The inmates of Boosa prison get to work © Cricinfo Ltd

They caught my attention during the first session, occupying a majority of the roofed section near midwicket at the Galle International Stadium which seats a few hundred spectators. From afar, in white t-shirts and khakhi shorts, they looked like a group of oversized school students cheering heartily as Virender Sehwag laced the ball across the turf their way. On closer inspection it was evident that they weren't students. For a second I thought they could be off-duty cadets. The dress-code was common to those seen around various cantonments on the subcontinent.

But when a brief but fierce shower lashed the stadium during the lunch interval, they all jumped up in unison and grabbed the covers. This surprised me, as I had seen the Galle ground staff (white UltraTech Ceylinco-branded white tees and black pants) in action the day before this Test. I then learned that they were inmates from the nearby high-security Boosa prison.

More than 125 prisoners running across the ground covering the square at a live cricket match? With spectators and players present? I was taken back and so sought out head curator Jayananda Warnaweera. "They have special security guards to monitor their every move, so it is nothing to worry about," he told me. "These are inmates guilty of petty crimes, nothing too serious. We see it as benefiting us and them."

This is an initiative taken by the local cricket authorities at the Boosa detention camp. "We approached the prison officials, on our part as local cricket administrators, to assist with ground maintenance," Warnaweera said. "This is not the first time they have been called on to support the ground staff at a cricket match. They were here during the England Test last winter and have been called upon when cricket has been played here, though they were not part of the rebuilding of the stadium after the catastrophe of the 2004 tsunami. They also help out at other functions and construction now and then."

The inmates are driven to the ground early in the morning and taken back at night, after play. They sit together in one section and there is plenty of security, both police and navy, watching over them. Each of the inmates is provided with breakfast, lunch and dinner, as well as tea. And, of course, as Warnaweera pointed out, the opportunity to watch live international cricket is special.

I was unable, for security purposes, to speak to one of the individuals. So I looked on as they took to their task. The inmates were remarkably efficient, mingling with the regular ground staff and making sure every inch of the ground was covered. I noticed no apparent tension between the inmates and the regulars. They yelled, grunted, laughed as one. They took orders from Warnaweera and did nothing to aggravate him. It was rather efficient, and added a human touch to a day that was a great advertisement for Test cricket.

	Howzat: Kumar Dharmasena is now an umpire © Photosport

With a heavy shower having delayed the resumption of play after lunch at the Nondescripts Cricket Club, I took the opportunity to walk across the soggy grass outside the boundary line. Percy Abeysekera, the famous fanatical Sri Lankan supporter, has engaged a few India players and some local and visiting fans with his jokes and antics – he waves his hands exaggeratedly, slaps hands, and even breaks into a cooing sound as Sachin Tendulkar comes out on the players' balcony.

But I pass on and make my way towards a man sitting silently against a white wall in the shade 50 meters away, head bent forward, arms resting on knees, far away from the madness. It is Kumar Dharmasena, the former Sri Lankan offspinner, now an umpire. He cuts a calm picture, crisp white shirt and black pants and tennis shoes, and extends a firm handshake.

Dharmasena retired from competitive cricket in 2006 to concentrate on a new career as an umpire. He has been in the news recently, and controversially, for being elevated by Sri Lanka Cricket's (SLC) umpires committee to the 2009-10 ICC international panel. Dharmasena is not keen to discuss this, but readily talks about his interest in this angle of cricket.

"To be honest, in the latter part of my cricketing career I thought about coaching," he says. "But umpiring was also an ambition and it sounded really exciting and challenging, so I umpired in a few small matches. It worked really well for me, was enjoyable and I figured, why not pursue this after retirement?"

However, very few former Sri Lankan cricketers have taken to umpiring after retiring. Dharmasena doesn't feel there's any lack of opportunities for retired cricketers, or lack of support from Sri Lanka Cricket. Some, like Arjuna Ranatunga and Hashan Tillakaratne, have ventured into politics, and others into commentary, and Dharmasena isn't worried about employment after retirement.

He reveals that after his initial officiating stints in the Sara trophy matches he was encouraged by his former Sri Lanka and Bloomfield Cricket and Athletic Club team-mate Roshan Mahanama, now an ICC match referee, to stand in the Premier competition. "Apart from my close friend, I was really backed by the ICC, which wants more former cricketers to come on as umpires," says Dharmasena. "That's the main reason."

A disciplined bowler who complemented Muttiah Muralitharan's attacking style and contributed to Sri Lanka winning several one-day tournaments, Dharmasena used to appeal vociferously. How did it feel now, standing behind the stumps and having bowlers vehemently appeal repeatedly? "Umpiring came very easy to me," he says matter-of-factly. "If you've played cricket at the higher level, especially as a bowler, you adapt easily. You just know where the bowler is coming from, you know what his tricks are. Being an offspinner, I used to appeal a lot and now I enjoy being asked questions. It tests you."

Dharmasena shyly denies any heated incidents between himself and an international umpire during his playing days, but does recall one occasion. "I was bowling against Australia and the umpire was one of my coaching instructors later on, Peter Manuel. He ruled Andrew Symonds out lbw but recalled him with permission from Marvan Atapattu [replays indicated bat hit ball first]. That was tough for me as a bowler, but in umpiring you have to get it right. You do make mistakes. You need to move on."

But have any players made remarks about his umpiring, especially after he's turned down an appeal. "No, no, not yet," he laughs, "and I'm thoroughly enjoying my life as an umpire. So far, so good."

Being a former international spinner, Dharmasena is excited by the future of Sri Lankan spin. "Ajantha Mendis has been exciting, hasn't he? But there are others, plenty of them. Young spinners will come through the ranks. We have pretty good back-up, you will see."

Dharmasena may have played in Muralitharan's shadow, but as an umpire he wants to make a name for himself.

	Rashid Khan, the wrong-foot bowler, now teaches Chinese cricketers the right way to play the sport © ACC

The thing about Pakistan is that great cricketers can be found anywhere, you just have to have an eye. Their former players don't have any airs about them. So if you haven't seen them before, there is a chance you may not know that roaming amongst us, chatting, looking after things, are some of the interesting characters of the game. One such player is Rashid Khan - the original wrong-foot bowler from Asia. He actually bowled off the wrong foot, as opposed to Sohail Tanvir, who gives an optical illusion to that effect. Rashid got Viv Richards out for a duck in his debut ODI, and puts it down to being wrong-footed. That should be incentive enough for a host of youngsters to put their wrong foot out.

What was Rashid's incentive, though? "Nothing, I never realised for a long time. I used to think my action was very good.

"And in those days, around 1976, very few matches were shown on TV. When I went to watch a match between Pakistan and Australia, we saw Max Walker bowl. A friend of mine said, 'Your action is just like Walker's'. I said, 'No chance. My action can't be like his.'
"But when I went back and saw the highlights of the match in news, I realised for the first time I actually bowled off the wrong foot."

Today it would be difficult to escape the coach’s notice if you bowled off the wrong foot. "Those days there was no concept of coaching. We used to just go play, try to win, and nobody ever told me that there was something wrong with my action. Nobody told me it was strange till then."

The action came naturally to Rashid, who is now the China coach, and he never felt uncomfortable bowling off the wrong foot. The advantage he got from bowling like that was something similar to what Wasim Akram gained from his action. Rashid wasn't quick in the air, but off the pitch he would come quicker than the others. It is a shame he hasn’t met Mike Procter or Max Walker; he would have experiences to share that only others wrong-footers might understand.

Rashid’s most memorable wicket is of course Richards's. "Sometimes with this action the arm goes quickly, but the ball comes slow. I had that advantage. I got Viv's wicket in that fashion in the first ODI. I was bowling outswingers, he committed to the shot, but the ball came slow, and he was caught at cover.

"Salim Parvez was always scared of facing me. He was tall, and struggled to get his bat down in time, because of the pace off the pitch. I always used to get him leg-before."

And this last bit is for scientists and evolutionists to wonder at: "My 18-year-old son, who has never seen me bowl or my tapes, bowls ditto like me," says Rashid.