Lionel Fernando (21 October 1939 – 31 March 2026) was a Sri Lankan-born Australian cricketer who played for Ceylon from 1964 to 1971.
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | 21 October 1939 Negombo, British Ceylon | ||||||||||||||
| Died | 31 March 2026 (aged 86) Melbourne, Australia | ||||||||||||||
| Batting | Right-handed | ||||||||||||||
| Role | Batsman | ||||||||||||||
| Career statistics | |||||||||||||||
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Source: Cricket Archive, 20 February 2017 | |||||||||||||||
Biography
editFernando received his early education at St. Anne's College in Kurunegala, where his father was the Municipal Commissioner.[1] Later he attended St. Benedict's College, Colombo, where he captained the cricket team in 1959.[2] In a match against the team from St. Anne's College, he dismissed the opposition for 50, taking all 10 wickets for 24 runs, including a hat-trick, then scored a double-century in 157 minutes, all in one day's play. The feat of taking all 10 wickets and scoring a double-century in the same match is believed to be unique in world cricket.[1]
His bowling fell away, but he represented Ceylon in the 1960s as a batsman and slip fielder.[1] He made his first-class debut for a Ceylon Board President's XI when they defeated a Pakistan team in 1964–65.[3] In 1965–66 he top-scored with 40 in a one-day match for Ceylon against the touring MCC.[4] In 1966–67 he toured Pakistan with the Ceylon team, playing in one of the unofficial Tests, and a few weeks later, against the touring West Indians, scored 48 and 72 not out.[5]
In the 1970s Fernando played league cricket in England: two seasons with Fieldhouse in the South Lancashire League and one season for Walsden in the Central Lancashire League.[1]
Fernando migrated to Australia in 1984[1] and played several seasons of club cricket for Jacana in Melbourne.[6] He and his wife Stella lived in Melbourne. They had two sons, Tyrone and Dilshan, and a daughter, Marina.[2] In September 2018, he was one of 49 former Sri Lankan cricketers felicitated by Sri Lanka Cricket, to honour them for their services before Sri Lanka became a full member of the International Cricket Council (ICC).[7][8] Fernando died in Melbourne on 31 March 2026, at the age of 86.[9]
References
edit- 1 2 3 4 5 Thawfeeq, Sa'adi (18 July 2010). "Nimble-footed Lionel". The Nation. Retrieved 22 February 2017.
- 1 2 Kariyawasam, Maxie (18 January 2009). "Lionel Fernando: A once in a lifetime cricketer". St. Benedict's College News. Retrieved 22 February 2017.
- ↑ "Ceylon Board President's XI v Pakistan A 1964-65". CricketArchive. Retrieved 22 February 2017.
- ↑ "Ceylon Cricket Association President's XI v MCC 1965-66". CricketArchive. Retrieved 22 February 2017.
- ↑ "Ceylon v West Indians 1966-67". CricketArchive. Retrieved 22 February 2017.
- ↑ "Broadmeadows Observer SPORTING ROUNDUP 09/02/1992". Jacana CC. Retrieved 22 February 2017.
- ↑ "Sri Lanka Cricket to felicitate 49 past cricketers". Sri Lanka Cricket. Archived from the original on 6 September 2018. Retrieved 5 September 2018.
- ↑ "SLC launched the program to felicitate ex-cricketers". Sri Lanka Cricket. Archived from the original on 6 September 2018. Retrieved 5 September 2018.
- ↑ "Former Benedictine and Sri Lankan cricketing stalwart no more". DailyFT. 1 April 2026. Retrieved 2 April 2026.
External links
edit- Lionel Fernando at CricketArchive (subscription required)
- Lionel Fernando at ESPNcricinfo