Bandula Warnapura – an appreciation

Bandula Warnapura 

By Jayantha Seneviratne

My very close association with Bandula Warnapura, or ‘Bandu’ as he was fondly called by his vast circle of friends and associates, goes back as far as 1965. More than being contemporaries in school, it was cricket that paved the way for Bandu and myself to build up a close rapport, even as schoolboys, as we both played in tandem for Nalanda Under 14, 16, and first XI, respectively. During his very promising school cricket career, his performances had been truly remarkable in addition to his excellent leadership qualities which were a cut above the rest. So much so, he was the unanimous choice for the captaincy of the All-island Schools' cricket team that toured India in 1970. In 1971, he skilfully led Nalanda in the traditional big match against Ananda. Bandu scored a record 118, which superseded the long-standing record of 111 not out held by P.M. Jayathilake – yet another Nalandian. In the annals of the Ananda vs Nalanda cricket series, the names of Warnapura’s take pride of place. In fact, the unique record still stands with his two sons – Madura in 2004 and Madawa in 2008 followed in their father's footsteps by captaining Nalanda in the big matches. It would be pertinent to mention here that previously it was held by my late father G.W.G. Seneviratne and elder brother Palitha Seneviratne. Incidentally, both Madura and Madawa achieved this rare feat during my tenure as cricket coach of Nalanda. Since leaving school, Bandu continued playing for Bloomfield – the only club he represented throughout – and was a force to be reckoned with, especially among leading club players. Under his stewardship, coupled with his tactical acumen, we became champs of the prestigious P. Sara trophy and later clinched the Honda trophy as well in 1981. He steered Bloomfield cricket to great heights, having led the club side from 1976 to 1978 and 1981. Bandu reached the pinnacle of his cricket career when he was appointed to lead Sri Lanka in 1982 against England in the country’s inaugural Test, thus adding a unique gem to his crown of cricket, so to speak. Since then, the many firsts he achieved in Test and World Cup cricket are too numerous to elaborate. It was rather unfortunate and sad that this illustrious cricketer was forced out of reckoning, along with some other promising cricketers of that era, due to their participation in a controversial rebel tour of South Africa in late 1982. The unholy ban of 25 years from all levels of cricket effectively ended Bandu’s career as a cricketer.

Up to the time of his sudden demise, Bandu served as a consultant for the maintenance of the Nalanda cricket grounds on behalf of the Old Nalandians Sports Club, in which he was a patron having served as its president from 1993 to 2000. He was one of the pioneers who joined a few of us to form the Col. Henry Steele Olcott Sports Foundation in 1999, of which he was one of the past presidents and supported us to bring the foundation to what it is today. He was also involved in the over 40 Lanka Cavaliers Veterans cricket team and served as the second President.

The cricket board wasted no time in harnessing his services and appointed him as Manager of the Sri Lanka team, Director Coaching and Director Operations. He was a much respected and lively cricket commentator over radio and TV showcasing his varied talents. As often it happens, and unfortunately so, his forthright approach and dealings were anathema for some, which forced Bandu to take up yet another challenging task as Director Cricket Development of the Asian Cricket Council based in Malaysia. In 2019 Bandu became the President of Bloomfield, and until his brief illness, he was actively involved in his pursuance to develop the club and its cricket. We surely will miss the timely wit and lovely camaraderie, which was a hallmark of Bandu. I for one, as someone who has had a very long, memorable and valuable friendship spanning over five decades with Bandu, could not believe his sudden demise. I was under quarantine in Kandy with the Sri Lanka ‘A’ team, and it still pains me a lot that I could not pay my last respects to Bandu who had always been a good and sincere friend in both good times and bad. We all will remember him with much love and respect, not only for his invaluable contribution towards cricket, but also for the rare human qualities that he always displayed. May he attain the supreme bliss of Nirvana.