Tony Opatha

{{Short description|Sri Lankan cricketer (1947–2020)}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2022}}

{{Infobox cricketer

| name = Tony Opatha

| country = Sri Lanka

| fullname = Antony Ralph Marinon Opatha

| birth_date = {{Birth date|1947|08|05|df=yes}}

| birth_place = Colombo, Ceylon

| death_date = {{death date and age|2020|9|11|1947|8|5|df=yes}}

| death_place = Colombo, Sri Lanka

| batting = Right-handed

| bowling = Right-arm medium

| role = Bowler

| international = true

| internationalspan = 1975–1979

| odidebutdate = 7 June

| odidebutyear = 1975

| odidebutagainst = West Indies

| odicap = 6

| lastodidate = 16 June

| lastodiyear = 1979

| lastodiagainst = India

| columns = 3

| column1 = ODI

| matches1 = 5

| runs1 = 29

| bat avg1 = 9.66

| 100s/50s1 = 0/0

| top score1 = 18

| deliveries1 = 253

| wickets1 = 5

| bowl avg1 = 36.00

| fivefor1 = 0

| tenfor1 = 0

| best bowling1 = 3/31

| catches/stumpings1 = 3/–

| column2 = FC

| matches2 = 39

| runs2 = 790

| bat avg2 = 17.17

| 100s/50s2 = 0/3

| top score2 = 65

| deliveries2 = 6,548

| wickets2 = 111

| bowl avg2 = 30.74

| fivefor2 = 2

| tenfor2 = 0

| best bowling2 = 6/91

| catches/stumpings2 = 24/–

| column3 = LA

| matches3 = 20

| runs3 = 100

| bat avg3 = 7.69

| 100s/50s3 = 0/0

| top score3 = 19

| deliveries3 = 1,092

| wickets3 = 21

| bowl avg3 = 33.85

| fivefor3 = 0

| tenfor3 = 0

| best bowling3 = 3/20

| catches/stumpings3 = 8/–

| date = 24 December

| year = 2014

| source = http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/content/player/49849.html ESPNcricinfo

}}

Antony Ralph Marinon Opatha (5 August 1947 – 11 September 2020) was a Sri Lankan cricketer.{{cite web|url=https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/_/id/29860629/tony-opatha,-former-sri-lanka-seamer,-dies-aged-73 |title=Former Sri Lanka seamer Tony Opatha dies aged 73 |work=ESPN Cricinfo |accessdate=11 September 2020}} A right-arm medium pace bowler, he played five One Day Internationals at the 1975 and 1979 Cricket World Cups.{{cite web|url=https://emergingcricket.com/news/former-sri-lankan-international-tony-opatha-dies/ |title=Former Sri Lankan international Tony Opatha dies |work=Emerging Cricket |accessdate=12 September 2020}}{{cite book |last=Booth |first=Lawrence |date=2021 |title=Wisden Cricketers' Almanack |page=270 |isbn=9781472975478}}

Educated at St. Peter's College, Colombo, Opatha joined the Royal Ceylon Volunteer Air Force in 1968. He had played for his college cricket team and went on to play for the air force cricket team until 1977. He first played for Ceylon in 1971 and was a member of the Sri Lankan teams in the World Cups in England in 1975 and 1979. He later played club cricket in Ireland for one season in 1979 and was offered the post of coach of the Holland team.{{cite news |title=Living Legends - Tony Opatha |url=https://www.nation.lk/2011/01/30/sports4.htm |accessdate=14 May 2020 |publisher=The Nation}}

As player/manager of the rebel tour to South Africa in 1982–83 in defiance of the sporting ban against the apartheid state, Opatha and the other tourists received a lifetime ban from international cricket. The name of the team, "Arosa Sri Lankan XI", derived from Opatha's initials ARO plus SA for South Africa. The ban was lifted in 1991.{{cite web |first=Dilina |last=Amaruwan |url=https://roar.media/english/life/sports/cricket-in-cuckoo-land-the-rebel-tour-of-apartheid-south-africa |title=Cricket In Cuckoo Land: The Rebel Tour Of Apartheid South Africa |website=Roar Media |date=16 January 2019 |access-date=5 February 2024}}

Opatha was coach of the Netherlands women's national cricket team at the 1995 Women's European Cricket Cup in Ireland.{{cite web|url=http://www.womenscrickethistory.org/Tours_and_Tournaments/Womens_European_Cup_1995/Brochure/index.html#1/z|title=European Cup 1995|publisher=Irish Women's Cricket Union|via=Women's Cricket History|year=1995|access-date=12 September 2023}}

In September 2018, Opatha was one of 49 former Sri Lankan cricketers felicitated by Sri Lanka Cricket, to honour them for their services before Sri Lanka became a full member of the International Cricket Council (ICC).{{cite web|url=http://www.srilankacricket.lk/news/sri-lanka-cricket-to-felicitate-49-past-cricketers |title=Sri Lanka Cricket to felicitate 49 past cricketers |work=Sri Lanka Cricket |accessdate=5 September 2018}}{{cite web|url=http://www.srilankacricket.lk/news/slc-launched-the-program-to-felicitate-ex-cricketers |title=SLC launched the program to felicitate ex-cricketers |work=Sri Lanka Cricket |accessdate=5 September 2018}}