By Revatha S. Silva
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Pathum Nissanka’s father Sunil Silva runs a cricket academy at Kalutara Esplanade. He is the mentor and long-time coach of Nissanka[/caption]
Pathum Nissanka’s father, mentor, and his long-time coach Sunil Silva had phoned his son on the fourth day morning of the Test in Antigua. His advice for Nissanka had been to “play fifty dot balls”.
“I told my son, puthe (son) always play fifty dot balls. Turn the match from their side to our side. Phase the innings by scoring runs by the twenties,” Silva told the Sunday Morning Sports the following day his son became only the fourth Sri Lankan and 110th in the world to score a century on Test debut.
Since “Akuru kiyaweema”
For some time, Silva has been running a cricket academy at the Kalutara Esplanade. He played club cricket for the adjoining Kalutara Town Club (KTC) and, being a left-arm leg-spinner himself, he still plays division-three cricket for Tissa Sports Club. Before his coaching business, Silva had to make ends meet by way of doing various odd jobs while also having no permanent place to live along with his four-member family (Nissanka has one elder sister named Thilini Madushani).
“On the day of his ‘akuru kiyaweema’ (auspicious reading of the alphabet by a child) too, Pathum only touched his bat and ball. He was showing a lot of skill from very small days. But I didn’t lose my grip over him. I never allowed him to lose his focus on playing for Sri Lanka,” Silva said.
Father too strict?
“I am always grateful to his Kalutara Vidyalaya Coach Sunil Saluwadana and his district and provincial coaches Chamila Gamage and Lanka Silva. It was Mr. Dilshan of the national School Cricket Association who noticed him and prepared the background for him to be selected for Sri Lanka U-15, which was his breakthrough. Nissanka was a hidden talent at that time. I should be really thankful to Isipathana College, Colombo, where he played main school cricket,” he said.
Has he been too strict for his son at times pushing him too hard?
“The thing is I am not easily satisfied. Even a century is not enough for me. My advice for him is to be always not out. I see a lot of parents release their sons once they are eighteen. I didn’t do that. You have to always grab the chances that come your way.”
Enormous difficulties
Recalling the financial difficulties his family had to face earlier, Silva said he did various jobs to earn the living.
“Those difficulties are difficult to explain. I have worked as a groundsman. I have faced all the insults in life. There were times when we had shared the same breadfruit for a meal, and that too had been picked up by my son. We didn’t have a place to live. But whatever problems I faced, I never gave up on my target of making my son play for my country. I couldn’t do such a thing. He did it,” Silva explained as tears welled up in his eyes.
“Now is the most difficult time for him. He should always give priority for Tests, I think. I think there should be a good Test player in that position. He has good patience, so he can play long innings. He should be moulded in such a way that he can win matches for the country. In fact, my target also from the beginning was to make him a Test player. I will discuss with him about his future plans after he returns,” Silva added.
Pathum Nissanka’s father Sunil Silva runs a cricket academy at Kalutara Esplanade. He is the mentor and long-time coach of Nissanka[/caption]
Pathum Nissanka’s father, mentor, and his long-time coach Sunil Silva had phoned his son on the fourth day morning of the Test in Antigua. His advice for Nissanka had been to “play fifty dot balls”.
“I told my son, puthe (son) always play fifty dot balls. Turn the match from their side to our side. Phase the innings by scoring runs by the twenties,” Silva told the Sunday Morning Sports the following day his son became only the fourth Sri Lankan and 110th in the world to score a century on Test debut.
Since “Akuru kiyaweema”
For some time, Silva has been running a cricket academy at the Kalutara Esplanade. He played club cricket for the adjoining Kalutara Town Club (KTC) and, being a left-arm leg-spinner himself, he still plays division-three cricket for Tissa Sports Club. Before his coaching business, Silva had to make ends meet by way of doing various odd jobs while also having no permanent place to live along with his four-member family (Nissanka has one elder sister named Thilini Madushani).
“On the day of his ‘akuru kiyaweema’ (auspicious reading of the alphabet by a child) too, Pathum only touched his bat and ball. He was showing a lot of skill from very small days. But I didn’t lose my grip over him. I never allowed him to lose his focus on playing for Sri Lanka,” Silva said.
Father too strict?
“I am always grateful to his Kalutara Vidyalaya Coach Sunil Saluwadana and his district and provincial coaches Chamila Gamage and Lanka Silva. It was Mr. Dilshan of the national School Cricket Association who noticed him and prepared the background for him to be selected for Sri Lanka U-15, which was his breakthrough. Nissanka was a hidden talent at that time. I should be really thankful to Isipathana College, Colombo, where he played main school cricket,” he said.
Has he been too strict for his son at times pushing him too hard?
“The thing is I am not easily satisfied. Even a century is not enough for me. My advice for him is to be always not out. I see a lot of parents release their sons once they are eighteen. I didn’t do that. You have to always grab the chances that come your way.”
Enormous difficulties
Recalling the financial difficulties his family had to face earlier, Silva said he did various jobs to earn the living.
“Those difficulties are difficult to explain. I have worked as a groundsman. I have faced all the insults in life. There were times when we had shared the same breadfruit for a meal, and that too had been picked up by my son. We didn’t have a place to live. But whatever problems I faced, I never gave up on my target of making my son play for my country. I couldn’t do such a thing. He did it,” Silva explained as tears welled up in his eyes.
“Now is the most difficult time for him. He should always give priority for Tests, I think. I think there should be a good Test player in that position. He has good patience, so he can play long innings. He should be moulded in such a way that he can win matches for the country. In fact, my target also from the beginning was to make him a Test player. I will discuss with him about his future plans after he returns,” Silva added.