Ashantha de Mel, who could swing it prodigiously and extract bounce, forged a fine partnership with Rumesh Ratnayake in the 1980s. He also took part in Bridge at the Commonwealth Games.

de Mel, who was also a computer programmer, played for the Sinhalese Sports Club. As he was one of the premier bowlers going around in Sri Lanka, it wasn't a major surprise that he was called up to represent in his country's inaugural Test match against England in 1982 at Colombo (PSS).

In the first innings of that Test, he sent Chris Tavare, Graham Gooch and Geoff Cook back to the pavilion, and had the visitors on the ropes. However, Keith Fletcher was dropped at short leg and that paved the way for the opposition to recover and emerge victorious.

During Sri Lanka's tour of Pakistan in 1981-82, de Mel bowled with a great heart on flat decks and ended with 11 scalps to his name. He was also known for his defensive bowling skills. He used that to good effect by taking a 5-for in Chennai in India in 1982-83.

de Mel along with Ratnayake then played pivotal roles in Sri Lanka's first ever series victory against India in 1985. He followed it up with a 6-for in the Test series played in Pakistan in 1985-86. However, a recurring knee injury meant that he soon retired from the game at the young age of 28.

de Mel has also served as a selector. However, it was alleged that he showed bias during his tenure. He was eventually sacked as the selector in 2010, only to be reappointed in January 2012.

By Bharath Ramaraj