Arjuna Ranatunga’s greatest moment was leading Sri Lanka to victory in the 1996 World Cup, but it is often forgotten that making his Test debut at 18 and scoring a half-century against the likes of England’s Bob Willis, Ian Botham and Derek Underwood at the P Saravanamuttu Stadium in Colombo was a triumph in itself. That boy is 50 today. And despite his one-day heroics, he has remained a great supporter of Test cricket.

Arjuna Ranatunga. Pic/Satyajit Desai