Michael Tissera

Michael Tissera Biography

Michael Tissera could have been an all-time great had he been born a couple of decades late. Even then, he played a crucial role in Sri Lanka’s rise in cricket in the 1960s and 1970s, and he had to remain content with 3 matches in the 1975 World Cup.

By then Anura Tennekoon had replaced Tissera as national captain. Tissera came to the forefront when Sri Lanka were chasing 329. Jeff Thomson hit Duleep Mendis on the head and smashed Sunil Wettimuny’s toe and instep. But Tissera kept counterattacking, scored 52 against Dennis Lillee and Thomson, and Sri Lanka reached 276.

With bat Tissera was elegant enough to capture the imagination of writers, though he rarely got those big scores. He had a massive leg-break, a deceptive googly, and a dead-straight flipper, but was often too erratic with line and length.

Despite his inconsistency, Tissera scored 2,930 runs at 32 and took 66 wickets at 24 from 76 of his recorded matches — a mere 30 of which were given First-Class status. However, he is remembered most as a shrewd, inspirational leader.

Tissera led St Thomas’ College, Mount Lavinia, and Nondescripts. He slammed a 31-ball unbeaten 51 against Bobby Simpson’s Australians in 1963-64. A few months later he led both Ceylon Board President’s XI and an all-Ceylon team to wins over Pakistan A.

The big moment came in January 1965, when Tissera led Ceylon to a win over an all-India side at Ahmedabad. It is the only time that Sri Lanka has beaten an Indian side in India in multi-day cricket.

Tissera later became Head of Cricket Committee in Sri Lanka Cricket; he was appointed Chairman of Selectors in 2002; he managed both Sri Lanka A and Sri Lanka; he played a major role in getting Muttiah Muralitharan’s action cleared; he has been vocal towards promotion of provincial cricket to improve quality in the country; and he was a part of MCC’s World Cricket Committee.

The Test series between West Indies and Sri Lanka is named the Sobers-Tissera Trophy.

Abhishek Mukherjee

Michael Tissera Batting & Fielding Averages

Career

Avg

100s

50s

Test

ODIs

T20s

World Cup

Michael Tissera Bowling Averages

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