Interview with Kumar Dharmasena……..

Tell us about your family?

A: My family has 4 members, me, sister, mother and father. Father was a civil servant of the government, mother was a housewife. I have 4 children, one boy and 3 girls. My wife is Dushanthi Dharmasena. My son is Kavishka Dharmasena who is schooling at Royal College and sitting for the O/L exam this year. Eldest girl is Ashlya Dharmasena. She is schooling at Vishaka College. She will be sitting for the O/L exam next year. Third one is Amanya Dharmasena. She is my second daughter. She is still 12 -years-old. My youngest is Diyanka Dharmasena.
?: How did you start playing cricket?

A: I started playing cricket from my childhood from the time I can remember. We lived in Torrington Flats those days. We had a ground in front of our flats. I used to play cricket with my friends in the ground in the evening every day. Unlike today’s children, when we were small kids we had a lot of time to play. There were no elocution or tuition classes like today. That is how I started playing tennis ball cricket in my childhood.
?: Which school did you study?

A: My first school was Janadipathi College in Torrington Colombo. I went to that school for the first 3 years. We were the first batch of students in that school. Then I joined Nalanda College Colombo. That is where I started playing cricket.
?: Tell us about your school cricket career?

A: Nelson Mendis was our coach at that time. He had seen me playing cricket in the free time and asked me to come for practices in school. I was about 11 or 12 years that time. I went for practices but unfortunately I didn’t get an opportunity to bat or bowl for almost 2 seasons if my memory serves me correct. I used to field at fine leg position always. One day a catch came in my direction and I managed to take it. I think that was a bit of a difficult catch and the crowd cheered and clapped. I was also overjoyed, and I was able to send a message to the coach. I think until then he had forgotten about me. Then after the match, he called me and asked “what can you do?” I remember telling him that I can do both – bat and bowl. On the next day he included me into an Under- 13 B team match. I managed to take 2 wickets in my first match. But I never got an opportunity to play for the Under-13 A team. I should say that even though I was unnoticed or I didn’t get an opportunity to play for the best team, that didn’t let me down. That gave me more courage to do well. I think that was the secret behind my success.
?: After that which age groups did you represent?

A: I played for the Under-13 and Under-15 teams. I played for the Under-15 A team after playing a big match for the school. I should specially mention that those days back in 1985-86 we had a lot of good players, so it was not easy. I never got an opportunity to play for the A team because of that, but through hard work I managed to earn my place in the teams.
?: Tell us your memories about the Big Matches?

A: It was in fact the biggest spectacle we had in the school. It is a tradition and a big event indeed. Playing a big match was a dream come true to someone like me at the age of around 15. I represented the school in 4 big matches. I really cherish those memories back in 1986-1990.

?: Tell us about your first class cricketing career?

A: Unlike many, I had only 1 club during my tenure as a player. It was Bloomfield. I started in the 1988-89 era and until I retired in the year 2006 I represented Bloomfield in my first class career.
?: Tell us about your first appearance in national colours?

A: I was selected for the national pool in the year 1991. But I didn’t get an opportunity to play even a single game for almost two years until 1993. Then, came the South Africa tour of Sri Lanka in 1993. There was a 3 day practice match at Kurunegala against the Sri Lanka President’s Eleven. I was not going to play the match originally as I was named as 12th man. But then on the morning of the 1st day, Chandika Hathurusinghe was forced to leave the team due to an illness. I got the opportunity and I managed to score a 100 and take 7 wickets in that match. That was my first presence in the international scene representing Sri Lanka President’s team.
?: Tell us about your 1st international match?

A: It was one of the most unforgettable and happiest days in my life. That is the day you dream as a cricketer to represent your country at the highest level. Therefore, that moment I received my Test cap, I still remember the moment like today. I made my debut against South Africa on 6 September 1993. Because of my performance in the 3 day match I got the opportunity. I was told that I am in the final 12 but I didn’t know until that day whether I was going to make my debut or not on that day, so that news made me feel over the moon.

?: Tell us about the 1996 World Cup?

A: It was truly an amazing team effort to say the least. We were not a team who was expected to win the Wills World Cup when it started. But we were a good team who can compete head to head with the best in the business. We had a motivational leader who always encouraged and helped us by giving confidence to play well in a match condition. We had a hunger to win and win well. I should remind our coaching and support staff headed by Dav Whatmore. We had to face a lot of controversy in the tour of Australia prior to the World Cup. We wanted to play as a team and give them back what they gave us. We had our plans and work cut out. It was Sanath and Kalu, who started the revolutionary extravagant batting in the first 15 overs. The world was astonished by that. We practiced for that in our warm up matches back at home and then executed our plans and stuck to them in the World Cup. I am really happy that I took a lot of wickets in the tournament and most of them were prize scalps.
?: How did you manage to keep your physical fitness?
A: Playing for the national team is not an easy task. I was pretty lucky to represent Sri Lanka for almost 13 years at a stretch. You need to keep your physical fitness and you should be healthy and should have enough stamina to play this game. We had a physio named Alex Kontouri. He used to give us a diet plan and said we should stick to that.
?:As a bowler who was the most difficult batsman to bowl at?
A: There were few, but who comes straight away to my mind is the Pakistan middle order batsman Salim Malik. He was very difficult to bowl at. And another one of that sort is former Indian Skipper Azharuddin. Those are the two that comes to my mind first.

?: What are the most memorable moments you have had as a player?
A: There is a lot. The most memorable moments are the day I received my Test cap, the day we won the World Cup and the days we won crunch tournaments. Those are the most memorable days in my cricket life. If I recall the unforgettable incidents in the cricket field what comes to my mind first is the day I broke my shoulder at Sharjah trying to take a catch, and the day I was hit on my chin. So it is a mixed bag of unforgettable experiences.

?: What made you become an umpire?

A: I got through the Level 2 coaching certificate issued by the ECB. I wanted to be a coach but it was my good friend Roshan Mahanama who encouraged me to be an umpire and to join the ICC. I love watching cricket very much so being an umpire I get the opportunity to watch the match from the best view point one would get to watch it. That is one reason which drove me to become an umpire. Another reason is that I want to succeed as an individual also in the international arena. Cricket is a team game, but umpiring is not a team effort, it’s you who has to take the responsibility at the end of the day as an individual. So I backed myself and I wanted to be successful in that job also.

?:How do you prepare for a match?

A: Believe me it’s not easy. You should get yourself prepared very much before every international match. ICC gives us the schedule of 6 months in advance. It gives us ample time to get ourselves ready for the match. Usually what I do is I go through each and every player of the teams whom I am umpiring. I watch a lot of video footages of them. I usually have my own check list. I get prepared according to that list. You should make sure that you know the cricket rules and playing conditions very well. Therefore your memory and concentration is the key. So even before I travel I used to tick the boxes one by one and make sure that I am fully prepared.

?: As an umpire you have to look to take note of the match. Tell us usually how you do it?
A: First you have to look at the bowler’s front foot for the no ball. Then quickly you should change your focus to the ball, because it is very important to follow the ball until it goes to the keeper’s hand or hit the bat. We should take a note of the trajectory of the delivery, details such as where did it pitch, where did it spin/swing, around the stumps, batsman’s feet or the bat movement. There are a lot of fine details where you need to concentrate on. You should have a very calm mindset to do it. You should be able to concentrate a lot. Meditation helps me a lot in doing that, because as an umpire you should know how and when to switch on and switch off, because as human beings you can’t concentrate 6, 7 hours at a stretch. That is why you need lot of practice and preparation beforehand.

?: Remind us about the special achievements as an umpire?
A: I managed to win the best ICC Umpire Award at the ICC Awards ceremony held in Sri Lanka in the year 2012. I should mention here specially that I am the only person so far to play a World Cup final and to umpire a World Cup final. That is very special feat in my cricketing career which I can be proud of.
?: You can speak fluently and you have the ability to convince people. Don’t you think that you will make a good cricket analyst?
A: Yes, I do believe so. But at present I am working with the ICC as an umpire so I am not allowed and supposed to disseminate whatever knowledge I have, since I should be an independent body in my working area as an umpire. So I am really looking forward if an opportunity presents itself after my retirement from the umpire job to give my knowledge as a cricketer and as an umpire to the people who are in need of it.