A batsman who possessed immense patience and excellent temperament, Hashan Tillekeratne was one of the key members in the Sri Lankan top order. Initially starting out as a wicket-keeper batsman, he turned into a specialist batsman in 1992.

While still at school, Tillekeratne was chosen to play for Sri Lanka B against England B at Galle in 1986. He scored a match-saving century and the selectors chose him for the ODI series against India in the same year.

Tillekeratne was steady as a batsman. His finest knock came against the West Indies at Sharjah in October 1995. Brian Lara's majestic 169 had propelled West Indies to a mammoth 333/7. The Sri Lankans kept fighting all the way and the match headed towards a close finish. Tillekeratne led from the front with a sterling 100, but his efforts went in vain as Sri Lanka fell short by four runs.

He was dropped from the Test and ODI teams just before the 1999 World Cup, but returned to the national team after some good performances in the domestic season. Since the start of his career, he has performed better in Tests than in ODIs. His best Test knock came against the West Indies at Galle in November 2001. He held one end up firmly as he notched up his first double century. His unbeaten 204 helped Sri Lanka gain a massive lead and they won the match by 10 wickets.

He was chosen as the skipper of the Sri Lankan team in 2002-03. His captaincy stint ended in 2004 when Australia whitewashed Sri Lanka 3-0 in the Test series. Following his axing, Tillekeratne announced his retirement from international cricket and he joined politics. He was granted honorary life membership in the MCC in 2008. In May that year, he was appointed the president of the Association of Cricket Umpires and Scorers of Sri Lanka (ACUSSL).

Recently, Hashan Tillekeratne has been in the news for making statements regarding match-fixing. He alleged that match fixing had been taking place in Sri Lankan cricket since 1992 and he was prepared to divulge proof.

By Siddharth Vishwanathan