The cricket team of 1996 is undoubtedly one of the most looked up to bunch of cricketers/sportsmen in the country up to date.
The reunion of these heroes not only bought back fond memories from 2 decades ago but it also bought about a lot of attention to the ‘Baby Cheramy Big Heart project’ which was organized to promote education among children who are at risk of dropping out of school due to poverty.
It was a gala night at the newly furbished Kingsbury hotel with the 1996 team greeted by a customary Papare band. What a sight it was to see the likes of Arjuna, Aravinda, Gura, Hashan, Roshan, Kalu and co together in the same room.
The highlight for night however was the auction of cricketing memorabilia which was presented by the 1996 team in aid of the project. The first item of offer was a bat signed by ‘Master Blaster’ Sanath Jayasuriya. Jayasuriya had a memorable world cup tournament that year ending as the most valuable player of the tournament and the signed bat by Jayasuriya went for 300,000/- rupees.
The second item which was offer was a bat signed by ‘Captain Cool’, Arjuna Ranatunga. Arjuna is regarded as one of the most fearless leaders in world cricket and was an inspirational player. His signed bat was auctioned off at 410,000/- rupees.
The final item of the night was a bat which was signed by the entire world cup winning team in 1996. The starting bid for the final bat was 200,000 and it ended up getting 1,250,000/- which totaled up the amount to 2,960,000/- rupees.
Addressing the crowd at the gathering, the 96 skipper Arjuna Ranatuna said, that they were extremely happy to be a part of a cause such as this. The Project Ambassador of the Big Heart Project, Roshan Mahanama said that it was a great feeling to be a part of something of this nature which bought so many people together for a cause worth fighting for.
It was a fabulous event for a fabulous cause! Baby Cheramy celebrated their 50th anniversary in partnership with the Department of Probation and Childcare Services, Ministry of Child Development and Women’s Affairs organized this event.
