My very close association with Bandu (Bandula Warnapura) as he was fondly called by his vast circle of friends and associates-goes back to as far as 1965.
More than being contemporaries in school, it was cricket that paved the way for Bandu and I to build up a close rapport even as school boys, as we both played in tandem for Nalanda under-14, 16, and First XI respectively.
During his very promising school cricket career, his performances had been truly remarkable in addition to his excellent leadership qualities which were a cut above the rest. So much so, he was the unanimous choice for the captaincy of the all-island schools’ cricket team that toured India in 1970.
In 1971, he skillfully led Nalanda at the traditional big match against Ananda. Bandu scored a record breaking 118 runs which superseded the long-standing record of 111 not out held by PM Jayathilake -yet another Nalandian. Also, in the annals of the Ananda-Nalanda cricket series the names of the Warnapuras take pride of place and in fact still stands as a unique record with his two sons, Madura in 2004 and Madawa in 2008 followed in their father’s footsteps to lead Nalanda in the big matches.
It would be pertinent to mention here that previously it was held by my late father GWG Seneviratne and elder brother Palitha Seneviratne. Incidentally, both Madura and Madawa achieved this rare feat during my tenure as the cricket coach of Nalanda.
Since leaving school, he continued playing for Bloomfield – the only club he represented throughout- and was a force to reckon with specially among leading club players. Under his stewardship coupled with his tactical acumen, we became champs of the prestigious P Sara trophy and later clinched the Honda trophy as well in 1981. He steered Bloomfield cricket to great heights, having led the club side from 1976 to 1978 and 1981.
Bandula Warnapura in the meantime was an automatic choice for the national side. Bandu reached the pinnacle of his cricket career when he was appointed to lead Sri Lanka in 1982 against England in the inaugural Test match, thus adding a unique gem to his crown of cricket, so to speak.
Since then, the many firsts he achieved in Test and World Cup cricket are too numerous to elaborate. It was rather unfortunate and sad that this illustrious cricketer was forced out of reckoning along with some other promising cricketers of that era due to their participation in a controversial rebel tour of South Africa in late 1982. The unholy ban of 25 years from all levels of cricket made a bad situation worse for Bandu and the rest. It was only after nine years that saner counsel prevailed among cricket authorities and the ban was lifted in 1991. Moreover, up to the time of his sudden demise, Bandu served as a consultant for the maintenance of college cricket ground on behalf of the Old Nalandians Sports Club in which he was a patron having served as its president from 1993 to 2000.
Besides, Bandu was one of the pioneers who joined a few of us to form the Col. Henry Steele Olcott Sports Foundation in 1999 of which he was one of the past presidents and supported us to bring the foundation to what it is today.
Also, he was involved in the over-40 Lanka Cavaliers Veterans cricket team and served as the second president. The rescinding of the ban, in hindsight, was a blessing in general for the greater good of the game and for Bandu in particular as his multifaceted talents, hitherto untapped, blossomed into full cry.
The cricket board wasted no time in harnessing his services into very significant areas under their purview and appointed him as manager of the Sri Lanka team, director coaching, director operations, during his impressive tenure at Sri Lanka Cricket. Further, he was a much respected and lively cricket commentator over radio and TV showcasing further his varied talents. As often it happens and unfortunately so, his forthright approach and dealings were anathema for some, which forced Bandu to take up, yet another challenging task as Director Cricket Development of the Asian Cricket Council, based in Malaysia.
Undoubtedly, Sri Lanka’s loss was the ACC’s gain. In 2019 Bandu became the president of Bloomfield and until his brief illness. He was actively involved in his pursuance to develop the club and its cricket. We surely will miss his timely wit and lovely camaraderie which was a hallmark of Bandu. I for one, who has had a very long, memorable and valuable friendship spanning over five decades with Bandu, could not believe my ears when I heard about his sudden demise, while I was under quarantine in Kandy with the Sri Lanka A team. It still hurts me a lot that this situation prevented me from paying my last respects to Bandu who had always, in both good and bad times, been a sincere friend indeed.
We all will remember him with much love and respect not only for his invaluable contribution towards cricket but also, for the rare human qualities that he always displayed. May he attain the supreme bliss of Nirvana
JAYANTHA SENEVIRATNE