What's in a name? Plenty if you're Sri Lankan!

Soon after I started commentating as a bright-eyed, bushy-tailed novice in 1994, I distinctly remember being horrified by an upcoming Sri Lankan tour.

In those days that was a commentator’s nightmare. It wasn’t that knowledge was scarce regarding the individuals arriving on South African soil, as with some research most of those bases could be covered. It was their names!

I feel the correct pronunciation of a player’s name is very important. It shows respect and courtesy and, most importantly, as a commentator one’s primary task is to educate from an informative base. If one can’t get the names right, surely some credibility is at stake as a broadcaster.

Prior to an international season commencing in the late 90s a squad of excited Sri Lankan players was about to arrive and quite simply most of their names looked like tricky taxing tongue-twisters! It wasn’t until I sat down and worked my way through them, admittedly with the help of Sri Lankan commentator Ranjit Fernando, that they made any semblance of structure. The Sri Lankans were after all quite new at test cricket in those days and South Africans had seen little of their remarkable instinctive craft. Their World Cup victory in March 1996 simply demanded however that these new kids on the block deserved respect.

Over the years many commentators took the easy route and chose to gloss over the longer, problematic names and Russel Arnold often became the most discussed Sri Lankan cricketer. To this day, some still choose to wax lyrically about vice-captain Angelo Mathews.

In two weeks’ time some more challenging names will be strutting their stuff at SuperSport Park for the first test. Some of the Sri Lankan players will succeed, some will not. Some commentators will stumble, hopefully most will not.

In the meantime here is some homework for you. Test your pronunciation with some of these Sri Lankan test players’ names. Good luck with: Denagamage Proboth Mahela de Silva Jayawardene, Herath Mudiyanselage Rangana Keerthi Bandara Herath, Hettige Don Rumesh Lahiru Thirimanne, Narangoda Liyanaarachchilage Thisara Chirantha Perera, Aththachchi Nuwan Pradeep Roshan Fernando and, my favourite, Uda Walawwe Mahim Bandaralage Chanaka Asanga Welegedara.

By the way, that is not the whole squad of sixteen … only six of them! We are lucky that the respected stalwart Warnakulasuriya Patabendige Ushantha Joseph Chaminda Vaas has retired.

Thank goodness Russel Arnold is commentating with us. Listen for Russel again to take centre stage.