England were outplayed

He identified the need for a venue which would be free from the seasonal wet weather which affects other parts of the island and Dambulla was built in just seven months.

Initially costed at 190 million rupees (�1.42m), the sum more than doubled as construction work was carried out.

Whatever Sumathipala's critics might say, however, they will grudgingly concede that no-one heading a sporting body on the island had ever embarked on a such an ambitious project.

It also provided an economic uplift and welcome recognition for the area and people of Dambulla.

Investigation

The problems began when the Board was dissolved by the then Sports Minister, amid allegations of corruption and mismanagement of funds.

The authority of the priest who approved the leasing of temple land was then questioned as the Commissioner for Buddhist Affairs should supposedly have been consulted.

Matches scheduled for Dambulla as part of a triangular tournament involving Sri Lanka, India and New Zealand were cancelled at short notice.

Religious issues also affected Dambulla

The stadium became an unfortunate victim of a political game, which has been the bane of cricket in Sri Lanka.

The committee appointed to investigate the affairs of former members of the BCCSL, rather than the work carried out by them, in the end found nothing.

The inability to produce credible evidence simply confirmed the doubts of many that the much-publicised inquiry was in fact a dismal failure.

Thankfully the Attorney General's department, which scrutinised the entire transaction, has found nothing wrong in the construction of the stadium which paved the way for the current Interim Committee to settle the outstanding payments due to the contractors.

As for the legal snag over the lease of the land, new Sports Minister Johnston Fernando has intervened and requested the MInister of Buddhist Affairs to bring about a settlement.

Thus it was that the third unofficial Test between Kenya and Sri Lanka A took place at Dambulla.

The match which was well attended by people from the area, showing how much they value the stadium.

Now, hopefully, Dambulla can take its rightful place as a major sporting venue after one of the most unfortunate periods this cricket-crazy country has witnessed.