0
COLOMBO: Enjoy a cold beer at Bradman's bar, relive Bodyline's ruthless history before tucking into a Dickie Bird Burger.
A restaurant on the outskirts of Colombo, set-up inside an old bungalow by a couple of cricket-loving Aussie surfers, is proving to be a home-from-home for World Cup fans.
The Cricket Club Cafe is packed with memorabilia from the sport's past with a section dedicated to each of the top teams participating in the six-week World Cup which Sri Lanka is co-hosting with India and Bangladesh.
Live action can be watched on giant screens, both inside and outside of the cafe owned by an Australian couple James and Gabrielle Whight.
“James came to Sri Lanka for the surfing and found out that the city doesn't have hotels other than the five-stars, so having noticed the people here are crazy about cricket we decided to set up this club,” Gabrielle told AFP.
With James himself a fan of the game, and possessing a treasure of memorabilia, it was easy for the couple to set up the cafe in 1996 with cricket as the main theme.
Even the dishes are named after past and present players.
The menu boasts (Sourav) Ganguly's Grill, (Muttiah) Murali Mulligatawny, Imran's (Khan) Pakistani Pumpkin, (Sunil) Gavaskar's Greek Lettuce, Viv's (Richards) Vegetable, (Gary) Sober's Stir Fry Fish, Dickie Bird Burger and Rahul's (Dravid) Risotto.
Also regularly featuring are Mahela (Jayawardene) Amatriciana, Captain's Cobb, Skipper's Seafood, Maiden Over Chicken and David Shepherd's Pie. The bar is named after Sir Donald Bradman.
“Since a bar is a special place in a cafe, it's named after Bradman who was an extraordinary player. People come here and enjoy reading the newspaper clippings to revive memories of the great player,” said Gabrielle.
The bar has faded clippings of Australia's 1948 Invincibles tour of England and original cuttings of Bradman's exploits on the 1930 English tour.
“Ray Lindwall (Australian fast bowler) gave James his Invincibles jumper and that was the start,” said Gabrielle, who terms the bat with which Sobers hit six sixes in an over in an English county match as the most prized possession. Former Australian paceman Dennis Lillee's signed bat, autographed shirts of Pakistan's famed fast bowler Wasim Akram, England's Darren Gough and Australian opener Justin Langer are other proud items.
The pictures on display are the most exclusive and cannot be reproduced, including the notorious Bodyline series.
A large space is also is devoted to Sri Lanka's greatest cricketing moment, the 1996 World Cup victory.
“This is the best place to visit to revive your cricket interest,” said Romesh Gunasekera, who intends to take his Pakistani friends to watch some matches. Gabrielle said she and her husband enjoy every moment of their lives in Sri Lanka.
“It's been a wonderful experience, and we have hosted players from every country and we now hope to share some time with the fans in the World Cup, “said James.
