I couldn’t sleep when I heard I was playing – Rathnayake

Milan Rathnayake who rescued Sri Lanka’s first innings with his captain Dhananjaya de Silva on the first day of the first Test against England at Old Trafford said that he could not sleep the day before the match after he came to know that he was playing in the final eleven.

Sri Lanka announced their playing 11 a day before the Test and Rathnayake was so overjoyed to hear that he was going to make his Test debut that he went sleepless.

However, it did not affect his concentration in the middle when he came to bat with Sri Lanka tottering on 113-7. He figured in two half-century partnerships with his captain and then with tailender Vishwa Fernando while scoring a 50 on debut to help Sri Lanka recover to a respectable 236 all out.

“When I came to bat the captain told me to bat as long as possible, which I managed to do,” said Rathnayake who stuck it out bravely to score 72 off 135 balls.

As a net bowler Rathnayake was asked to join Air Force SC by fast bowling Coach Chamila Gamage, but after playing a few seasons he went to Australia to play grade cricket. However, that stint was cut short by COVID-19 and he was forced to return to Sri Lanka where he joined Moors SC from where he has continued his career. He has no credentials as a batsman other than scoring two first-class fifties, but all that was laid to rest with his lion-hearted batting yesterday. – (ST)