/ Cricket / Remembrance
Remembrance of a Brilliant Sportsman
Full Name
Anurudda Abeysingha
Born
October 6, 1961, Kandy, Sri Lanka
Died
April 8th 2015, Fort Lauderdale (Aged 53 Years and 182 days)
Major Cricket Teams
Vidyartha College, Toofan Cricket Club, Miami Cricket
Playing Role
All Rounder
Batting Style
Right - Handed Bat
Bowling Style
Right - Arm Fast - Medium
Major Rugby Teams
Vidyartha College, Peterson Sports Club
Position
Wing Three - Quarter
It is a little over five months ago that we lost an outstanding cricketer and friend, and so the 2015 Quadrangular Tournament will miss this brilliant sportsman, Anurudda Abeysingha.
Anu, as we all knew him, played his cricket with an unmatched zeal. He not only gave of his best at all times, but more importantly exhorted his teammates to do so as well. Much of the successes of the Miami Team, especially in the Nineties, were due to the skills of this extraordinary cricketer. I remember in particular, an year in which his combined batting and bowling efforts, in the final, single- handedly won the championship for Miami.
In the early years of the Tournament, I had the privilege of leading the Miami Team. If I made a decision on the field, Anu never hesitated to let me know in no uncertain terms if, in his opinion, the decision was not a good one. I respected him for that and learnt a lot from him. He had a very fine cricketing brain and he analyzed every batsman he bowled to and was able to exploit any weaknesses that he perceived. As a batsman he could score faster than any member of the Miami side and no captain could ask for a better teammate.
When I believed it was time for a change in leadership, I had no hesitation in handing over the reins to Anu for all the Off the field, Anu was quite different person and my admiration; more than his cricketing skills was, however, for Anu, the man. He was soft-spoken and ever ready to help another. He was forthright in his opinions, and never hesitated to voice them. He did not mince his words but expressed them without fear or favor. Sometimes, some of us were offended by his candor, but his candor never had the element of malice because Anu was an incomparable individual who lived by his own standards. Fate however, dealt him a cruel hand, and his loss only left the world a poorer place.
I knew Anu for over twenty years, both as a teammate and a friend. I will always remember his smiling face and, above all, his indomitable spirit despite the setbacks he faced. He not only taught us to live but more importantly, taught us how to die. He strode the world like a colossus and it is hard to imagine another individual like him. All of us will miss.
May He Attain Nibbana
- Shirley Wijesinha
Anu, as we all knew him, played his cricket with an unmatched zeal. He not only gave of his best at all times, but more importantly exhorted his teammates to do so as well. Much of the successes of the Miami Team, especially in the Nineties, were due to the skills of this extraordinary cricketer. I remember in particular, an year in which his combined batting and bowling efforts, in the final, single- handedly won the championship for Miami.
In the early years of the Tournament, I had the privilege of leading the Miami Team. If I made a decision on the field, Anu never hesitated to let me know in no uncertain terms if, in his opinion, the decision was not a good one. I respected him for that and learnt a lot from him. He had a very fine cricketing brain and he analyzed every batsman he bowled to and was able to exploit any weaknesses that he perceived. As a batsman he could score faster than any member of the Miami side and no captain could ask for a better teammate.
When I believed it was time for a change in leadership, I had no hesitation in handing over the reins to Anu for all the Off the field, Anu was quite different person and my admiration; more than his cricketing skills was, however, for Anu, the man. He was soft-spoken and ever ready to help another. He was forthright in his opinions, and never hesitated to voice them. He did not mince his words but expressed them without fear or favor. Sometimes, some of us were offended by his candor, but his candor never had the element of malice because Anu was an incomparable individual who lived by his own standards. Fate however, dealt him a cruel hand, and his loss only left the world a poorer place.
I knew Anu for over twenty years, both as a teammate and a friend. I will always remember his smiling face and, above all, his indomitable spirit despite the setbacks he faced. He not only taught us to live but more importantly, taught us how to die. He strode the world like a colossus and it is hard to imagine another individual like him. All of us will miss.
May He Attain Nibbana
- Shirley Wijesinha