The book is a must read for any cricket fan as it has broken away from the traditional story of describing a person or game and has shown us a completely different picture in cricket.

The book is a must read for any cricket fan as it has broken away from the traditional story of describing a person or game and has shown us a completely different picture in cricket. My association with Ranjan Mellawa dates back to the late 90’s when I met him as a Senior Executive of a leading bank. Even then Ranjan’s first love was cricket and he would spend countless hours discussing the subject.

However, I never knew that well his craze for the game until he joined Ragama CC and eventually became the Secretary. His passion, the craze and desire to follow and love the game of cricket is amply demonstrated in his book Winds Behind The Willows. I was fascinated to read his experience as a fan watching six World Cups and sharing the glory of Sri Lanka and its achievements in the field of cricket.

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A fabulous book for any cricket lover, be s/he the veteran or the greenhorn, maybe the Lord sipping lager at Lord’s or the tuk tuk driver from Chittagong. Undoubtedly, they will all enjoy this magnum opus that comes to us from a cricket lover of a rare distinction.

One has to know something about cricket to enjoy this magnificent book. Suited me ideally as I do not know much about cricket matters but like almost all Sri Lankans I too am connected umbilically to international cricket and especially when the home country is at the crease. Let me try and express my views on author Ranjan Mellawa writing a book. I can categorically state that if not the bull’s eye, he certainly has hit pretty close to it as a new author in his maiden venture on cricket journalism.

The man has managed to vagabond his way to be present at six World Cup finals. That alone gives him credentials to be somewhat an expert on the international scene from a spectator’s point of view. Ranjan has been an ardent cricket fan. He’s played too, starting with a plastic bat as a kid to rustic cricket in neighborhood tennis-ball matches. From there he graduated to club level domestic league. Hence, his story begins at grass-root level and then blossoms and spreads wild and wide taking him to the world of international cricket as a die-hard knowledgeable fan.

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Mellawa’s book in that sense is unique because he does not delve on cricket usually as others do. His book is all about a cricket book written for the fans by a fan.

In an age where computer technology is fast reducing the print industry to near extinction and newspapers are finding it extremely difficult to keep pace with internet and what have you, bringing out a book in print is certainly a challenging task.

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