Joseph Ravindran Ratnayeke (born 2 May 1960), is a Sri Lankan businessman and former cricketer[1] who was ODI captain of Sri Lanka national cricket team. Ratnayeke played 22 Tests and 78 ODIs from 1982 to 1990, his Test best bowling performance of eight wickets for 83 runs at Jinnah Stadium (Sialkot) Pakistan was a Sri Lankan Test record at the time, and was also vice captain to Arjuna Ranatunga.[2]
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Joseph Ravindran Ratnayeke | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 2 May 1960 Colombo, Dominion of Ceylon | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Batting | Left-handed | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowling | Right-arm fast-medium | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Role | All-rounder | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| National side |
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| Test debut (cap 12) | 5 March 1982 v Pakistan | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last Test | 16 December 1989 v Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ODI debut (cap 25) | 12 March 1982 v Pakistan | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last ODI | 2 May 1990 v Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Domestic team information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1989 | Nondescripts | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career statistics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source: Cricinfo, 23 January 2013 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
He left Sri Lankan citizenship in 1990 and is now Australian.[1]
Ratnayeke was described by Cricinfo writer Johann Jayasekera as able "to bowl with a lively pace and move the ball in favourable conditions", and also as "a competent batsman".[3]
Education
editHe was educated at St. Anthony's College, Kandy and later moved to Trinity College Kandy.
Domestic career
editRatnayake made his debut in first class cricket for Sri Lanka Under–25s against Tamil Nadu Under–25s in 1980–81. Opening the bowling with Ashantha de Mel, Ratnayeke took three wickets, and impressed the Sri Lankan selectors enough to go on tour of England in 1981. Playing six[4] of Sri Lanka's fifteen matches on tour,[5] Ratnayeke took nine wickets,[6] five of which came in one match against Sussex.[7]
When Sri Lanka played their first Test match in February 1982, against England, Ratnayeke did not feature in the XI, though Wisden Cricketer's Almanack said after the series that leaving Ratnayeke out "gave their captain an unbalanced attack in which only De Mel was more than medium pace".[8]
International career
editHe did play a tour match for the Sri Lanka Board President's XI, taking five wickets for 120, and when Sri Lanka went to Pakistan the following month, he played the first and third Tests and all three ODIs. Ratnayeke was said to "improve as the tour progressed" by Wisden,[9] though he was noted as a bowler who gave little support to Sri Lanka's main three.[9] Ratnayeke took three of Sri Lanka's seven wickets in the final Test at Lahore, which Sri Lanka lost by an innings and 120 runs, and also the wicket of Zaheer Abbas in the second ODI, which Sri Lanka won on scoring rate.[10]
After cricket
editRatnayeke retired from cricket at the age of 30, at the end of the 1989–90 season. Shortly after, he emigrated to Perth, Australia, where he played grade cricket. He and his family later moved to Melbourne, where he gained a job with Amcor, a packaging company. Ratnayeke currently lives in Rowville, Victoria, with his wife and two children, and holds Australian citizenship.[11]
References
edit- ^ a b "Melbourne's Sri Lankan connection".
- ^ Vaas: Lanka`s unsung hero from LankaNewspapers.com, retrieved 1 May 2006
- ^ Ravi Ratnayeke at ESPNcricinfo
- ^ First-Class Matches played by Ravi Ratnayeke (71) from CricketArchive, retrieved 1 May 2006
- ^ Sri Lanka in England 1981 Archived 3 June 2012 at the Wayback Machine from CricketArchive, retrieved 1 May 2006
- ^ First-class Bowling in England for 1981 (Ordered by Average) from CricketArchive, retrieved 1 May 2006
- ^ Sussex v Sri Lankans in 1981, from CricketArchive, published on 1 May 2006
- ^ SRI LANKA v ENGLAND 1981–82, from the 1983 Wisden Cricketer's Almanack, published on Cricinfo.com, retrieved 1 May 2006
- ^ a b The Sri Lankans in Pakistan, 1981–82, from the 1983 Wisden Cricketer's Almanack, published on Cricinfo.com, retrieved 1 May 2006
- ^ 2nd ODI: Pakistan v Sri Lanka at Lahore, 29 Mar 1982
- ^ Coverdale, Brydon (24 December 2012). "Melbourne's Sri Lankan connection". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 23 January 2013.