Sandy Strang: Sri Lanka link strengthening

Today's glamour ODI encounter at Portgower Place between Scotland and Sri Lanka will further cement the already-strong cricketing bond between the two countries. And it's a connection from which some of our leading clubs are currently drawing plenty of benefit.

Take Falkland, who have welcomed the prolific Harsha Cooray back to Scroggie Park for a further year. The tall all-rounder from Colombo, who features predominantly as a wicketkeeper back home, notched 786 league runs at 71.5 in last year's First Division, and, with his parsimonious off-spin, presently boasts the most wickets, 18, at the best average, 7.50, in this season's SNCL Championship. Meanwhile, Arbroath, 2010 First Division champions and currently third in the Premiership, have also taken the Sri Lankan route, recruiting Harsha Vithana, an ex-Sri Lankan A all-rounder from Galle, as pro as they target a first-ever Scottish Cup final appearance.

Premiership Drumpellier have also headed to Colombo to embrace the prodigious capacities of Jeevantha Kulatunga, a legend in his homeland as a wily seam bowler and hard-hitting batsman, as well as the first-ever Sri Lankan to hit a T20 hundred in domestic cricket. Kulatunga, who also belatedly, aged 34, forced his way onto the international stage, winning two T20 caps, has been hampered hitherto by the slow, sodden Scottish wickets, but two league innings on the firmer decks of Forthill and Titwood, 51 against Clydesdale, and 124 against Forfarshire, have given the Coatbridge faithful some tantalising glimpses of a huge talent.

Stenhousemuir were also keen to play the Sri Lankan card, an audacious bid to sign up Malinda Warnapura, clubmate of Kulatunga at the prestigious Colts Club, only stalling at the eleventh hour due to a possible international recall. Yet another recent Sri Lankan link is Aussie Trevor Bayliss, former pro and Scottish Cup winner with West of Scotland CC at Hamilton Crescent. Now directing NSW Cricket, Bayliss was, until recently, Sri Lankan coach, masterminding a historic first-ever series win over Pakistan, even without talismanic spinner Muttiah Muralitharan, and overseeing this year's World Cup final appearance.