Arjuna Ranatunga is a stockily-built left-handed batsman who led Sri Lanka to their greatest cricketing triumph, the 1996 World Cup. His innovative captaincy took a Sri Lanka team given little chance prior to the competition for cricket's greatest prize. He made his debut in Sri Lanka's inaugural Test at the age of 18, and made his country's first Test half-century. A dominant figure on cricket fields all over the world for nearly 20 years, he never shied from confrontation, defending his players and rights to the hilt.

Despite his relative inability to scamper the quick single which is considered essential in one-day cricket, Ranatunga had an uncanny ability to keep the scoreboard ticking over using deft placement on both sides of the wicket, combined with fluent driving through the offside in particular. He was a deceptive and useful medium-pace bowler, although his bowling was seen rarely in the later part of his career. He lost the captaincy following Sri Lanka's poor showing in the 1999 World Cup, and retired from international cricket a year later, but his contribution to Sri Lankan cricket is immense. He moved into administration and was appointed chairman of the board in January 2008. He was sacked in December after a controversial tenure in which he took several decisions that went against the grain.