Wirantha Fernando
Wirantha Fernando was a Sri Lankan first-class cricketer and politician.
Cricket career
Fernando, who went to Prince of Wales' College in Moratuwa, captained the Combined Schools team in his youth. He represented the Sri Lanka [Under-19 cricket team] in a tour of Pakistan in 1976 and again in 1978, when the Australia Under-19 cricket team came to the island.A right-handed middle-order batsman, Fernando played for the Colts Cricket Club throughout the 1980s and had the distinction of captaining them in all five matches they played in the 1988/89 Lakspray Trophy, the first time the tournament had first-class status. He was the club's leading run-scorer that season with 208 runs at 52.00, which included three half-centuries.
In the 1989/90 Lakspray Trophy, Fernando handed over the captaincy to Rupanath Wickramaratne and amassed only 130 runs in the three matches he played, but did score his maiden first-class century, an innings of 111 against Moratuwa Sports Club at the Colts [Cricket Club Ground].
Fernando didn't play at first-class level in either of the next two seasons, then returned in 1992/93, with the Moratuwa Sports Club. He appeared in all five matches of Moratuwa's Saravanamuttu Trophy campaign, which saw them not lose a match and finish second in Group B. His own contributions were minimal, making 163 runs at 32.60.