Keerthi Gunaratne
Sri Lanka lost one of its most dedicated cricketers and Coach Keerthi Gunaratne who played for his country in the pre-Test era.
Gunaratne who died at the age of 71 was a right-arm medium-fast bowler who figured prominently in domestic cricket playing for Saracens SC in division I cricket for several years. He represented Sri Lanka teams in the early eighties before the country gained Test status.
Following his playing career Gunaratne turned to cricket coaching where he gained high recognition coaching school teams like his alma mater St. Peter’s College, Colombo, Nalanda College and Wesley College across different eras.
Sri Lanka Cricket appointed him as the District Coach for Jaffna. He is widely credited with selflessly sacrificing years to develop, mentor, and shape the cricket infrastructure and young talents in the North. He was heavily celebrated within the local sporting community for his contributions to schools, regional districts, and club-level cricket.
Gunaratne acted as a mentor to national players like Dhammika Prasad, who publicly credited him for fundamentally building and guiding his international cricket career.
Prasad posted on social media: “I lost someone who was much more than a coach to me. Keerthi Gunaratne, a former Ceylon cricketer, my loving coach, my mentor, my inspiration, and, above all, my second father.”
Gunaratne began his education at De La Salle College (Mutuwal) before moving to St. Peter’s College. Apart from cricket, he was a versatile athlete who represented his school at rugby. (ST)
