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A worthy, significant contribution to the literature of Sri Lankan cricket in the form of a book with the above title, written with much foresight, after many a long month of careful research, by the former test-match panel senior cricket umpire, Ajith C. S. Perera, was launched at a ceremony held in Colombo. Very often the dedicated efforts of many a past cricketer, in setting a firm platform under trying conditions for the present day cricketers to display their talents, go unrecognised, at times of highlighting our recent achievements. Hence it was a fitting tribute to the great efforts made by these past cricketers in the decades gone by, through whose efforts a firm foundation for today's cricketer to perform well had been laid down, that a key stalwart of the gone-by era, Michael Tissera, a great cricketing gentleman and the finest cricket captain produced by Sri Lanka, was invited to inaugurate this launch officially.

The number and miscellany of books on cricket provide astonishment to many, but ``The Golden Era of Sri Lankan Cricket'' written by a highly improbable author is undeniably quite different. It is the story, written with unusual charm and distinction, of the team that radiated brilliance in overs limited cricket and blossomed to establish itself as a ``champion team'', starting around the World Cup '96 and extending immediately beyond that, exceeding many expectations. All the drama, controversy, excitement and achievement of the 14 tournaments that followed the World Cup 1996, enveloping 47 one-day internationals, are represented in detail most eloquently. Sri Lanka's dominance in the one-day arena during this period of time is captured in this book not only in words, but also in well over 25 tabulated figures as well as photographs, both in colour and black & white, exceeding 40 in number, in an easy to read presentation style. A founder member and the former general secretary of the Association of Cricket Umpires & Scorers England, Leslie Cheeseman BEM, has written the Preface. The book, which contains 242 pages of (A-4) size and printed on thick art paper, costs Rs. 650 per copy.

Ajith C. S. Perera combines different talents, academically and professionally, a strange mix of cricket and chemistry. He is a B.Sc. (Hons.), M.Sc. graduate, a Chartered Chemist by profession, and a fellow of three prestigious professional bodies, who has acquired over 12 years of senior managerial experience with two multinational pharmaceutical companies. His cricketing scoreboard indicates an impressive innings, still ``Not Out'', playing a very straight bat to life's googlies, in spite of now being confined to a life on a wheel chair in the prime of his youth.

Besides playing Division-One tournament cricket (1973-1977), his professional achievements in the cricketing sphere has extended to many an avenue in addition to being a test-match panel first class umpire with over 20 years of experience. Ajith is also a qualified umpire (1985), scorer (1987) and a competent training instructor (1990) of the prestigious cricketing body ACU & S England who has gained much needed practical experience at a higher level and exposure to professional competitive cricket in England, Lancashire in particular.

S. Skandakumar, a much respected cricketing personality and a former secretary of the Sri Lanka Cricket Board, in his speech made a richly deserved tribute to the author. It was mentioned that with his relentless commitment to cricket, a more prosperous professional career was sacrificed, to contribute in his usual silent yet effective manner towards the technical upliftment of the needs of the game the world over, that has sadly gone unnoticed and unrecognised. He is respected for his analytical skills, and his technical knowledge of the game, its Laws and Regulations in particular. Both on and off the field for well over two decades, there has never been a hint of bias in him.

Ajith Perera's painstaking efforts in writing this book, was very correctly stressed as ``a worthy contribution to Sri Lankan Cricket that must receive every possible encouragement and assistance.'' It is a book that has been compiled with much foresight, overcoming added hardship, with careful research, an analytical approach and meticulous planning. Michael Tissera, delivering the keynote address, expressed that this book is an impressive attempt to keep alive for posterity, not only outstanding achievements in great detail, but also the fabulous manner of achieving these feats. He further remarked that ``The meticulous details found in this book, its arrangement, the flow of thought and even the selection of font type and size which lends to easy reading, are true indications of Ajith's commitment to any endeavour he undertakes.''

In his introduction to the book, Ajith Perera indicated that a welcome feature here is a separate chapter that narrates the fascinating story of the emergence, establishment and progress of the one-day cricket as a financial elixir to the traditional game. The book also includes personal opinions of the author on strategic aspects to remain at the top, followed by two more chapters providing useful information too the reader on World Cup 1999 as well. Every single copy purchased Ajith remarked, ``would also make you a contributor to three worthy charities, with the contribution towards making available an MRI Scanning Facility at key government hospitals, being the most significant.'' He further said ``when the need arose for my own initial diagnosis after that very unfortunate accident in 1992 November, its non-availability here had a great adverse impact on me, which left me a Paraplegic in the prime of my youth.''

In a very firm and clear manner, Ajith also brought to the notice of the media and all present, the added hardships a person with physical impairments, confined to a wheel chair, faces in our country. It is a mistake to believe that one can only contribute to the society in the active physical sense. However, this ever-increasing group of people always goes unnoticed and discriminated, resulting mainly from society-created barriers, for which nothing effective has yet been done, even in taking the vital first steps in the proper direction. Ajith Perera, like many others totally confined to a wheel-chair in this country, in spite of being a professional, finds it hard to attract the attention of those reputed giants in business and in the cricketing world here, not only to generate sales for his dedicated endeavours on behalf of the Sri Lankan cricket he is so fond of, but also to make use of his technical expertise and all-round experience to contribute effectively, for the society we live in.