Irangani and Sabi passed the test, an elderly gentleman in front did not. On another level, or rather inconspicuously yet ominously trundling alongside this narrative, it is the story of Sri Lanka in the late 20th century: a country torn apart by terrorism and corruption, where old-boy networks are key, and where you can be killed horribly if you are in the wrong place at the wrong time: 'The men with clubs and knives stormed the bus and asked passengers to speak Sinhala, to say words that Tamils found difficult to pronounce, like baaldiya.

On one level, it is the self-narrated account of a dying cricket journalist's attempt to make a documentary, and write a book, about Pradeep Mathew, who during the 1980s was Sri Lanka's most devastating and talented spin bowler, but who has mysteriously disappeared not only from the country but from the historical record he may very well be dead.

Likewise, the novel has two poles, and twists enough to wrong-foot the reader. It also, in Sri Lankan argot, is a term indicating gullibility. Shipping may be from our UK warehouse or from our Australian or US warehouses, depending on stock availability.A 'Chinaman' in cricket is a particular delivery, a slower ball designed to fool the batsman into thinking it will bounce in the opposite direction to the one it does. On his quest he will also uncover a coach with six fingers, a secret bunker below a famous stadium, a Tamil Tiger warlord, and startling truths about Sri Lanka, cricket and himself.Winner of the DSC Prize for South Asian Literature.

Hailed by the Gratiaen Prize judges as 'one of the most imaginative works of contemporary Sri Lankan fiction', it is an astounding book. Ambitious, playful and strikingly original, Chinaman is a novel about cricket and Sri Lanka - and the story of modern day Sri Lanka through its most cherished sport. On his quest to find this unsung genius, WG uncovers a coach with six fingers, a secret bunker below a famous stadium, a Tamil Tiger warlord, and startling truths about Sri Lanka, cricket and himself. Mathew, a spin bowler who has mysteriously disappeared and who WG considers 'the greatest cricketer to walk the earth'. He will spend his final months drinking arrack, making his wife unhappy, ignoring his son and tracking down Pradeep S. Retired sportswriter WG Karunasena is dying.

Chinaman by shehan