The Legend of Pradeep Mathew: A Novel

by Shehan Karunatilaka

Some remember his impressive career stats ... others recall his on-field arrogance. Some say he fixed matches . . . others say he was dropped for being Tamil! Who exactly was Pradeep Mathew? And what became of him?

WG Karunasena, a man who spent 64 years drinking arrack and watching cricket decides to find out ...If you have never seen a cricket match; or if you have and it has made you snore ...If you can’t understand why anyone would watch, let alone obsess over this dull game ...... then this IS the book for you

Genres: Fiction, Sports, Asia, Historical Fiction, Contemporary, Novels, Historical

416 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

Shehan Karunatilaka lives and works in Singapore. He has written advertisements, rock songs, travel stories, and bass lines. This is his first novel.

Reviews

[Ian · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m one of those readers who is in the habit of trying to read more than one book at a time. Usually I try to have one work of fiction and one of non-fiction on the go, (and I often have an audiobook underway as well). This is a 400-page novel and I found the first 150 pages or so were, to use an appropriate metaphor, bowled at medium pace. I found my non-fiction reads more appealing and the result was slow progress with this one, until I gave the book the attention it deserved.

Set in Sri-Lanka in the 1990s, W.G. Kuranasena is a retired, alcoholic and terminally ill sportswriter who decides, as a last project, to find out what happened to a (fictional) cricket player called Pradeep Mathew, whom he regards as the best spin bowler he ever saw, but who disappeared after playing only 4 Tests for Sri-Lanka. He is assisted by his close friend and neighbour Ari Byrd, and by another friend, an Englishman called Jonny Gilhooley, who works at the British High Commission. Jonny is one of several characters in the book about whom the truth is unclear. Another is a man called Kuga or Kugarajah, who may be a gangster, a government agent or a senior commander with the Tamil Tigers (or all three).

In general, truth proves a difficult thing for W.G. to get hold of. In his attempts to trace Pradeep, he encounters all sorts of stories from people keen to make money out of his interest. Pradeep is a Tamil and, this being the 1990s, there is a backdrop of the civil war between the government and the Tamil Tigers, and W.G.’s enquiries also lead him into the murky world of sports betting. The novel also touches on the role of sport in society, as well as Kuranasena’s relationship with his wife and his difficult relationship with his son. This is really a multi-layered story.

I enjoyed the use of Sri-Lankan English in the spoken dialogue.

I would say that knowing a bit about cricket would probably help with the enjoyment of this novel. I’m not a particular cricket fan but I know the basics, so for example I know the difference between Third Man and Fine Leg, or what cricketers mean when they talk about bowling a maiden over. (Fnar! Fnar!) The novel does explain the game to the uninitiated, but the author also makes references to both real and fictional players, and to real and fictional matches. It might help to know which is which. The book’s title is derived from a particular type of delivery from a spin bowler, although the term is now no longer used for obvious reasons.

So, after a slowish start (mainly my own fault) I got to like this, and went through the second half of the book pretty quickly. On one level a novel about cricket and cricketers, and another a novel about what we decide to do with our lives.

[Nancy Oakes · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is a Sinhalese expression "Konde bandapu cheena," which translates as "ponytailed Chinaman," and connotes someone gullible -- someone who will believe anything. A "Chinaman" in cricket terms is (according to Wikipedia) "a left-handed bowler bowling wrist spin (left arm unorthodox). For a right-handed batsman, the ball will move from the off side to the leg side (left to right on the TV screen). " The question asked by the narrator of this novel is this:

"Is this a story about a pony-tailed Chinaman bowler? Or a tale to tell a pony-tailed Chinaman? That is for you to decide."

Whatever your choice may be after finishing this novel, Chinaman is one of the best novels I've read so far this year. I know jack about cricket, which features heavily throughout the story; no surprise there, considering Americans are far more involved in football, baseball and basketball. Strangely enough, my lack of knowledge was not a drawback in any form. The mix of Sri Lankan history, contemporary politics, humor, the characters and the author's prose all come together to make this book an unforgettable experience.

"There is nothing more inspiring than a solid deadline," notes retired Sri Lankan journalist WG Karunasena, and after a long career of both sportswriting and serious drinking, he has been given his last one. His doctor has given him about a year to live if he does not stop drinking; if WG cuts down to two drinks a day, maybe a year or two at most. He decides that it's a good time to do a "halfway decent documentary on Sri Lankan cricket", and is obsessed with a cricket player named Pradeep Mathew, who he says, is Sri Lanka's all-time best cricketer. Mathew was a "top spinner...," "Chinaman, googly, top spinner and that amazing arm ball that god rid of the Aussie captain." Along with his friend and fellow cricket fanatic Ari Byrd, WG begins to gather information on Mathew, who has long-since disappeared from the cricket scene, official records and also from Sri Lanka, seemingly vanishing into thin air. As they start the documentary project, which will later evolve into a book project for WG, they run into several people who claim to know something about Mathew, and they run into others who do not want WG to go any further with the project. Is there some conspiracy at work here? As WG and Ari embark on their at times rather strange quest, WG's obsession with Mathew and his discussions about the game of cricket become a vehicle for exploring Sri Lankan politics and history, and life in contemporary Sri Lankan society.

But there are other considerations at work in this novel as well, both on and off the cricket field -- relationships within families; friendships; politics and money that get in the way of sportsmanship; old age; the sadness and regret of wasted lives; the inescapable power plays -- all presented in a style that fits well into the story without ever getting overly preachy. And then there's WG himself -- should anyone even believe his ramblings, considering his alcoholic bent toward self destruction and considering the characters that populate this novel? There's WG's old nemesis, once a rival for WG's wife Sheila, who may or may not have had six fingers and who may or may not have been Mathew's school coach ; a midget who claims to have had an underground bunker and to have secretly taped damning conversations on the cricket field; a friend of WG who may or not be a pedophile; and there's WG himself, the very center of the novel. The story is punctuated throughout with definitions of cricket terms, diagrams of different cricket techniques, parts of the field etc, largely to help the reader and to move the story along. . There are also fuzzy photos here and there that may or may not lend credence to WG's search for the truth about Pradeep Mathew.

Chinaman is funny and downright sobering at the same time, which given the seriousness of the history of ongoing problems in Sri Lanka is a good juggling act, keeping the reader entertained on one hand while exploring the problems of this nation. And then there's the sports aspect: the author clearly brings out the "magic" moments of sporting events that tie people together: "sport can unite worlds, tear down walls and transcend race, the past, and all probability. Unlike life, sport matters." As WG notes,

"In thirty years, the world will not care about how I lived. But in a hundred years, Bulgarians will still talk of Letchkov and how he expelled the mighty Germans from the 1994 World Cup with a simple header."

As an American who knows little to nothing about the sport of cricket, at first the book was a bit daunting, even though the author lays out the basics and then throws in bits about different throws or batting techniques. When I realized that this could be problematic, I went to the internet for help in getting a quick rundown on how this game is played -- problem solved. Cricket might be a sticking point for some readers in this country, but ultimately I discovered it didn't really matter -- the overall story is so good and is so well told that my lack of cricket knowledge was only a momentary glitch that really did not distract from the narrative. The ending may be a bit gimmicky for some readers, but the book's good points are so numerous that they outweigh any negatives.

Whether or not you care about cricket, I definitely and highly recommend this book -- it is that good, offering its readers a glimpse into life in another country, and into one man's journey of discovery in his last months of life. It's a beautiful book, and I hope it finds other Americans to cheer it on.

[zed · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent. Being a cricket fan I can be highly appreciative of how a lot of the reference to the characters, both the real, fictional and a blend of them made the tale. There is a pivotal event at the 80% mark that had me wondering how the final 20% could be relevant to the story so far told. Relevant? It made the story.
The following is a huge spoiler and I strongly recommend that it not be read by anyone that intends to read this wonderful book.

Spoiler. There is an unpublished manuscript that holds no punches in terms of Sri Lankan Cricket and probably the mass corruption in the country itself. We also get an insight to the civil war and that the game of Cricket also takes on a religious fervour for the vast majority of the population, be they Sri, Tamil or any other of the ethnic divide. The writer of the book (or in my case narrator) is searching for a bowler by the name of Pradeep Mathew who has disappeared and is seemingly deleted from all records. The last 20% of the book covers the attempt to get the book published. After getting agreement, the publishing company wants to edit the book.

The point, to me at least, is that the reader (listener in my case), is challenged to decide as to the author's alcoholism and mental health during the first 80% of the book, then consider in the last 20% what was fact or fiction. One example; would the editors take the British consulate employee involved in paedophilia out of the book to make it more palatable, even if he did or did not exist. Why was that person in the book in the first place, his role seemed superfluous. But was it? End Spoiler.


Audio narrator Shivantha Wijesinha is outstanding and this might be the first book audio in that narration added to my overall enjoyment and what has also made this an exceptional experience. I had no idea he was all the parts, Male, Female, accents both Sri Lankan and others. Fantastic.

I might eventually get a physical copy of the book to read along to another listen of the narration. A masterful book and highly recommended.

[Sairam Krishnan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had been thinking about buying this particular novel for some time, and I found it at the Landmark at the Mylapore City Centre, now defunct. They were closing down, and some genius had stowed a beautiful yellow hardcover of Snehan Karunatilaka’s cricket novel in the lowest rung of a rapidly-emptying, discounted bookshelf. It was priced at INR 36, less than even the big glass of filter coffee at Saravana Bhavan, which is INR 45. I was overjoyed, and billed it immediately, lest someone recognise their mistake and price it back at what should be at least 200 or 300 rupees.

I didn’t read it then, though. I kept it at the bottom of my own shelf and proceeded to look at it wistfully at intervals, until last week. India had just returned from a rather successful tour of Sri Lanka, winning a test series after 20 or so years. I watched the Galle test, and was consumed by a desire to go watch the next game from the fort. Alas, the next Galle match is very near in time and I won’t be able to raise enough funds that quick. However, since I was thinking about cricket and Sri Lanka, I picked up the book from my shelf, dusted it off, and start reading.

Chinaman is not the best sports novel I’ve read. That, perhaps, would be Chad Harbach’s The Art of Fielding. And I can’t talk about cricket novels, because this is the only novel about cricket I’ve read. There is another that has been suggested to me, a novel about cricket among immigrants in America, the name of which eludes me now.

What Chinaman could be, as has already been suggested, is the first great Sri Lankan novel.

In the way the best stories about sports are, the book is about so much more than cricket itself. It’s about the island and a people, a way of life and a nation, the story of a sport and the obsession with it. There’s so much about cricket itself, which, for a lover of the game like me, translated to hours of pleasure, but the reason Chinaman is so good is because it relates life and the sport in ways you can only read, smile and nod about. You don’t need to know the game to read this book, you’ll love it anyway.

It’s an extraordinarily skilful work, told in spurts of little stories, anecdotes and cricket lore. God only knows how he structured it, and I’ll have to read it several times to get a feel for how he managed to execute the narrative. It does sag at places, and very clearly at the very end, when the old drunk who we’ve come to know and love so intimately is not narrating the story. But who cares? By that time I was so taken by the reading experience that I was willing to overlook anything.

The island is in these pages, it’s sweltering afternoons and its beautiful sands, its people and their lives, its war and what it brought, sport and what it means. One answer to that last question I found on two pages a little to the end.

In the words of our W.G. Karunasena:

Some people gaze at setting suns, sitting mountains, teenage virgins and their wiggling thighs. I see beauty in free kicks, late cuts, slam dunks, tries from halfway, and balls that turn from off to leg.
When the English toured in 1993, their supporters arrived in droves and formed a jolly beer-swilling troupe called the Barmy Army. A t-shirt of theirs read as follows: One day you will meet a goal you’ll want to marry and have kids with.
Anyone who saw Diego Maradona in 1986 will agree that the t-shirt speaks the truth. To be in the right place at the right time and to watch a gifted athlete is one of life’s true pleasures.
In sport, has-beens can step onto a plate and smash a last ball into oblivion. A village can travel to Manchester for a cup tie and topple a giant. Villains, can heroes become.
In 1996, subcontinental flair overcame western precision and the world’s nobodies thrashed the world’s bullies. 60 years earlier a black man ridiculed the Nazi race theory with 5 gold medals in Berlin before Mein Fuhrer’s furious eyes.

In real life, justice is rarely poetic and too often invisible. Good sits in a corner, collects a cheque and pays a mortgage. Evil builds empires.
Sport gives us organism that attack in formation, like India’s spin quartet and the three Ws from the Caribbean. Teams that become superhuman right before your eyes. Like Dalglish’s Liverpool, Fitzpatrick’s All Blacks, and Ranatunga’s Lankans.
In real life, if you find yourself chasing 30 off 20 balls, you will fall short, even with all your wickets in hand. Real life is lives at 2 runs an over, with a dodgy LBW every decade.
In 30 years, the world will not care about how I lived. But in 100 years, Bulgarians will still talk of Letchkov and how he expelled the mighty Germans from the 1994 World Cup with a simple header.
Sport can unite worlds, tear down walls, and transcend race, the past, and all probability. Unlike life, sport matters.

Yes, it does.

Sometimes I’m asked why I watch cricket with the intensity that I do, and at other times I’m asked why I choose to spend half a day buried in a book when I could be doing something else. This here is one of the passages I can show them before I ask them to fuck off.

[Usman Hickmath · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fierce war, suicide bombings, change in government after 17 years, weakening economy, struggling middle class families and in the midst of all a cricket team which was the only solace of people: Shehan has taken this backdrop to tell the story of an exceptionally talented, rebellious and mysterious cricketer and a retired sports journalist.

Never in my life had I imagined that someone will take the story of bars and betting centers of Colombo, prestige issues and politics involved in school cricket, corrupt officials, mood of the city during the nights when the team won matches and the beautiful evenings of Colombo where we can see, through the gaps of fences, players practicing, to international readers. Shehan has done that and he has done that so beautifully. A must read.

[Amina · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book about cricket... yes i know i live in South Asia and we're all a little obsessed with this game but a whole book seriously? The answer: OH YES PLEASE!!!!!. This book made me keep going back to Google and wishing with all my heart that the bowler Pradeep Mathews was a real person, that he existed, that he was as great as sports writer W.G. Karunasena made him out to be, that his life was mostly bad luck, that he did disappear to live a life of obscurity. I Googled not just him but all Sri Lankan cricketers to see if he was at least based on someone. Pardeep Mathews is a character you wish would just step out of the book and be. And the brilliance of it, even for someone who finds the game (except during World Cup days) a tad bit boring i fell in love with every aspect of it.

[Silvanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this very much, and despite the mood periodically being overwhelmingly melancholic, it deserves sound praise. Probably the best cricket book ever written.

[Waqas Mhd · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the best books I’ve read this year (2011).

Let me start with telling this first, I used to like and play cricket a lot. But over the time I just got dragged away from the game and lost all interest in the game. Now I hardly watch or play it. I am not interested in cricket anymore.

So for exactly this reason I was reluctant to pick this book up, thinking of it containing all sort of cricket clichés and stuff, which is another way of making myself bored. I only bought it on the forced recommendation of a friend who also doesn’t like cricket but told some good things about this book. Although, I bought it, it stayed in my ‘to-be-read’ bucket for longtime after my buying it.

Finally when I decided to read this book, I wasn’t expecting much and thought I wouldn’t be able to go beyond first few pages. So I wanted to get done with it asap, without wasting my time on something I wasn’t interested in.

But to be honest I was sucked right into it from the start despite my lack of interest in the cricket. Shehan’s got brilliant writing style that never feels tedious or overbearing. Writing flows from one heading to another at quite reasonable intervals so you don’t feel stuck under same chapter for long. Book is actually divided into 5 main parts (2nd being the longest).

Reading the blurb would make you think that its chockfull of cricket terminologies that would require thorough background knowledge of the game on your part as pre-requisite. Well, I cannot say completely no to it and I can understand if someone is not aware of cricket, it could be hard to digest this book for him, but you don’t need to know the game in detail. And knowledge about name of certain cricketers will let you enjoy this book a lot more.

What I realized that it wasn’t as much about the game of cricket itself rather it portrays Srilankan society, its culture and its ugly politics both in and out of the game. Cricket is part of the story but these other stuff makes this book very interesting.

[Ashik · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a magnificently crafted novel!

ক্রিকেট, ফুটবল নিয়ে যেকোনো লেখা আমি গোগ্রাসে গিলতে পারি। কিন্তু এ উপন্যাসটা পড়লাম বেশ ক'দিন সময় নিয়ে।
শ্রীলঙ্কার বিস্মৃত একজন ক্রিকেটার প্রদীপ ম্যাথুসের ওপর বই লিখতে গিয়ে ক্রিড়া সাংবাদিক গামিনি দেখতে পান কীভাবে রেকর্ড বুক, পরিসংখ্যান থেকে মুছে ফেলা হয়েছে প্রদীপের নাম। জীবনের শেষ কিছুদিন হাতে আছে জেনেও গামিনি খুঁজে চলেন প্রদীপের এমন হারিয়ে যাওয়ার কারণ। খামখেয়ালি, উশৃংখল প্রদীপের ক্রিকেট ক্যারিয়ার কেন থমকে গেলো, কেন গ্রেটেস্ট অফ অল টাইম হওয়ার সব গুণ থাকার পরেও এভাবে মাটিচাপা পড়ে গেলেন প্রদীপ সেই কারণ অনুসন্ধান করতে যতই সামনে আগানো হয়েছে ততই উঠে এসেছে শ্রীলঙ্কান ক্রিকেটের উত্থানের দিনগুলোর গল্প, তাদের কালো দিনগুলোর কথা। উঠে এসেছে কীভাবে ক্রিকেটেও জাতিগত বিদ্বেষ, রাজনীতি এসেছে বারবার।

তবে এ উপন্যাস শুধু ক্রিকেটকে তুলে ধরেনি। ক্রিকেটের বাস্তব ইতিহাসের চমৎকার বর্ণনার পাশাপাশি শ্রীলঙ্কার গৃহযুদ্ধ, জাতিগত দাঙ্গা, অপরাজনীতির কথাও এসেছে অনেকবার। ক্রিকেটীয় পরিভাষার চমৎকার প্রয়োগের পাশাপাশি ইতিহাস, রাজনীতি, সমাজতত্ত্বের উৎকৃষ্ট মিশেল বইটাকে অনন্য করে তুলেছে।
ক্রিকেট ভক্ত না হয়েও এ বই পড়া যায় অনায়াসে এর লিখনশৈলীর গুণে।।

[Jonathan Pool · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Shehan Karunatilaka won the 2022 Booker prize (for The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida) it was something of a surprise. How interesting it was to discover that the author already had notoriety for his other published novel, Chinaman: voted “the second best book about cricket” by cricket journalists and fans who know their stuff. I thought this was an excellent read and if like me, you enjoyed Maali Almeida I think there’s little doubt you will find Chinaman equally engaging.
I am in no doubt, however that a knowledge of cricket (the rules and the players) does enhance the enjoyment of the book. The same is true of both Maali Almeida and Chinaman regarding the backdrop of the Sri Lankan civil war- but that is more easily researched via an internet search.

The story itself revolves around Pradeep Mathew (of the book’s extended title). He was a cricketer of great mystery who could bowl right handed and left handed and all styles; fast medium spin. Allegedly he had six fingers. His arrival on the scene, and then his unexplained withdrawal from sight is at the core of the book. The search for a mystery man bears many similarities with the search for a killer in Maali Almeida. Chinaman also has the use of covert recording devices at the heart of the searches for answers in both books.

Karunathilaka is a very playful writer. I loved
“If a liar tells you he is lying, is he telling the truth”
and of Salman Rushdie: “Salman Rushdie Midnights Children. Standard in bourgeois homes and unread after page 7” (219)

Heavy drinking is a feature throughout: “We mix Glenlivet with Glenfiddich, Glenburnie with Glenmorangie, Glenn Hoddle with Glenn McGrath”

And some homespun wisdom, too:
“Failure is an orphan, success has many fathers”(314)

This wouldn’t be a proper cricket book review without reference to some statistics. My favourite from the book relates to discussion about which Test batsman has the highest average for runs scored in Test matches. If this was a question on BBC television “Pointless” I have absolutely no doubt it would be a pointless answer. (It’s NOT Don Bradman, despite what a majority of searches would indicate, and the answer is on page 112 in Chinaman).

A couple of observations around the edges of the book.
• Karunatilaka is an author who runs some characters from one book to another (Amanda Craig, Jonathan Coe are just two who do something similar). The common factor here is Jonny Gilhooley. Cultural attaché, drinker, and reprobate.

• Some controversy has been whipped up about the book’s title, and the extent to which this is an unwanted racial slur. In my opinion this is nonsense, and I return to my view that some knowledge of cricket, and its jargon is helpful. The characters themselves (page 110) debate whether Chinaman is a racist term. Its best to read the book first if you have any urge to wade into calling out the wrongness of this book title.

Just after I read Chinaman, the cricket test series in December 2022 between Pakistan and England threw up numerous unexpected, and thrilling, outcomes. I was particularly taken by the newspaper reporting. For the host side:
“Abrar Ahmed, Pakistan's mystery spinner took seven wickets on debut vs England. Abrar Ahmed spun a web of mysteries around England batters”
For England, a debutant spinner Rehan Ahmed also came from nowhere, was outstandingly successful on his debut and hence was also described as a “mystery” spinner.

Guess who this duo reminded me of?

Chinaman may have been voted the second best book about cricket, of all time. I can’t imagine that there will ever be a better work of fiction based around cricket (all the others are biographies, and non fiction accounts), and this stands out as an excellent novel regardless of its cricket frame.

[Jaanaki · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is the second exceptional book that I enjoyed reading this year.Most of Srilankan fiction talks about the atrocities of the civil war and I wanted to read something different that would also lay bare the soul and spirit of the island nation .
*******************
Snehan Karunatilaka actually does that by giving us a telescopic view of Srilanka through the eyes of cricket fanatic,aged and retired sports journalist and dying alcoholic Mr.W.G Karunasena ,lovingly called Gamini by his wife Sheila and best friend Ari Byrd.Once ,he realises he has only a few days on planet Earth ,he decides to spend his remaining days writing a book on elusive cricketeer Pradeep Matthews ,who he feels is the best spinner the world has ever produced ,an unsung hero whose records have been vengefully erased and who has disappeared from public life since 1995 .His search for Matthews is the backbone for the entire story and it is ironic because in the process Gamini tries to search for his heart and spirit which he lost to alcohol many years ago.I love the fact that the author effortlessly has interweaved a friendship between two old men that has lasted over decades ,a rivalry between two old men,a marriage that still has a lot of love in it inspite of a lot of wear and tear over the years in the form of dead hopes and unfulfilled expectations and Srilankan cricket history into the story.We also have a midget,cricketing syndicates,caste differences, bombings ,cricketing anecdotes and the LTTE all thrown into the story.He cleverly shows the reader the quirks and behavior of Srilankan society at various levels.
The writing is philosophical,humorous and cheeky in many places and we realise halfway through that the writer loves his cricket and
his country.One can sense the writer's sadness when Gamini says that whatever the difference between the Tamilians and Sinhalese ,it is not so big that they have to shoot bullets at each other or burn down libraries or his disappointment when another character Johnny says that this is a beautiful country but you are going to destroy it.
This book is a celebration of cricket and Srilanka as a nation .Don't miss it if you are a die hard cricket fan

[Pinaki · Rating 4 out of 5]

The novel is set in the backdrop of the glory days of Sri Lankan cricket, 1996 WC. The protagonist is a drunkard journalist W G Karunasena with a fascination for a forgotten mystery spinner Pradeep Mathew. During the course of the novel, he gets an opportunity to make a documentary series on Sri Lankan cricketers including his personal favourite, Mathew. The title of the book suggest he was a chinaman bowler, which is a term for left arm wrist spinners, for example, Kuldueep Yadav, Brad Hogg, Tabraiz Shamsi. It is the rarest species in cricket as most batsmen are right-handed and left arm wrist spin turns the ball into them. So, this has the same effect of right arm finger spin(off spin) but with less control. I guess many coaches might have advised junior cricketers not to bowl it. Anyways, Karunasena's research unravels that this mystery spinner was more mysterious than he had prevously imagined. Mathew was capable of bowling wrist spin as well as finger spin, and with both the hands. That is Kuldeep Yadav + Chahal + Ashwin+ Jadeja in one bowler. During his school days Mathew also bowled medium pace with an ability to mimic anyone's action. He once copied the action of an entire team when the lead bowlers were injured. To perform such a thing in a club level match all the players had to put suncream on their faces to hide their identity. To not disclose such an illegal practice, none of the players or officials agreed to speak about Mathew. But the book is more than the biography of a fictional cricketer. It is also about an unreliable narrator, his troubled relationship with son, and a cultural trip through Sri Lanka in the 90s.

[Rohit Enghakat · Rating 4 out of 5]

I came across this book on GR and was absolutely bowled over (pun intended) by the blurb, the beautiful cover and the reviews. This is a fantastic story about an alcoholic sports journalist W G Karunasena and his quest to uncover the story of Pradeep Mathew who was perhaps the greatest spinner to have bowled on the Sri Lankan pitches. He is aided by his friend and neighbour Ari Byrd and a couple of other colourful characters.

The author has spun a beautiful story incorporating the politics of Sri Lankan cricket and the country. The book has anecdotes of cricket in the 80s and 90s. It also gives an insight into the Srilankan people and culture, the racial tensions between the Sinhalas and the Tamils and a little bit about the LTTE. He has also explained each and every cricketing term and jargon with beautiful illustrations so as to make it inclusive to a non-cricket fan. But according to me, this book can only be enjoyed by a cricket fan or at least somebody with a passing interest in cricket. However, I found the book a bit too long. Otherwise, this is a brilliant piece of work by the author.

[Indika de Silva · Rating 5 out of 5]

The following book contains 3 elements that is nearest and dearest to many Sri Lankans including myself. That is Cricket, Sri Lankan society/politics and alcohol. Shehan Karunatilaka takes us through a wonderful adventure through all these elements and much more in this rather long but highly enjoyable novel.

If you are a fan of cricket I highly recommend this book to you. If you wish to analyze the Sri Lanakan society grab this book. For crying out loud...

If you have some part of you which is Sri Lankan; then read this book. It is awesome.

The only question I have after reading this book in a very eager manner is...
Who the hell is Praddep Mathews??

I shall say no more...

[Nilu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Probably the best Cricket oriented Novel, and one of the 'Best' novels I have read so far.

Despite being a debut novel the book does not reek of amateur writing. It transported me back to the days of reading 'Jeeves' and other works by P G Wodehouse. Shehan has managed to retain the same vein of wit running throughout the book.

Narrated through an aged, dying,alcoholic Sportswriter, we witness a tapestry of events that shaped Sri Lanka, told in a perspective of Cricket (the National Past time).

Highly recommended to all Sri Lankans, who are also ardent Cricket Fans.

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

really enjoyed this book mixing history of Sri Lanka interwoven with the sport of cricket as you drift between the game and the cultural aspect of Sri Lanka

[Shom Biswas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wijedasa Gamini Karunasena takes immense pride in the initials of his name, which were also those of the first great cricketer, the legendary WG Grace. WG is a semi-retired cricket journalist, but truth to be said, he is subsumed by that strange ailment that affects many from the former colonies of the British Empire. He is a Cricket Tragic, a phrase that if you have to ask for the meaning of, you certainly are not deserving of. Not that you would want to be one either, perhaps. WG, for one, has named his son Garfield, after Garfield Sobers, the greatest all-round cricketer there has ever been.
[Reviewer's aside: I know, I know. I have named by son Diego. If the child were a girl, she would have been Serena. Sports tragics know.]

WG’s has a lifetime of watching cricket in Sri Lanka, local, national and international. And a lifetime of heavy drinking of cheap local liquor. He is one of those cantankerous, persnickety old men who are living through a life of reluctant retirement and general dissatisfaction – whose lives haven’t exactly amounted to nothing, but neither have they eventually added up to much of what they had envisioned. And now it is too late.

And it is too late for WG Karunasena. He has a year more to live if he continues with the alcohol abuse. Maybe a couple more if he cuts down to two pegs a day. And as any self-respecting journalist knows, "There is nothing more inspiring than a solid deadline".

WG decides to leave behind something for posterity. He knows that sports matter. As he says - "In 30 years, the world will not care about how I lived… But in a hundred years, Bulgarians will still talk of Letchkov and how he expelled the mighty Germans from the 1994 World Cup with a simple header." He decides to do a documentary on Sri Lankan cricket. He will track down the enigma that is Pradeep Mathew, the left-arm (and sometimes ambidextrous) mystery spinner who was perhaps the greatest exponent of spin bowling of all time. He has played a couple of Tests and One-day Internationals for Sri Lanka, performed none too badly, and then just disappeared from the team and from the public eye. Somehow, nobody seems to mention him at all anymore – it was as if he did not exist. Even his name and his stellar records have been carefully scrubbed off the score-books and public records.

Why was he dropped? Was it merely because he was Tamil, a minority in the war-torn isles? Was it because he had had a fight against authority figures? Was it because he fixed matches? Or is there something more mysterious that lies in wait?

Thus starts perhaps the greatest novel on sports that has come out of our subcontinent. “Chinaman: The Legend of Pradeep Mathew” by Shehan Karunatilaka is expansive like a glorious Gower cover drive, bright and joyous like a Sehwag flash above extra cover, and yet, somehow, has the gravitas of a steady-the-ship Jacques Kallis innings in a tricky track against excellent bowling.
And it is not a sports novel alone - it is also a travelogue, a novel about the Emerald Isles, in all its beauty, its corruption, and its decrepitude. It's a book about a man's search of purpose, and of a son's search for his father. The panorama is wide.

It is a must-read. Very highly recommended.

First reviewed at The New Indian Express.

[Shane · Rating 4 out of 5]

A rather unusual novel that reads alternatively as a Cricket for Dummies instruction book and a History of Cricket scrapbook.

The author weaves himself into this fictional tale along with well-known international cricketers, and I wondered how he gets away with it, for some of these personalities are not painted in a favourable light. After many local rejections, the final international publisher of the book within this book also hints to taking it on because “getting sued is good for business” - I hope the real book didn’t end up in any lawsuits! The focus on cricket, the anecdotal incidents throughout the history of the game, the how tos of the craft, the descriptions of the tools of the trade, and the speculations on what really happened behind the scenes of pivotal matches tend to overshadow the story line; we wonder whether the target audience comprises of only cricket-crazy Sri Lankans (of which I am admittedly one). But then, what of the larger literary, non-colonial readership who doesn’t understand this strange game; has it been given as many bones, as I have, to chew on?

Alcoholic, self-destructive journalist W.G. Karunasena is on a mission to find out what happened to spin bowler Pradeep Mathew, who in his mind is the “greatest cricketer to walk the earth.” Mathew can bowl fast or spin, bowl right arm or left arm, and deliver several variations on his pitch, including the Chinaman and the double bounce ball - unheard of in any cricketer. Like his chronicler, and despite his talent, he is an undisciplined player who runs into conflict with coaches, managers, and the murky Sri Lankan Cricket Board (SLBCC) authorities who shield many secrets. Mathew’s behaviour finally causes the SLBCC to ban him from the sport and erase his spectacular record of bowling in the few matches he played for his country. W.G. with his unreliable chronicling of events, his picaresque behaviour, and his technicoloured language is the real hero of this piece; Mathew, when we finally encounter him, is a rather boring immigrant in the West, who has been tamed by time and circumstance, with his myth reading larger than his reality.

Through W.G.’s pursuit of Mathew, the author takes the opportunity to observe, expose and condemn all that is wrong with Sri Lanka, from its discrimination of minority Tamils, to the shallowness of Colombo society, to match-fixing by the authorities, to the local mobsters and politicians who infiltrate the game as Sri Lanka rises in the ranks of the global cricketing hierarchy and arrives at the pinnacle by winning the World Cup in 1996. Some of these observations are not earth-shattering and are typical of Sri Lankan society, and have no bearing on the story: e.g. paying bribes to get a student into a Catholic school. Some of the one-liners that the author relies on so heavily to keep us engaged in this long narrative would be best understood only by a Sri Lankan audience: “...ode to Surangani and her fish.” Some condemnations are blatant: “Unlike our sub-continental brothers, we do not throw bottles or light fires. We save our barbarism for the north and the east.”There were times when I wondered whether the author had squeezed out every statistic, anecdote and joke he had encountered in his life in Sri Lanka and thrown them into this book.

The jerky story line that jumps back and forth in time, and which is interrupted constantly by side descriptions of certain aspects of cricket, or by historical incidents that occurred in the sport, just as we are getting to a juicy part in the narrative, is a bit irritating and impedes the flow of the novel. And the end, as described by W.G’s literary agent Enid (Blyton?), flagged. However, the narration and the dialogue are typically Sri Lankan - caustic, flamboyant and funny - and I laughed a lot.

As I finished the book, I came back to my original question: “Novel, Cricket for Dummies, or a History of Cricket scrapbook?” I guess the reason this book has won so many awards in Asia, must mean that it is still considered a novel, albeit a new inflection point in its evolution. The author’s courage to go where no one has hitherto dared in this art form, like his heroes W.G. and Mathew did in their respective pursuits, is to be commended.

[Suhas Cadambi · Rating 5 out of 5]

@Non-Cricket People/Fans/Tragics: There's a very good work of fiction to be enjoyed here, if you're prepared to deal with the numerous cricketing references littered throughout the book (Karunatilaka does his best to demystify cricketing jargon at various for readers who don't know much or couldn't care less about cricket, and it's a creditable achievement that he actually makes these sections an integral part of the storytelling rather than a means of trying to please everyone, and doesn't talk down to the reader in the process). The author captures the voice of a sixty-something alcoholic, cricket-crazy, veteran journalist perfectly, sprinkles in a good bit of wit and humour, and manages to shine a light on the nature of fandom as well as providing a commentary on what his beloved Sri Lanka has become. As regards the plot, he employs a bag of tricks to good effect - unreliable narration, blurred lines between fact and fiction, and a rather controversial plot twist. I imagine it would still take some commitment for the not-so-cricket-literate to get through this; if you do fall into that category and have read the book, I would love to know what you thought about it.

@Cricket People/Fans/Tragics: If, like me, you spent the bulk of your formative years immersing yourself in watching and reading about the game and its folklore, at the expense of studying, exercising, and anything that constitutes getting a life, this is where you hit paydirt. All those callbacks to eighties and nineties cricketers and their feats on and off the field, weaved into an expertly crafted novel - what more could you ask for? Buy it today, read it, and keep a copy within easy reach at all times.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Most of the other reviews of this book that you’ll come across have been penned by people who love cricket and understand it properly. But as one who has done her best to avoid any exposure to the game ever since being dragged off to an interminable test match at the MCG by a well-meaning MIL in 1972, I am here to tell you that you can have a deep-seated antipathy to all forms of sport in general and you can rejoice in complete ignorance about cricket in particular - and still love Chinaman, The Legend of Pradeep Mathew by Shehan Karunatilaka. All the reviews I’ve seen quote this snippet, and so shall I, because it’s true:

If you’ve never seen a cricket match; if you have and it has made you snore; if you can’t understand why anyone would watch, let alone obsess over this dull game, then this is the book for you.

I loved the novel’s sly wit, its penetrating social and political critique, and its delicious portrayal of human nature. The male friendship between W.G. and his mate Ari is especially well done.

To read the rest of my review please visit http://anzlitlovers.com/2013/05/11/ch...

[☕Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is very much outside of my usual genre, as I have little interest in sports and know nothing about cricket, but something about the concept intrigued me. The story is centered around W.G. Karunasena's quest to learn what has become of Pradeep Mathew who, though arguably the finest cricket player in Sri Lankan history, has been largely forgotten. Understandably, this book is very heavy in cricket-related content, but it is so much more than a book about cricket. W.G.'s meandering narrative is really the story of a marriage and a family, of friends, of the narrator's battle with alcohol, and of a nation in crisis. This book has a great deal of humor, yet there are moments that are so very poignant. This would easily have been a four-star read for me if I understood cricket or knew anything about Sri Lankan politics. However, my own ignorance of these topics made the book difficult to follow at times, especially when combined with the meandering style. Overall, though, an enjoyable and at times very beautiful read.

[Palmyrah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is very probably the first novel written in English by a resident Sri Lankan author that has any literary merit whatsoever. It's insightful, realistic, funny, ironic and a guaranteed page-turner to boot. I don't even like cricket, but it still kept me reading.

A full review, written from the point of view of a Sri Lankan reader, is available here.

[Umesh Kesavan · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author applies CLR James' famous question "What do they know of cricket,who only cricket know?" to the minefield of Sri Lankan politics and comes up with a stunning debut novel. Every page is replete with quotable witticisms and humor-laced one-liners. WG Karunasena, a dying journalist,goes in search of a genius bowler who is missing from the pages of history. In a 500 page long and rambling search, we discover much more than cricket. A must read novel for any category of readers willing to indulge in reading something so quotable, so quirky and so memorable.

[Amanda B · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5⭐️ Despite knowing little about cricket, much to my husband’s despair, I thoroughly enjoyed this one.

[Kushan Patel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sprawling! Took me a bit long, extremely satisfying.

The style is soo good.

Shoutout to Debo for this birthday gift. Excellent pick. 🔥♥️

[Sarah (sarahanneisreading) · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 stars

[ariana · Rating 5 out of 5]

i have genuinely no idea how you even embark on a work of fiction like this

[Wee Man · Rating 5 out of 5]

Made me cry, made me say 'wow' out loud multiple times. This is a book that aims so high, and hits the target every time. A treat to read, perfect to chew on 20 pages at a time.

The narrative is dense, the plot winding, and the ending satisfying. The characters and story feel so real that halfway through I had doubts that I was reading a fiction book and had to double check on Wikipedia.

Highly recommended for all.

[Naren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finally, a Sri Lankan book that touches all the aspects of Sri Lanka from brain drain to corruption to the civil war and even the spectacular sunsets, without sinking into the cliche tropes that most of the other books I've read from Sri Lankan authors. I highly recommend this entertaining book. Though the latter narration by the author (playing himself?) was a bit annoying compared to the main protagonist through the rest of the book.

[Erik B.K.K. · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a good book, the style similar to The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida, Shehan's other novel, but my interest in cricket is just too low I suppose. Still, that's entirely on me, so it doesn't feel fair to give anything lower than 3 stars.