Champaka Ramanayake, the pioneer coach of Lasith Malinga found himself seated in the opposing camp as the fast bowler played his final ODI match against Bangladesh on Friday.
But Ramanayake said he was extremely honoured to be the first coach of Malinga who he discovered as a 16-year old playing in the outskirts of Galle.
“I am very proud to have been Malinga’s coach. He was a very special bowler and created many records in international cricket,” said Ramanayake.
“I saw his unusual action in delivering the ball with good speed. He then came to Colombo as a net (practices) bowler and I also had the chance to bat against him and realized it very difficult to face his bowling,” added Ramanayake who is now the bowling coach of the Bangladesh team.
Ramanayake said he was impressed with Malinga’s action that batsmen found hard to read and he never wanted to change anything in it.
“This is a clear lesson for coaches not to change anything in a bowler that should be developed and taken care of. We have seen how some coaches change the action of bowlers who then end up in ruin,” Ramanayake warned.
“Malinga was a special bowler who had the ability to bowl very fast and also control the ball very well. When I saw Malinga for the first time I realized he has good future and can be a dangerous bowler to any batsman. His speed and variations were a struggle for batsmen,” said Ramanayake who recommended Malinga to Galle CC where he had his first club stint. Ramanayake was the captain and opened the bowling for Galle CC at the time. When Malinga had been sidelined from the Sri Lanka team it was Ramanayake who stepped in and gave him the much needed guidance for a return to international cricket.
“Malinga was not the kind of player who would go behind anyone to secure a place in the team. He was a committed player who knew his job and believed in himself and what he could do. I was very disappointed when he missed some matches for some unwanted reasons,” said Ramanayake. According to Ramanayake, Malinga succeeded where many failed due his initiative to take decisions on the field without fear of the consequences.
“On the field Malinga had so many ideas and I don’t think Sri Lanka can have another bowler like Malinga. We miss Muralideran who was a rare spinner and the same will be of Malinga,” said Ramanayake who predicted that Malinga could also become a good coach in his retirement.