The Ceylon cricket team visited India in December 1940 and January 1941. Ceylon did not then have Test status, but two three-day unofficial Tests were played: the first was drawn, and India won the second. The tour also included one other first-class match and two minor matches.
It was the second tour abroad by a Ceylonese team, and one of only two international cricket tours to take place during World War II; the other was the Indian tour to Ceylon in 1944-45.
The Ceylon team
- Sargo Jayawickreme (captain)
- Alexander Gooneratne
- Gerry Gooneratne
- Mervyn Gooneratne
- Don Jayasundera
- Mervyn Kelaart
- Louis Mendis
- Ben Navaratne
- Bill Porritt
- John Pulle
- Harry Roberts
- Ranny Solomons
- Abdul Wahid
Template:Div col end Jayawickreme and Kelaart were the only members of the party that had taken part in Ceylon's previous tour in 1932-33.
Wahid, an opening batsman and left-arm spin bowler who played for Moors Sports Club in Colombo, played only in the two minor matches, and never played first-class cricket.[1][2]
The tour
The tour began with a victory for Ceylon over Madras.[3] The first international match, against an Indian team consisting mostly of players from Bengal, followed in Calcutta; it was drawn after Ceylon had taken a first-innings lead of 121 thanks to an innings of 138 by Jayawickreme.[4] In the second international match three days later in Bombay, India fielded an entirely different team, which overwhelmed Ceylon by an innings and 110 runs.[5] Two minor matches followed; both were drawn.
References
- ↑ Cricket. Moors Sports Club.
- ↑ Abdul Wahid. CricketArchive.
- ↑ Madras v Ceylon 1940-41. CricketArchive.
- ↑ Indian XI v Ceylon, Calcutta 1940-41. CricketArchive.
- ↑ Indian XI v Ceylon, Bombay 1940-41. CricketArchive.
External links
- Ceylon in India 1940-41 at CricketArchive
- Ceylon in India, 1940-41 at Cricinfo