Kandy’s cricketing legend Malcolm Perera is back with Kandy District Cricket Association and is determined to give cricket a fresh face. It is no easy task organizing a popular sport in a city like Kandy because this sport has become unpopular and unattractive especially at club level, due to poor management.
Perera, he was one of the best cricketers to come out of St. Sylvester’s College and his coming back to the committee of Kandy District Cricket Association spells good for the game. Malcolm fist played cricket for Sylvestrians in mid 1960’s under the guidance of late Bertie Nillgoda and later became a good coach and produced some top cricketers. One of this best products is Ishak Shabdeen.
Malcolm was first a Playgrounds master at the Kandy Municipal Council, from there he went to the sports section of the Peradeniya University where he polished himself at the Physical Education Department.
His first assignment at Sri Lanka Cricket was as junior national coach 1994. He served SLC executive committee during 1984 under the late Gamini Dissanayake. After retiring from SLC he joined CSN Sports network as a project director. His last assignment in Colombo was with Sri Lanka Ports Authority as head of CSR and in charge of the SLPA Premier Division cricket team.
As a level 4 qualified cricket coach he coached St.Sylvester’s College 1st XI for 14 years, Trinity College Junior for 3 years, and Kingwood College for 9 years. He had the privilege to lead Kandy C.C,, Kandy Youth SC and Central Province teams at major tournaments organized by the Board of Control for Cricket as they were known at that time. He was also a qualified cricket and hockey umpire and a qualified coaching instructor.
During his school days he played for Kandy schools in the annual zonal tournament, and later for Kandy CC, and he is the man who started Kandy Youth Cricket Club later this club became a sports club. People like late D.H de Silva gave him a big hand and he was then in the committee of the KDCA and CPCA. He was introduced to coaching, with St. Sylvester’s for a long spell and also at Kingswood College.
From Kandy he got employment at Sri Lanka Cricket Board and was a long time employee and ended as the Director of Coaching and was also sent overseas. He can be rated as one of the most senior coaches in the country with a good knowledge.
During his school days he started as an opening bat at St. Sylvester’s and his opening partner was late T.E. Badurdeen. After school he took in charge St. Sylvester’s junior coaching that is where he produced Ishak Shabdeen, a double international. Later he took up the senior side and changed the complexion of the game of Sylvestrians, where he was given the best of support by his coach, who was later the principal Bertie Nillegoda.
His talents as a cricket coach was spotted by no less than the Australian cricket coaches Les Lenham and Peter Philpott who in separate coaching assignments. He was a talented coach who could sharpen the skills of a cricketer and has the privilege to influence and motivate anyone to give their best in cricket.
Having held the post of Director Coaching of Sri Lanka Cricket for many years, he went over to Bangladesh to assume duties as the Junior National Cricket coach where he once again stamped his class. Some of his products like Tamim Iqbal, Mortaza, Mohammed Ashraful, Naim Islam, Javed Islam, Hafeez Iqbal, have made it to the Bangladesh national cricket team. He also had a coaching stint in Malaysia at national level.
On his return to the country, he was appointed Manager Coaching at Sri Lanka Cricket and later to the Cricket Development section. He contributed immensely for the development of cricket especially in the provinces. No coach in Kandy could match his record. His return to Kandy District cricket association will benefit cricket in the central hills in a big way.
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