Sri Lanka’s genteel cricket coach W.A.N. Silva dies at 90

By Sa’adi Thawfeeq

Tributes poured in their numbers from past cricket captains and administrators for W.A.N. Silva, former national cricket coach of Sri Lanka who passed away at the age of 90 in New Zealand earlier this week.

Wickrama Arachige Nandasena (W.A.N.) Silva was the first Sri Lankan to receive the National Cricket Association (NCA) of England advance coaching certificate in 1981 and he played an integral part in shaping up the national cricket team’s destiny in its primary years. He was appointed the Director of Coaching by the Board of Control for Cricket in Sri Lanka (BCCSL at the time) in 1983, a post he served till 1991 before resigning.

W.A.N., as he was popularly and fondly known, served as a national cricket selector in the seventies, and was one of three coaches sent by BCCSL for training under former Pakistan fast bowler Khan Mohammad. He was also manager and assistant manager of several national teams, both junior and senior, where his presence benefited quite a large number of cricketers.

One of them was Aravinda de Silva, who went onto carve a niche in Sri Lanka’s cricket history as one of the greatest batsmen ever produced. De Silva, a product of D.S. Senanayake College, Colombo, learnt the rudiments of the game from W.A.N. Silva who was then the coach of the school.

“It’s a very sad day for me. He was part of my unforgettable journey. He was part of the family. When I look back there are people who helped me achieve what I have achieved today, and he is definitely up there with the seven people, including my family,” said de Silva in tribute. 

“He has been a major influence in my career. W.A.N., Mr. Alles together with Charlie Warnakulasuriya, the three of them set the stage for cricket at DSS. They were entrusted with the responsibility of not winning tournaments but to produce cricketers to represent the country. Trophies were secondary. 

“W.A.N. along with Charlie were two people who laid the foundation at DSS. They were a different breed of coaches, passionate and committed. For me, personally W.A.N. was responsible for developing my skills, talent and my discipline. More than anything, he was a father figure and was able to produce some great cricketers. I wish him a peaceful life and Nibbana. In his next birth I hope he will be a teacher to me.”

Another former Sri Lanka cricket captain Ranjan Madugalle said: “W.A.N. was our first coach, and more than anything, he was a really dedicated person who coached for hours, throwing balls at batsmen. 

“He was a father figure and a really good human being who looked after us not only as cricketers but as people. I would never forget when I was in New Zealand as a Match Referee, I had meals with his family. I really have fond memories of a person and I actually consider him a fine human being. 

He wanted us to do the basic things well. He never pushed us into doing something that wasn’t right. He wanted everyone to be close to perfection; that really was his theory. He was a wonderful human being to have around on tour. He was always there to extend a hand of friendship to you anytime. It is important when you are going up from school to the national stage.”

Sri Lanka’s captain of the first two World Cups in 1975 and 1979, Anura Tennekoon, described W.A.N. Silva as a “very humble and down-to-earth person”.

“He had time for everyone. He had played some good cricket and his knowledge of the game was good. Even in his coaching, he sort of put things across very gently to the players without being too harsh so that they accepted what he said. Those were his qualities as a person and as a coach. I played some cricket alongside him and was also involved as an administrator in the Cricket Board when he was national coach,” said Tennekoon.

W.A.N. Silva played Division I club cricket for Moors SC, Bloomfield (captain in 1967-68) and Panadura SC as an off-spinner of repute. He also coached Royal College, Colombo and Saracens SC and was the Assistant Superintendent of Prisons (Welfare). After retirement, he joined the Cricket Board and was with them till 1994.

“It was W.A.N. Silva’s concept and brainchild of setting up a cricket shop because there was a dearth of quality goods from the UK, and in 1995 or so the Cricket Shop was set up,” said former Cricket Board Secretary and present Saracens SC President Nuski Mohamed. 

“He was a close friend of mine and I spoke to him two weeks ago. He was an unassuming person and a gentleman of the highest calibre, very simple. Once he retired from Prisons, he joined the Cricket Board and rendered yeomen service to cricket. He migrated to New Zealand on medical grounds and has remained there ever since.”

Former Sri Lanka cricketer and NCC stalwart Ranjit Fernando, who had been on many tours in managerial capacity with W.A.N. Silva, said: “He was a very fine man. When Sri Lanka cricket was in its infancy stages and getting into the professional league, W.A.N. was made the cricket coach and he did a great job. 

“He wrote a cricket book on coaching in Sinhala which was useful at the time. W.A.N. was one of those old school types of coaches and he did a lot of work for coach development which was his forte. He conducted courses for coaches based on the UK method and followed it up to the last letter. That is why at the time there were a lot of cricketers who were technically very sound.”