Scorers and statisticians the world over must be thankful that Anil Rideegammanagedera is not playing for Sri Lanka. If he was they would have been tearing their hairs out trying to insert his name in the confined scoresheets whenever he batted, bowled or affected a catch or run-out. But Anil is longing for the day he will be called up to the national team.
No other cricketer in the past decade has been as consistent in the domestic sphere with both bat and ball. But opportunities to get closer to representing his country have been few and far between. He played for Sri Lanka A against South African A and against English Academy side, but otherwise his cricketing talents have been confined to domestic cricket.
Anil was named the Best Allrounder and Cricketer of the Year by the Sri Lanka Cricketers Association in February 2007. It is an award he cherishes and appreciates. He has also been asked to represent Ashton CC in the Central Lancashire League in their 150th anniversary year which falls in 2007.
For the past six years Anil has made cricket a full time professional sport. He shuttles during the year between Colombo and Central Lancashire. When he first joined them they were at the bottom of the league and by last year he had brought them upto sixth position. In each of those years he topped 1,000 runs and captured around 90 wickets. His outstanding talent as a right-hand middle-order batsman and slow medium-pace bowler has left officials at Ashton CC mystified why he is being consistently overlooked for national selection.
'Ridee' as he is called by his English mates has been described as 'a fantastic person as well as being an excellent cricketer', one of the best overseas professionals in the league. Apart from his cricket he is helping the club develop some of its young cricketers and is credited with saving a child's life when he fell into the lake unnoticed.
A product of Richmond College at Galle, Anil opened batting for his school but moved lower down the order when he developed his bowling skills and blossomed into a fine allrounder. Since starting off his first-class career with Galle CC, Anil has now changed clubs three times - NCC, Tamil Union and at present Moors SC. The reason he gives: 'I don't like playing in a losing team." Having been in the first-class circuit for a dozen years, Anil, 30, he has turned the corner and starting to play his best cricket.
Saadi Thawfeeq (March 2007)
