Gamini Goonesena played for Sri Lanka [then Ceylon] in the country's pre-Test era and captained them at the unofficial Test against India at the P Sara Oval in 1956. He is best remembered for his contribution as an allrounder for Cambridge University, a team he represented between 1954 and 1957. He became the first Asian to captain them, and, in 1957, played a significant role in beating arch-rivals Oxford by scoring 211 and taking 4 for 40 in the second innings with his leg-spin. He represented Nottinghamshire for 11 years and also played for New South Wales in the Sheffield Shield when he was employed with the Ceylon Tea Board in Australia. Following his retirement from competitive cricket, he was appointed Sri Lanka's representative at the ICC and subsequently managed the Test side on a tour of India in 1982. He also worked as a Test match commentator before retiring in 2004 and settling down in Australia. He died at the age of 80 in Canberra.

ESPNcricinfo staff, August 2011