• Claimed Lanka’s first Test five-for 

One of Sri Lanka’s finest legspinners, ex-cricketer D. Somachandra de Silva, or as he was affectionately called ‘DS’, who played in the country’s inaugural Test match against England in 1982, and later served as Chairperson of Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), passed away at the age of 83 on Monday (15).

De Silva died in London where he had been domiciled for sometime, following a brief illness, family sources have revealed. 

DS who hailed from down south and a product of Mahinda College Galle, and later Prince of Wales College, Moratuwa won 12 caps representing the national team during the country’s formative years in the sport.

He was well respected throughout cricketing circles around the world, having also played minor country cricket for Lincolnshire and Shropshire.

The late de Silva who was a fixture in the national team and a prolific wicket-taker at domestic level, also had the distinction of claiming Sri Lanka’s first Test five-for during their maiden overseas tour – which was a three-match tour of Pakistan in the 1981-82 season.

He returned figures of (5/59) with his flighted legbreaks and well-conceived wrong ‘uns, during Pakistan’s second innings of the drawn second Test at Faisalabad, and among his victims were batters of the calibre of Mohsin Khan, skipper Javed Miandad and Wasim Raja.

He captured 17 wickets through that series despite Sri Lanka losing it 2-0 under former captain the late Bandula Warnapura.

DS also had the rare honour of leading his country during Sri Lanka’s two-match Test tour of New Zealand in the 1982-83 season, after regular skipper Duleep Mendis was sidelined due to injury.

In the process he became his country’s oldest ever Test captain aged 40. However, the island-nation were blanked 2-0 by the Geoff Howarth-led home team.

Overall DS bagged 37 wickets in red-ball cricket, while in 41 ODIs he snared 32 victims with a best return of 3/29 against India at Manchester during the 1979 Prudential World Cup.      

After his playing career which lasted from 1975 to 1985, he continued to serve the game in multiple capacities, including as a coach, team manager and national selector.

He was appointed cricket advisor by then President Mahinda Rajapaksa in 2007, to promote the game in the country’s war-torn Northern areas.

He was subsequently installed as the Chairman of a seven-member Interim Committee in 2009 by former Sports Minister the late Gamini Lokuge and held the position for a 24-month period. 

During his tenure, De Silva played a key role in the development and completion of several international cricket stadiums across the country.

Well-known cricket commentator Roshan Abeysinghe paid tribute to de Silva in a social media post, describing him as a highly respected administrator known for his honesty and integrity.

“DS, as he was popularly known, served this nation in many capacities and was instrumental in developing international cricket infrastructure in Sri Lanka. He will always be remembered for his service to the game,” Abeysinghe said.

He also recalled working closely with former leg spinner, describing him as kind, helpful and deeply committed to Sri Lankan cricket.

SLC condoles passing of DS

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) expressed its condolences over the demise of former Sri Lanka leg-spinner and ex-SLC chairperson D. S. De Silva.

In a media statement yesterday (16), the SLC expressed its deepest sympathies to the family of De Silva. 

De Silva rendered yeoman service to the game of cricket, first as a player and later as an administrator. 

He represented Sri Lanka in 12 Test matches and 41 One-Day Internationals, captaining the national team in both formats. 

De Silva was a member of the historic Sri Lanka Test team that played the country’s inaugural Test match against England in 1982. 

Following his playing career, he served the game in different capacities, including as the Chairman of the Sri Lanka Cricket Interim Administration from 2009 to 2011. 

The SLC added that the cricketing community will fondly remember and deeply appreciate his invaluable contributions to Sri Lankan cricket, both on and off the field.