• Sports journalist and author, Nicholas Brookes on his fascination with SL cricket, which led to writing the book ‘An Island’s 11’

After a hiatus of about four years, the Galle Literary Festival (GLF) is back in action in the last weekend of January of this year, with a star-studded line up of literati from around the world. One of these is Nicholas Brookes, author and journalist from South London, in England, whose debut book was named the “Cricket Book of the Year”. An Island’s 11: The Story of Sri Lankan Cricket was published in 2022 and with Brookes obviously being a die-hard cricket fan, it is evident that for him, cricket is more than just a sport. In fact, sports journalist and author Tim Wigmore called Brookes’ book “an essential addition to cricket literature”. Safe to say, the book hit a sixer. To preface his stint at the GLF, Kaleidoscope discussed the ins and outs of cricket with Brookes, as well as some doosras which may have come to light in the extensive research that went into the precursor of writing this book and the celebrity status that Sri Lanka has in this gentlemen’s game. 

Following are excerpts from the interview:

What led you to write ‘An Island’s 11’?

The first step was in realising a real dearth of books about Sri Lankan cricket in the annals of the sport. Growing up in the 1990s, I was a huge fan of Sri Lanka when the country was on top of the world. As a child, it seemed to me that Sri Lanka was always a part of cricket’s furniture, but, it was only when I grew up that I understood that the nation only got test status in the early 1980s. Before that, there was a long history which had been forgotten and underexplored. The library at the Lord’s Cricket Ground is amazing where every other test playing nation had columns upon columns, but the Sri Lankan section only had about six books. Some of those books were old and some were outdated and none really did justice to the greatness of Sri Lankan cricket. It was then that I realised the huge chasm that existed and that Sri Lankan cricket history needed to be better explored. When I started digging into it, I grew increasingly fascinated. So many unique stories and wonderful characters emerged. It felt like a project that was really vital. Many stories had already been lost because no one recorded them, and so, I thought that if I didn’t do this, many more would fall into the ether and disappear. I wanted to capture everything I could, to make sure that that doesn’t happen. 

You’ve stated that Sri Lankan cricket has an identity. What is this identity?

Sri Lanka is one of the smaller nations within the cricket playing world, yet, it has been responsible for numerous cricketing inventions and so many revolutionary players. All players who have dotted the timeline have been truly revolutionary in their day. This feeds into Sri Lanka’s cricket identity. It’s about ingenuity and improvisation. During my time in Sri Lanka, I felt that there was a madcap and tropical hedonism about the island, where the culture is influenced by the environment. That has seeped into cricket as well. There’s a real spirit to the way that Sri Lanka plays cricket where it’s dynamic, exciting, and always full of fun. 

What challenges did you face when writing this book?

There were many from all angles. The first one was logistical and financial to make the project work. I was living in London, working as a writer, when the project began, and my original plan was to make short trips to Sri Lanka, conduct interviews, and return to write in South London. I quickly realised that this would be impossible, because, to write a book like this, I really needed to immerse myself in the culture of Sri Lanka. Insinuating myself into Sri Lankan life was really important. The solution was to teach at S. Thomas’ College, Mount Lavinia, which was a fantastic experience. The school agreed to give me meals and accommodation in exchange for teaching English. With its rich cricketing heritage, it gave me a sense of the workings of Sri Lankan institutions. Another challenge was gaining access. As a fairly unknown writer, I had to approach cricketers and administrators and constantly convince them that the project was valid and was worth their time. I was incredibly lucky to have received so much kindness from the players, former players, and journalists. I owe a great debt to many who were truly helpful. The next challenge was the condensing of 170 years of history into a readable book, while staying true to the narrative thread. When you’re dealing with such a broad sea of facts, you have to be able to sweep over things, touch on them, and move on, which isn’t something that comes naturally to me, as I’m more detail driven. This was my first book and it was a learning process. But, it was absolutely fascinating and I loved every minute of it.

What are some of the shareable gems in your book?

The early history of Sri Lankan cricket (right up to 1982) has been underexplored and I wasn’t too excited to dig into those early days when I started my project. But, it ended up being a period of time that really captivated me. There are so many fascinating stories, right back to the whistle-stops, when early teams travelling for the Ashes would stop in Colombo and play a one-day game. This was the 1880s, when Ceylonese players played against some of the world’s greats like William Gilbert Grace, Donald George Bradman, John Berry Hobbs, and Keith Ross Miller. These cricketers didn’t play in lots of countries, but, they all stopped over in Sri Lanka. I am also fascinated by the likes of Mahadevan Sathasivam and Frederick Cecil de Saram, whose stories are electrifying. The 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s are also important, where the team was working hard for Sri Lanka to gain international recognition by sacrificing their own career advancements and opportunities. I met some wonderful people and loved hearing about their trip to the 1975 World Cup. It was a real privilege to spend time digging into the stories that, I think, are often overlooked and underappreciated. 

How does one contend with Sri Lankan history through the lens of cricket?

I wanted the scope of the book to be broader than just cricket. I wanted it to touch on Sri Lanka as a place and to express how cricket came to mean so much to the country. One unique aspect of Sri Lanka on the cricket field is a patchwork of identity. The island has always been a melting pot of culture, starting from the early days with the Sinhalese, the Tamils, and the Moors, and then the addition of the three colonial orders, which brought more and more layers into this patchwork island. The way that early cricket was played by upcountry planters, Malay soldiers, Colombo residents, Dutch Burghers, and the cricket clubs popping up across Colombo makes it clear that cricket today is a mixture of all these influences. It is amazing how as time went on Colombo developed through cricket and how politics played out in the cricketing arena as well. Sri Lankan cricket was a good lens through which to explore the island and to understand the culture a little bit more. Sri Lankan cricket has such a pan national appeal where every village, town, and city has people playing cricket. I always assumed that this was the case going back to the 1800s, but realised that it was only in the 1990s, after winning the World Cup that Sri Lankan cricket really spread. There’s still a long way to go in terms of Sri Lanka’s potential, specifically in the North and the East. 

What is it about Lankan cricket that drew you in?

I loved Sri Lanka as a team from when I was a child. In the late 1990s and in the early 2000s, there were so many incredible figures in Sri Lanka cricket. There was something almost mythical and larger than life about the Sri Lankan team. These guys with these long names that I couldn’t pronounce but who played cricket in such a cavalier way and with such style. To me, they always seemed to be the coolest team in cricket. There was also something about South Asia’s passion for the game, which doesn’t really exist in England right now. The obsession with cricket is only found in South Asia. South Asia is the heartland of cricket right now and it is where, moving forward, the sport is going to be. Cricket is everywhere in Sri Lanka. You get into a three-wheeler and the driver wants to talk to you about a match. You stop at a village and the young boys and girls and even the aunties are playing cricket together. Everyone I interviewed had a story to tell and they often wanted to tell it in a dynamic style. I called people that I didn’t know and asked them for an interview and they invited me over for a cup of tea and put me in touch with other people as well. The hospitality here isn’t a lazy stereotype. There’s also something about Sri Lanka that reminded me of Jamaica (my mom is half Jamaican and I’ve visited there quite a bit) and there’s a really unique charm and eccentricity to the island, which, I think, comes from having so many influences from around the world. 

Who do you think are the greatest Sri Lankan cricketers of all time?

There are so many. I feel obliged to touch on some who are often overlooked. The great cricketers from the pre-test era who paved the way and sacrificed so much. Sathasivam, de Saram, Michael Hugh Tissera, Gamini Goonesena, Conroy Levers Gunasekera, and Anura Tennekoon – all great players. I’m also a huge fan of Louis Rohan Duleep Mendis and Roy Luke Dias from the 1980s. Moving on, there’s Arjuna Ranatunga, Aravinda de Silva, Muttiah Muralitharan, Warnakulasuriya Patabendige Ushantha Joseph Chaminda Vaas, Separamadu Lasith Malinga, Kumar Chokshanada Sangakkara, and Denagamage Praboth Mahela de Silva Jayawardene. I really can’t pick between them. There are so many fantastic Sri Lankan cricketers. For such a small island to consistently keep churning out such rare talent is an anomaly. I think that it speaks volumes and is a real testament to Sri Lanka’s love for cricket and the natural talent that exists right across the island. 

What’s your favourite cricket match of all time?

It’s so hard to pick just one, but, I have to go back to the Ashes in 2005, which was such an incredible series. I was 15 at the time and I’m sure that the incredible drama throughout that series really cemented my love for cricket. The second test match of the Ashes at the Edgbaston Cricket Ground was incredibly dramatic right till the end, when England won it in the very last second, snatching victory from the jaws of defeat. Eighteen years later, I can still remember the exact moments of the match and I remember exactly where I was and whom I was watching the match with.

(The writer is the host, director, and co-producer of the weekly digital programme ‘Kaleidoscope with Savithri Rodrigo’ which can be viewed on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. She has over three decades of experience in print, electronic, and social media)