Nisal Senaratne passes away

Nisal Senaratne's death on Sunday at the age of 75 robbed Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) of one of its most ardent officials.

Senaratne had the unique distinction of holding the post of secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in Sri Lanka (BCCSL) when they were first admitted as an Associate Member of the ICC in 1964 and 17 years later as a Full Member of the ICC. He was also board secretary from 1976 to 1978 and secretary of Moratuwa SC from 1973 to 1981 as well as a member of the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC).

"He was one of the few people who was responsible for arranging bilateral tours for us during the pre-Test era," Duleep Mendis, former Sri Lanka captain, said. "He could always be relied upon to do a proper job. He was a thorough gent."

A wicket-keeper/batsman at Prince of Wales College, Moratuwa, Senaratne was picked to play for Combined Colleges against All-India in 1949 and went onto to play division I Sara trophy cricket for Moratuwa SC and SSC. He was also asked to manage the Ceylon team under Michael Tissera that toured India in 1964 and made history by recording their first unofficial Test victory at Ahmedabad. He later managed the Sri Lankan team to England in 1981when Sri Lanka was granted Test status. He was also their manager at the 1987 World Cup.