Ceylonese cricket team in India in 1940–41

The Ceylon cricket team visited India in December 1940 and January 1941. Ceylon did not then have Test status, but two three-day unofficial Tests were played: the first was drawn, and India won the second. The tour also included one other first-class match and two minor matches.^[1]

It was the second tour abroad by a Ceylonese team, and one of only two international cricket tours to take place during World War II; the other was the Indian tour to Ceylon in 1944-45.

The Ceylon team

Sargo Jayawickreme (captain)
Alexander Gooneratne
Gerry Gooneratne
Mervyn Gooneratne
Don Jayasundera
Mervyn Kelaart
Louis Mendis
Ben Navaratne
Bill Porritt
John Pulle
Harry Roberts
Ranny Solomons
Abdul Wahid

Jayawickreme and Kelaart were the only members of the party that had taken part in Ceylon's previous tour in 1932-33.

Wahid, an opening batsman and left-arm spin bowler who played for Moors Sports Club in Colombo, played only in the two minor matches, and never played first-class cricket.^[2]^[3]

The tour

The tour began with a victory for Ceylon over Madras.^[4] The first international match, against an Indian team consisting mostly of players from Bengal, followed in Calcutta; it was drawn after Ceylon had taken a first-innings lead of 121 thanks to an innings of 138 by Jayawickreme.^[5] In the second international match three days later in Bombay, India fielded an entirely different team, which overwhelmed Ceylon by an innings and 110 runs.^[6] Two minor matches followed; both were drawn.^[1]

References

^ ^a ^b "Ceylon in India 1940/41". CricketArchive. Retrieved 26 August 2022.
^ "Cricket". Moors Sports Club. Archived from the original on 25 September 2017. Retrieved 25 September 2017.
^ "Abdul Wahid". CricketArchive. Retrieved 25 September 2017.
^ "Madras v Ceylon 1940-41". CricketArchive. Retrieved 22 September 2017.
^ "Indian XI v Ceylon, Calcutta 1940-41". CricketArchive. Retrieved 22 September 2017.
^ "Indian XI v Ceylon, Bombay 1940-41". CricketArchive. Retrieved 22 September 2017.

External links

Ceylon in India 1940-41 at CricketArchive
Ceylon in India, 1940-41 at ESPNcricinfo

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