Ranatunga confident of political success

Cricketing heavyweight Arjuna Ranatunga held his first press conference Thursday as he prepares to stand as a candidate in the forthcoming General Election in Sri Lanka.

Ranatunga, wooed into the ruling People's Alliance by President Chandrika Kumaratunga earlier this week, is expected to contest Kaduwela or Kotte seat in Colombo, an area which the party desperately needs support if a buoyant UNP opposition are to be stopped from seizing control of parliament.

"This is not something I planned to do or wanted to do, but something I feel I must do for my country," he revealed at the conference.

Ranatunga claims to have agonised over the invitation to join Kumaratunga for over a week, but his family have a long involvement with the party. His father, Reggie, is currently a minister and his oldest brother, Prassana, is also a PA politician.

Yesterday, he said he drew his political inspiration from Kumaratunga's mother, Sirimavo Bandaranaike, the world's first woman prime minister.

But he did not commit himself when he was asked whether he was left or right of centre, saying: "I am not an expert in politics so I don't yet know. I know that I am loved by the people but give me a little time to figure the rest out."

Ranatunga has decided to campaign on a promise to revamp the country's scandal-tainted sports and youth welfare programme.

As a cricketer and former Sri Lankan captain he his was adored by fans and reviled by opponents for his seemingly omnipresent self confidence; as a politician he has started in the same vein, stating: "I'm confident I will be the first successful cricketer turned politician."

In fact, outside Sri Lanka, there have been famous cricketers who have been successful politicians. There have also been some spectacular failures, most recently Imran Khan, who failed to win a single seat in the Pakistani elections after a high profile campaign.

Imran refuses to give up hope and may still meet with success, but former England captain Ted Dexter, is won't try again having once taken on James Callaghan, a future Prime Minister, as a conservative candidate. Manoj Prahabkar also failed in his attempt to enter the Indian parliament.

The West Indians, though, have been more successful with Learie Constantine becoming a Trinidadian MP and Minister, the legendary Wes Hall becoming the Sports Minister for Barbados and, most recently, opening batsman Desmond Haynes becoming a Bajan Senator.

Ranatunga retired from international cricket in August 2000, but continued to play domestic cricket last season, as he decided upon his future.

During that time he had been linked to a new Sinhalese nationalist party and his name had been put forward as a potential cricket board presidential candidate.

Indeed, he had been playing an increasingly activist developmental role within the cricket board during recent months as a Cricket Committee member. For the moment, though, his cricket ambitions have been put to one side.

Ranatunga was no stranger to controversy during his career, and after his retirement he has remained in the limelight.

He was accused of fixing cricket matches by bookie Mukesh Gupta in a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) report, but was cleared after a Sri Lankan cricket board inquiry.

He also appeared in court earlier this year to answer charges of assaulting schoolboys who hit a cricket ball into his family home. He was granted bail and will next appear in court on 7 December - two days after the elections.