Ranatunga sweeps to victory in Sri Lankan polls

Ranatunga sweeps to victory in Sri Lankan polls
Charlie Austin - 7 December 2001

Former Sri Lankan captain Arjuna Ranatunga won a seat in Parliament during the Sri Lankan general elections held on Wednesday.

But Ranatunga's party, the People's Alliance (PA), was heading to defeat on Friday night as the last results were being announced.

Ranatunga, contesting a seat in Colombo district, was the PA's second-highest vote puller in the capital with 97,409 votes.

The controversial captain, nicknamed Captain Cool for his calm assurance under pressure, had been persuaded to contest the elections following a personal invitation by President Chandika Kumaratunga.

Ranatunga campaigned under the banner of youth and sporting issues, promising to reform the country's ailing sports bodies and give greater opportunities to sportsmen and women in outstation areas.

But he will have to sit on the backbenches during his first term in Parliament, after the United National Party swept to victory in the national polls.

Teams	Sri Lanka.
Players/Umpires	Arjuna Ranatunga.