Did You Know... Trivia Quiz

Answer: Colombo Cricket Club

CCC was founded in 1832. Its first match was against the 97th Regiment of the British armed forces in November 1833.

Answer: Hit Wicket

In the early years of Test cricket, Australia and England would often have 'whistle top' tours of Sri Lanka (Ceylon) on the way to their destination. The tours gave the players a break from the long sea voyage, and an opportunity to stretch their legs. Matches were played at either the Colombo Cricket Club or the Galle Cricket Club. Bradman was a part of Australia's touring party in the 1930, 1934, 1938 and 1948 tours of Sri Lanka.

However, he only played in the 1930 and 1948 tours.

Answer: Draw

India hosted Sri Lanka (Ceylon) for two First Class matches in December 1932. Sri Lanka had the better of the first match, taking a 69-run first innings lead. After being set 271 to win, India slumped to 207 for 7, but escaped with a draw.

Answer: 1938

The first edition of the Daily News Trophy was in 1938. Kalutara Town Club were the inaugural champions. In subsequent years, the Sinhalese Sports Club (SSC) emerged as the powerhouse of Sri Lankan domestic cricket. The tournament is now known as the Premier League.

Answer: M. J. Gopalan Trophy

The trophy was named after Morappakam Josyam Gopalan, a Tamil Nadu sportsman who represented India in both cricket and field hockey. The tournament was a regular fixture in Sri Lanka's cricketing calendar in its pre-Test era. It was briefly revived in 2007, when a Sri Lanka XI comprising players from the A-team and under-19's level hosted Tamil Nadu in a one-off match.

Answer: 1975

Sri Lanka's opening match of the 1975 ICC World Cup against West Indies was its first official international cricket match. The match was won by the West Indies, after Sri Lanka were skittled for just 86.

Answer: 1979

Sri Lanka won the inaugural ICC Trophy in 1979. Known colloquially as the "minnows' World Cup", the tournament is the final round of qualifiers for the ICC World Cup. In 2009, it was renamed the ICC World Cup Qualifier.

Answer: England

Sri Lanka's first ever Test was against a second-string England side at the P. Saravanamuttu Stadium in Colombo. After a competitive start from Sri Lanka, England overpowered the home side in the second innings to win the match comfortably by 7 wickets.

Answer: India

Sri Lanka hosted and won a three-Test series against India 1-0 in 1985 (aka one win and two draws). Sri Lanka's win in the second Test was also its first ever Test match victory.

Answer: That Sri Lanka would never win a Test match away from home

India did not view Sri Lanka as a credible opponent in this period, and had only agreed to tour the island to help promote and develop the game there. The tour was marred by a series of poor umpiring decisions, most of which favoured the home side, resulting in Sri Lanka's maiden Test success.

In addition to losing the Test series, India was held to a 1-1 draw in the three-match ODI series that followed. The results were humiliating for the visiting side, an established Test nation that had already tasted success abroad and begun to dominate at home by this time.

Answer: India

India pulled out of the 1986 edition of the Asia Cup after the hosting rights were awarded to Sri Lanka. Cricketing relations between the two nations had soured after India's poor showing on their 1985 tour of Sri Lanka, which they claim was due to biased decision-making by local match officials.

India's absence cleared the way for Sri Lanka to qualify for the final of an elite level tournament for the first time, where they defeated Pakistan by 5 wickets to claim the Asian cricketing crown for the first time.

Answer: New Zealand

Sri Lanka won the two-Test series 1-0. Despite going into the series as underdogs, Sri Lanka was the better side throughout the series. Sri Lankan seamer Chaminda Vaas dominated in the overcast conditions, taking 10 for 90 to set up a massive 241-run win in the 1st Test, and followed it up with another 5-wicket haul in the 2nd Test, to finish with a staggering 16 wickets in 3 innings.

Answer: M.C.G.

While Muralidaran's action had raised eyebrows from the start of his career, he had never been called for throwing before the 1995 Boxing Day Test in Melbourne. Hair's decision to no-ball Muralidaran for throwing was controversial for another reason: Hair was not positioned as square-leg when Muralidaran was bowling, and therefore should not have been monitoring his action (Hair was at the bowler's end).

Answer: By threatening to take his team off the field

Play was held up for several minutes as Sri Lanka refused to continue with the match. After a lengthy discussion between senior Sri Lankan players and the umpires, it was agreed that Muralidaran could continue to bowl (and not be no-balled) if he bowled leg-spin.

Answer: 0

After five disappointing world cup campaigns, Sri Lanka shocked the cricketing world by winning every time they took to the field in the 1995-96 tournament. Sri Lanka unveiled an innovative new game plan in the tournament, which involved aggressive batting against the new ball followed by steady accumulation through the middle of the innings.

This went against conventional wisdom, which dictated that teams should play conservatively against the new ball and try to double their score after 30 overs. Sri Lanka's tremendous success in the tournament demonstrated that their method was more effective, and revolutionised limited-overs batting.