Bandula Warnapura's service to game in Asia cannot be underestimated: ICC Acting CEO Allardice

Dubai [UAE], October 19 : The International Cricket Council (ICC) has expressed sadness at the death of former Sri Lanka Test captain and ICC Development Manager Bandula Warnapura, who passed away at the age of 68 after a brief illness.
Sri Lanka's first Test skipper Warnapura died on Monday while undergoing treatment in a private hospital in Colombo.
"We are deeply saddened to hear the passing of Bandula, he achieved many things in cricket, not just as his time as Sri Lanka captain, but also as a former colleague at the ICC. His service to the game in Asia cannot be underestimated, our thoughts are with his family and friends at this time," said ICC Acting Chief Executive, Geoff Allardice in a statement.
Born in 1953, Warnapura the first Test captain of Sri Lanka, played 12 ODIs and four Tests from 1975-1982 including the 1975 and 1979 ICC Men's Cricket World Cups.
Bandu as he was popularly known, played a leadership role in developing cricket in Asia starting at Sri Lanka Cricket as Senior Manager Operations and later joined the Asian Cricket Council as Development manager from 2007 to 2015.
He then joined the International Cricket Council in the same role and retired in 2017, where he achieved some of his biggest contributions to cricket, supporting a number of Associate Members and developing the game around the world.