“Pulina Tharanga” Jon Lewis said, with no uncertainty in his voice, when it was his turn to pick a local player for team Dambulla Hawks at the player draft of the inaugural Lankan Premier League.
Lewis took no time to think and seemed convinced to have this player in his team. However, many others wondered who this Pulina Tharanga was. What did he do? How is it that Lewis, a former Sri Lanka batting coach, was so confident of him that he was the only wrist spinner picked in the squad? Maybe his story will provide the answers.
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Born in Seenigama, a town which is hugged by the sea in the South of Sri Lanka, Desenthuwa Handi Ashan Pulina Tharanga, comes from a very humble family who had no fancy dreams, the most important thing in their lives being putting the next meal on the table. The Sea was their life, their source of income, the bond that kept their village together. But it would be the Sea that would be their greatest enemy in the years to come.
Who would have thought that the very ocean that they loved would swallow them up and leave them shattered?
Boxing day, 2004, Sri Lanka played New Zealand in Auckland and had just lost the game hours ago. Eleven-year-old Tharanga too had a match but was unable to play because of an injury to his leg. He set off to meet his coach early that morning to inform him of the injury. It must hav been about half-past 8 on a gloomy Sunday morning. People were screaming and running up the coast distraught, Pulina was unsure of what was happening. He definitely didn’t know that he had just witnessed one of Sri Lanka’s darkest days. The Tsunami had struck!
Tharanga’s coach asked him not to go back home since it was close to the sea and there were rumours that it was badly hit, so he stayed over at a friend’s place. His brother came to fetch him later.
Tharanga spoke of the incident in an interview with Trans World Sport, “He was taking me to our aunt’s house, so I asked him ‘where is mom?’ He said, ‘she went with the water!’”, no doubt a devastating blow to the youngster.
It was the largest Tsunami the world had seen in over 40 years and it claimed the lives of over 200,000 people, with many more were left shattered.
Within a short period after losing his mother, Tharanga lost his father too while he was out at sea. A heavy blow to the young family.
After the tragic loss of his mother, the teenager met Mr Kushil Gunasekara, a philanthropist, athlete manager and a lover of the game of cricket. Gunasekara runs the charitable organization Foundation of Goodness, in which former cricketers, Muttiah Muralithara, Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardena play a huge role. FOG has played a major role in uplifting the lives of several sportsmen and women who were affected by the Tsunami and are still committed to lending a helping hand to the youngsters in need all over the country. Through one of FOG’s programs, Tharanga found some cricket gear and managed to keep his game going.
“When I met Kushil sir, he asked me to bowl at him, then he told me that I can go a long way in cricket and he will help me” reminisced Tharanga.
The all-rounder started cricket at his school at a very young age. “When I told my parents that I want to play in school, they didn’t want me to do it. They knew they couldn’t afford the equipment and other expenses that come with the game. But I went for junior practices without their knowledge and I got selected for the team”, he said, with a chuckle.
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Without their parents, Tharanga and his siblings struggled to make ends meet. It was their grandmother who stepped in to take care of them. “I didn’t want to ask Kushil sir for money to go for practices. So, my grandmother told me she will help me. When I first played club cricket they paid me Rs. 2000 a match, I played all 6 matches that season. I didn’t keep a cent of the entire Rs. 12,000 I earned, I gave it all to my grandmother who supported me all those years after I lost my parents. I was just 15 years old then”
The teen kept honing his skills with the support of FOG and made it to club cricket while still a teenager. His major breakthrough came in 2011 when he faced trials for the Sri Lanka U19 team. The leg-spinner picked up 4 wickets in the game and scored 70-odd runs, making it to the Sri Lanka U19s squad. He was a mainstay in the Sri Lanka youth outfit and was picked for the ICC U19 World Cup in 2012 in Australia. He was praised by the Sri Lankan legend Kumar Sangakkara for his unbeaten fifty against South Africa in the World Cup.
“This was the first time if I am not mistaken, an orphan going on to represent a national team at any age category. So, he made it to the World Cup. We were very fortunate, and happy, and blessed to see him make that progress.” Gunasekara said with pride.
58 first-class games since his debut for Singha Sports Club in 2011, Tharanga has scored 1,744 runs and picked up 31 wickets in first-class cricket. Those numbers are definitely not a reflection of his ability. If you see Tharanga in action, you will be greeted with some electric fielding efforts, some zippy leg-spinners and very well composed batsmanship at the crease. He has got a great head over the shoulders and reads the game well. He is street-smart and not afraid to take risks. Maybe this is why Jon Lewis was so confident about his decision. He probably would have seen Tharanga during his time in Sri Lanka as the batting coach of the national team.
Like everyone who took up this sport, Tharanga too dreams of playing it at the highest level and bringing glory to the country. For a kid who had so many reasons to give up, this youngster rose up from all his setbacks. “Making money is not my goal. I just want to make a name for myself and be a good citizen in society. When I had nothing, a lot of people came forward to help me. So, when I have something, I want to help the ones who are in need!” He concluded.
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