Veteran Sri Lankan cricket coach Sumith Fernando has died at the age of 62 after an altercation with players at the Bloomfield Cricket and Athletic Club in Colombo.
Fernando was taken to hospital after the incident on August 8. However, he died on Tuesday, August 11, leaving the Sri Lankan cricket community shocked and mourning his sudden death.
According to a report by Sri Lanka Mirror, a 17-year-old cricketer has been arrested in connection with the incident. The teenager was produced before the Colombo Magistrate’s Court on August 11 and was ordered to remain under the supervision of the Department of Probation and Childcare Services until August 17, 2026.
Police said the incident started after a group of young cricketers training at the club went to a water tap but found that there was no water.
This led to an argument between the players and a club employee. According to the preliminary investigation, the employee allegedly tried to assault the 17-year-old cricketer. The teenager then reportedly hit the employee in retaliation.
Fernando, who was working as a curator at the club, was caught up in the incident and later suffered serious injuries. He was taken to hospital but could not recover.
Who was Sumith Fernando?
Fernando was a respected cricket coach who had previously worked at Prince of Wales’ College in Moratuwa. During his coaching career, he helped develop several young cricketers.
One of the players he coached was Kusal Mendis, who went on to become an important member of the Sri Lankan national team and also captained the side in ODIs.
Fernando later joined the Bloomfield Cricket and Athletic Club as a curator. The club is one of Sri Lanka’s well-known domestic cricket institutions.
His funeral was held on Thursday as players, coaches and members of Sri Lanka’s cricket community gathered to pay their final respects to the veteran coach.