Sports
When Charith Asalanka won back to back SLT-Mobitel Schoolboy Cricketer awards in 2015 and 2016.
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The 44th Observer School Cricketers of the Year is gathering momentum with the key inter-school big matches to come within the next few weeks.
Cricket was at its best after many moons with the Sri Lanka national team registering its first ODI series win over Australia after three decades.
The Observer SLT Mobitel School Cricketers of the Year too had its own share in those wins with former top award winners Charith Asalanka and Kusal Mendis proving their might. After Mendis made 87 in the third ODI, Asalanka scored his maiden ODI century in the fourth match.
Asalanka said Dhananjaya de Silva’s run-a-ball knock of 60 gave him a lot of relief. He said they had a good plan at this deciding game last Monday which gave them a 3-1 lead before Friday’s game. But the four-wicket defeat in the fifth ODI reduced their series win to 3-2.
“When he came to the middle after losing three wickets for 34 runs we had a chat and played according to the plan. Dhananjaya scored freely and I played a long innings to build up the innings. Dhananjaya went for big shots while I gave a good supporting role and collected singles to give more chances to my senior partner. Once Dhananjaya departed in the 27th over, I came forward to go for the attacking role to increase the run rate,” said Asalanka.
Asalanka, the former Richmond and National under 19 team captain made a fluent 110 while Dhananjaya de Silva (60) and Waninidu Hasaranga de Silva (21n.o) also from Richmond chipped in with useful contributions.
“We all are good friends from the school level but coming to the Sri Lanka side each of us had a better relationship than at school level. Now we all are eager to win for the country. My task is to play for the team and give honour to the country,” he said.
Asalanka is only the seventh cricketer in the 44-year-old history to win the Observer SLT Mobitel School Cricketers of the Year grand title twice – in 2015 and 2016, after Arjuna Ranatuna (1980 and 1982), Roshan Mahanama (1983 and 1984), Thilan Samaraweera (1994 and 1995), Lahiru Peiris (2004 and 2005), Bhanuka Rajapakse (2010 and 2011) and Navod Paranavithana (2020 and 2021).
Sri Lanka’s national mobile service provider, Sri Lanka Telecom Mobitel continues to provide that ‘smart connection’ to the Observer Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year contest. Under the directions of the Chairman of the Sri Lanka Telecom and SLT Mobitel Rohan Fernando, SLT Mobitel has made a lavish contribution towards the success of the event during the past decade.
Thanks to the longstanding association of the Sri Lanka Schools Cricket Association (SLSCA), the Sri Lanka Cricket Umpires and Scorers Association and Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), headed by Shammi Silva, the Observer-Mobitel Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year contest has gone from strength to strength.
The 44th Observer School Cricketers of the Year is gathering momentum with the key inter-school big matches to come within the next few weeks.
Cricket was at its best after many moons with the Sri Lanka national team registering its first ODI series win over Australia after 30 years.
The Observer SLT Mobitel School Cricketers of the Year too had its own share in those wins with former top award winners Charith Asalanka and Kusal Mendis proving their might. After Mendis made 87 in the third ODI, Asalanka scored his maiden ODI century in the fourth match.
Asalanka said Dhananjaya de Silva’s run-a-ball knock of 60 gave him a lot of relief. He said they had a good plan at this deciding game last Monday which gave them a 3-1 lead before Friday’s game. But the four-wicket defeat in the fifth ODI reduced their series win to 3-2.
“When he came to the middle after losing three wickets for 34 runs we had a chat and played according to the plan. Dhananjaya scored freely and I played a long innings to build up the innings. Dhananjaya went for big shots while I gave a good supporting role and collected singles to give more chances to my senior partner. Once Dhananjaya departed in the 27th over, I came forward to go for the attacking role to increase the run rate,” said Asalanka.
Asalanka, the former Richmond and National under 19 team captain made a fluent 110 while Dhananjaya de Silva (60) and Waninidu Hasaranga de Silva (21n.o) also from Richmond chipped in with useful contributions.
“We all are good friends from the school level but coming to the Sri Lanka side each of us had a better relationship than at school level. Now we are all are eager to win for the country. My task is to play for the team and give honour to the country,” he said.
Asalanka is only the seventh cricketer in the 44-year-old history to win the Observer SLT Mobitel School Cricketers of the Year grand title twice – in 2015 and 2016, after Arjuna Ranatuna (1980 and 1982), Roshan Mahanama (1983 and 1984), Thilan Samaraweera (1994 and 1995), Lahiru Peiris (2004 and 2005), Bhanuka Rajapakse (2010 and 2011) and Navod Paranavithana (2020 and 2021).
Sri Lanka’s national mobile service provider, Sri Lanka Telecom Mobitel continues to provide that ‘smart connection’ to the Observer Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year contest. Under the directions of the Chairman of the Sri Lanka Telecom and SLT Mobitel Rohan Fernando, SLT Mobitel has made a lavish contribution towards the success of the event during the past decade.
Thanks to the longstanding association of the Sri Lanka Schools Cricket Association (SLSCA), the Sri Lanka Cricket Umpires and Scorers Association and Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), headed by Shammi Silva, the Observer-Mobitel Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year contest has gone from strength to strength.
Meanwhile, voting for the most popular segments of the 44th Observer-Mobitel Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year contest has reached its peak with the traditional big match season. Voting coupons for the Observer-Mobitel Most Popular Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year contest appear in the Daily News, Sunday Observer, Dinamina and Thinakaran.
Sri Lanka’s inter-school cricket structure is considered one of the best and well-organised one in the world. Over the years, it has been the feeder pool to the national team. Many school cricket officials and youth coaches world over have hailed Sri Lanka’s well-knit school cricket structure which has five different age groups under three divisions for each age group.
Despite the island-wide participation, there has not been an organized inter-school cricket tournament for Under-19 until the 1990s.
Thursday, June 30, 2022 – 01:00
