Champaka Ramanayake was one of the most hard working fast bowlers for Sri Lanka. At a time when they struggled to produce genuine fast bowlers, Ramanayake stepped upto the plate and toiled endlessly for the Sri Lankan team.

Ramanayake made his Test debut against Australia at Perth in 1988. He struggled to make any kind of impact and continued to work hard to cement his place. He had a good tour of New Zealand in 1991 when he picked up 11 wickets in the three Test matches. He lacked pace but he made it up with his accuracy and he also had a big heart. He finally got his maiden five wicket haul against Australia at Moratuwa in 1992 and he troubled the Australian batsmen with some good movement. However, he struggled to maintain consistency and continued to be the workhorse of the team.

He was more effective in ODIs where he picked up wickets on a regular basis at a great economy rate of 3.08. Although he had a great domestic season in 1995/96, he was ignored by the national selectors. He was head of the Sri Lankan fast bowling academy for seven years and was the fast bowling coach of Bangladesh in 2008. He was chosen as the Sri Lankan bowling coach for the 2011 England tour.

Ramanayake, who had a keen eye for talent, was in charge of Sri Lanka's fast bowling academy for 7 years. The likes of Lasith Malinga, Shaminda Eranga and Nuwan Pradeep, learnt the rudiments of swing and seam under the tutelage of Champaka Ramanayake.

By Siddharth Vishwanathan