka also played their first Test on that tour, where England were restricted to a 5-run lead. Warnapura gave the charge in the second innings with 38, but from 113 for 1 Sri Lanka collapsed to 170.
On a subsequent tour of Pakistan, Warnapura scored a brilliant 77 at Karachi. Sri Lanka even won the ODI at Lahore. They also had India down at 135 for 7 after they set 175 in the first Test between the two countries, at Madras.
Soon afterwards, Warnapura led the rebel AROSA (named after player-manager Anthony Ralph Opatha and South Africa) side to South Africa and earned a 25-year ban. Warnapura later told that there were speculations that he was not wanted in the national side anymore. AROSA was easily the weakest rebel side to tour South Africa.
However, despite getting banned himself, Warnapura had prevented a young Arjuna Ranatunga from
taking the tour.
Warnapura later became a coach. He was also named Director, Cricket Operations for the Sri Lanka cricket board.
His son Madawa played for four domestic sides and even for Sri Lanka A. Another son Madura played club cricket, while his nephew Malinda played for Sri Lanka A as well. Bandula, Madawa, and Madura are the only instance of a father and two sons to have led Nalanda College in the Battle of the Maroons (against Ananda College).
Abhishek Mukherjee
Career | M | In | R | NO | HS | Avg | BF | SR | 100s | 50s | 4s | 6s | Ct | St |
Test | 4 | 8 | 96 | 0 | 38 | 12.00 | 311 | 30.86 | 0 | 0 | 9 | -- | 2 | 0 |
ODIs | 12 | 12 | 180 | 0 | 77 | 15.00 | 415 | 43.37 | 0 | 1 | 19 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
T20s | 0 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | |
World Cup | 5 | 5 | 79 | 0 | 31 | 15.80 | 217 | 36.40 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
Career | M | B | R | W | Avg | EC | SR | 5WI | 10WM | BBI | BBM |
Test | 4 | 90 | 46 | 0 | -- | 3.066 | -- | 0 | 0 | 0/1 | 0/9 |
ODIs | 12 | 414 | 316 | 8 | 39.50 | 4.579 | 51.75 | 0 | 0 | 3/42 | 3/42 |
T20s | 0 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
World Cup | 5 | 216 | 159 | 4 | 39.75 | 4.416 | 54.00 | 0 | -- | 3/42 | 3/42 |
Test Debut
Sri Lanka v England at P Sara Oval, Colombo, February 17, 1982
Last Test
India v Sri Lanka at MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chepauk, Chennai, September 17, 1982
ODI Debut
Sri Lanka v West Indies at Old Trafford, Manchester, June 7, 1975
Last ODI
India v Sri Lanka at M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore, September 26, 1982
The third installment of the series covers the first Tests for Pakistan (1952), Sri Lanka (1982), Zimbabwe (1992), and Bangladesh (2000).
Bandula Warnapura, Sri Lanka's first Test captain, was a reliable, unyielding opening batsman who could bowl brisk medium-pace.
Bandula Warnapura was handed the captaincy after the regular captain, Anura Tennekoon.
Rajasthan Royals vs Delhi Capitals - Match 7
Rajasthan Royals
Match begins at 19:30 IST (14:00 GMT)
Sri Lanka vs Bangladesh - 1st Test
21 Apr, 2021 10:00 IST
Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Kandy
Sri Lanka vs Bangladesh - 2nd Test
29 Apr, 2021 10:00 IST
Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Kandy
Malaysia vs Netherlands - Match 2
18 Apr, 2021 12:00 IST
Tribhuvan University International Cricket Ground, Kirtipur
Malaysia vs Netherlands - Match 5
21 Apr, 2021 12:00 IST
Tribhuvan University International Cricket Ground, Kirtipur
Zimbabwe vs Pakistan - 1st Test
29 Apr, 2021 13:00 IST
Harare Sports Club, Harare
Nepal vs Netherlands - Match 1
17 Apr, 2021 13:00 IST
Tribhuvan University International Cricket Ground, Kirtipur
19 Apr, 2021 13:00 IST
Tribhuvan University International Cricket Ground, Kirtipur
Nepal vs Netherlands - Match 4
20 Apr, 2021 13:00 IST
Tribhuvan University International Cricket Ground, Kirtipur
22 Apr, 2021 13:00 IST
Tribhuvan University International Cricket Ground, Kirtipur
Zimbabwe vs Pakistan - 1st T20I
21 Apr, 2021 14:30 IST
Harare Sports Club, Harare
Zimbabwe vs Pakistan - 2nd T20I
23 Apr, 2021 14:30 IST
Harare Sports Club, Harare
Zimbabwe vs Pakistan - 3rd T20I
25 Apr, 2021 14:30 IST
Harare Sports Club, Harare
Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Kolkata Knight Riders - Match 10
18 Apr, 2021 15:30 IST
MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai
Punjab Kings vs Sunrisers Hyderabad - Match 14
21 Apr, 2021 15:30 IST
MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai
Chennai Super Kings vs Royal Challengers Bangalore - Match 19
25 Apr, 2021 15:30 IST
Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
Mumbai Indians vs Rajasthan Royals - Match 24
29 Apr, 2021 15:30 IST
Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi
South Africa vs Pakistan - 4th T20I
16 Apr, 2021 18:00 IST
SuperSport Park, Centurion
Punjab Kings vs Chennai Super Kings - Match 8
16 Apr, 2021 19:30 IST
Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
Mumbai Indians vs Sunrisers Hyderabad - Match 9
17 Apr, 2021 19:30 IST
MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai
Delhi Capitals vs Punjab Kings - Match 11
18 Apr, 2021 19:30 IST
Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
Chennai Super Kings vs Rajasthan Royals - Match 12
19 Apr, 2021 19:30 IST
Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
Delhi Capitals vs Mumbai Indians - Match 13
20 Apr, 2021 19:30 IST
MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai
Kolkata Knight Riders vs Chennai Super Kings - Match 15
21 Apr, 2021 19:30 IST
Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Rajasthan Royals - Match 16
22 Apr, 2021 19:30 IST
Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
Punjab Kings vs Mumbai Indians - Match 17
23 Apr, 2021 19:30 IST
MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai
Rajasthan Royals vs Kolkata Knight Riders - Match 18
24 Apr, 2021 19:30 IST
Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Delhi Capitals - Match 20
25 Apr, 2021 19:30 IST
MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai
Punjab Kings vs Kolkata Knight Riders - Match 21
26 Apr, 2021 19:30 IST
Narendra Modi Stadium, Motera, Ahmedabad
Delhi Capitals vs Royal Challengers Bangalore - Match 22
27 Apr, 2021 19:30 IST
Narendra Modi Stadium, Motera, Ahmedabad
Chennai Super Kings vs Sunrisers Hyderabad - Match 23
28 Apr, 2021 19:30 IST
Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi
Delhi Capitals vs Kolkata Knight Riders - Match 25
29 Apr, 2021 19:30 IST
Narendra Modi Stadium, Motera, Ahmedabad
Rajasthan Royals vs Delhi Capitals - Match 7
15 Apr, 2021 19:30 IST | 14:00 GMT
Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
South Africa vs Pakistan - 4th T20I
16 Apr, 2021 18:00 IST | 12:30 GMT
SuperSport Park, Centurion
Punjab Kings vs Chennai Super Kings - Match 8
16 Apr, 2021 19:30 IST | 14:00 GMT
Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
Mumbai Indians vs Sunrisers Hyderabad - Match 9
17 Apr, 2021 19:30 IST | 14:00 GMT
MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai
Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Kolkata Knight Riders - Match 10
18 Apr, 2021 15:30 IST | 10:00 GMT
MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai
Kolkata Knight Riders vs Mumbai Indians - Match 5
Mumbai Indians beat Kolkata Knight Riders by 10 runs
South Africa vs Pakistan - 2nd T20I
South Africa beat Pakistan by 6 wickets
Rajasthan Royals vs Punjab Kings - Match 4
Punjab Kings beat Rajasthan Royals by 4 runs
Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Kolkata Knight Riders - Match 3
Kolkata Knight Riders beat Sunrisers Hyderabad by 10 runs
Chennai Super Kings vs Delhi Capitals - Match 2
Delhi Capitals beat Chennai Super Kings by 7 wickets