Ananda–Nalanda

Battle of the Maroons is a cricket match played between Ananda College, Colombo, and Nalanda College, Colombo. It was first played in 1924. Over the years both schools has produced many world-famous cricketers. Battle of the Maroons is considered to become the most productive and most popular schools cricket encounter in the Island producing National Cricketers of extraordinary talent and cricketing intellect. Those two schools Ananda and Nalanda continue to provide the largest contingent of players to the Sri Lankan National Cricket squad.

Ananda–Nalanda (Battle of the Maroons)
Sport	Cricket
Timeline	1924 – present
Tournament format	Annual 2 day cricket match
Participants	Ananda College Nalanda College

Cricketing Highlights of Ananda and Nalanda

• Old Nalandian Bandula Warnapura led the Sri Lanka team to win the Sri Lanka's first ever One Day International Cricket match win in 1979; he also faced Sri Lanka's first test delivery and scored Sri Lanka's first test run.
• Old Anandian Sidath Wettimuny was the first Sri Lankan to be honoured Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1985.
• Sri Lanka's first test captain was a Nalandian Bandula Warnapura.
• The 1996 world champion team was led by Anandian Arjuna Ranatunga.
• The Sri Lanka team that entered the finals in ICC Cricket World Cup 2007 and ICC World Twenty20 2012 were led by Nalandian Mahela Jayawardena.
• Old Nalandian Roshan Mahanama led the Sri Lanka team in One Day International cricket format. and also Old Anandian Thilina Kandamby led the Sri Lanka team in T20 International cricket format.
• Old Anandian Dinesh Chandimal is the Sri Lanka's youngest One Day International cricket captain.
• Sri Lanka's first test 50, 100, 200 were scored by Anandians Arjuna Ranatunga, Sidath Wettimuny and Brendon Kuruppu.
• Old Nalandian Mahela Jayawardena is the first cricketer in Sri Lanka cricket history who scored more than ten thousand runs in test and one day internationals.
• Sri Lanka's first ever test team in 1981 had 5 players representing Ananda and Nalanda Colleges. Namely Sidath Wettimuny, Arjuna Ranatunga and Ajit de Silva from Ananda and Bandula Warnapura and Lalith Kaluperuma from Nalanda.
• Sri Lanka's World cup winning team (1996) had 4 players representing Ananda and Nalanda Colleges. Namely Arjuna Ranatunga Anandian, Roshan Mahanama, Asanka Gurusinha and Kumar Dharmasena who are Nalandians.
• Both schools have so far produced 32 Test players for Sri Lanka (Ananda 18 Test players Nalanda 14 Test players) and 5 of them were Test Captains. Namely Nalandian Bandula Warnapura, Anandian Arjuna Ranatunga, Anandian Marvan Atapattu , Anandian Dinesh Chandimal and Nalandian Mahela Jayawardena.
• Ananda College and Nalanda College so far produced 43 players who represented Sri Lanka in Test,One Day International and T20 formats.
• In 1996, (World cup winning year) the Sri Lanka Cricket Chairman was an Anandian Ana Punchihewa and Vice Chairman was Nalandian Thilanga Sumathipala.
• It was an Old Nalandian Karunaratne Abeysekera who made history in the world of Radio broadcasting by being the first cricket commentator using the Sinhala language. Also well known cricket commentators like Premasara Epasinghe, Palitha Perera, Kamal Deshappriya are Nalandians.
• Nalandians Roshan Mahanama is an Elite Panel Referee of the International Cricket Council while Kumar Dharmasena is an International Cricket Council Umpire.

Notable persons who have played

Anandians Philip Gunawardena - known as "Father of Socialism" in Sri Lanka, former Cabinet Minister of Agriculture, Food, & Co-operatives and former Minister of Industries and Fisheries Dr. N.M. Perera - former Mayor of Colombo and Cabinet Minister of Finance, former Chairman of the Board of Control of Cricket in Sri Lanka, Professor Tissa Vitharana - Cabinet Minister of Technology and Research Lakshman Jayakody - former Minister of Cultural and Religious Affairs Sidath Wettimuny- Member of Sri Lanka's first Test team, Scored Sri Lanka's first Test 100, The first Sri Lankan to be honoured Wisden Cricketer of the Year 1985 Thilan Wijesinghe - former Chairman of the Board of Investment of Sri Lanka Arjuna Ranatunga- 1996 Cricket World Cup Winning Captain, former Sri Lanka Test/One Day International Cricket Captain, Wisden Cricketers of the Year 1999, Scored Sri Lanka's first Test 50, former Deputy Minister of Tourism, Current Member of Parliament Marvan Atapattu - former Sri Lankan Test/One Day International Cricket Captain, Best school boy crickerter 1990 Chandika Hathurusingha - former Head coach of the Bangladesh national side, former assistant coach of New South Wales and current Sri Lankan Head coach

Nalandians Gamini Jayawickrama Perera - current Cabinet Minister (Minister of Food Protection), former Chairman of United National Party, former Cabinet Minister (Irrigation and Water Management) Thilanga Sumathipala - current Deputy Minister of Skills Development and Vocational Training, Member of Parliament, Chairman Sumathi Group of Companies Handunnetti Rannulu (H. R) Piyasiri - former Minister of Youth Affairs, former State Minister of Labor and Vocational Training, Sri Lankan Ambassador in Myanmar H. R. Wimalasiri - former Member of Parliament Professor Mohan De Silva - Chairman University Grants Commission (Sri Lanka), Dean of the Faculty of Medical Sciences University of Sri Jayewardenepura and Professor of Surgery Bandula Warnapura - Sri Lanka's Inaugural Test Cricket Captain Roshan Mahanama - former Sri Lankan One Day International Cricket Captain, Elite Panel Referee of International Cricket Council, Member of World Cup Winning Cricket Team 1996, Best Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year (1983 & 1984) Asanka Gurusinha - Manager of Sri Lanka national cricket team Mahela Jayawardena - former Sri Lanka Test/One Day International Cricket Captain, International Cricket Council's "Captain of the Year 2006 ", Wisden Cricketers of the Year 2007, Best Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year Runnerup (1994) Kumar Dharmasena - former Sri Lanka Test/One Day International Cricketer, Member of World Cup Winning Cricket Team 1996, International Cricket Council's "Best Umpire of the Year 2012", Best school boy crickerter 1989 Stanley Jayasinghe - former all Ceylon Cricketer and first Srilanken to play professional cricket overseas for Leicestershire County Cricket Club in England for more than a decade Premasara Epasinghe - well known cricket commentator Palitha Perera - renowned cricket commentator Shammi Silva - Chairman Sri Lanka Cricket

Contribution to Sri Lankan National Cricket squad

Anandian Test Players Ajit de Silva Arjuna Ranatunga Sidath Wettimuny Mithra Wettimuny Brendon Kuruppu Dammika Ranatunga Marvan Atapattu Charith Senanayake Chandika Hathurusingha Dulip Samaraweera Sanjeeva Ranatunga Avishka Gunawardene Dinuka Hettiarachchi Thilan Samaraweera Dinesh Chandimal Sachithra Senanayake Udara Jayasundera Mahela Udawatte Anandian ODI/ T20 Players Sunil Wettimuny Nishantha Ranatunga Hemantha Wickramaratne Akalanka Ganegama Thilina Kandamby Muthumudalige Pushpakumara

Nalandian Test Players Lalith Kaluperuma Bandula Warnapura Anura Ranasinghe Yohan Goonasekera Roshan Guneratne Sanath Kaluperuma Asanka Gurusinha Roshan Mahanama Gamini Wickremasinghe Kumar Dharmasena Chamara Dunusinghe Mahela Jayawardena Shantha Kalavitigoda Ishara Amerasinghe Nalandian ODI/ T20 Players Sunil Jayasinghe Keerthi Ranasinghe Gihan Rupasinghe Dilshan Munaweera Ashan Priyanjan

References

External links

• Official Ananda-Nalanda (Battle of the Maroons) Website
• Facebook – Battle of the Maroons Official fan page