Flashback – December 2021: Sri Lanka’s World Cup-winning captain Arjuna Ranatunga presents the Observer SLT Mobitel Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year 2021 glittering trophy to Navod Paranavithana of Mahinda College, Galle at last week’s Mega Show at the BMICH. From left are SLSCA President Thilak Waththuhewa, Editor-in-Chief, Sunday Observer, Dinesh Weerawansa, then ANCL Chairman W. Dayaratne PC, Paranavithana (who won the grand title for the second successive year), ex-captain Ranatunga, CEO of SLT, Kiththi Perera, Secretary, Ministry of Mass Media, Jagath P. Wijeweera, CMO, Mobitel, Shashika Senerath and Education Ministry, Director, Health and Sports, Daya Bandara. Pic: Chinthaka Kumarasinghe
The much looked forward to the selections of the 44th Observer SLT Mobitel School Cricketers of Year will take place in early next month which will be followed by the Grand Finale scheduled for mid-December.
The 16-member selection committee, comprising the top officials of the Sri Lanka Schools Cricket Association (SLSCA), Sri Lanka Umpires and Scorers Association and its Central and Southern Association will meet on November 2 to pick the 54 award winners, including the 44th Observer SLT Mobitel Schoolboy Cricketer of Year and the Schoolgirl Cricketer of Year.
They will be accompanied by the official of the batsman.com CEO Kumara Gamhewage, who will be the official statistics provider for the Observer SLT Mobitel School Cricketers of Year as well as the SLSCA. Gamhewage has closely been working with the Sunday Observer - ever since he formed the popular website which gives a complete picture on school cricket statistics.
The 44th Observer SLT Mobitel School Cricketers of the Year 2022 will be held in mid-December. The Most Popular winners of the 44th Observer SLT Mobitel School Cricketers of Year have already been found after its traditional and popular voting through the Sunday Observer, Daily News, Dimamina and Thinakaran.
St.Joseph’s College, Colombo after former Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews, Wellalage emerged the Observer SLT Mobitel Most Popular Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year 2022. Having completed a superb final season for St. Joseph’s, he climbed to the top most level, while still being a 19-plus schoolboy.
When the voting for the most popular contests concluded last month, Wellalage and Chushadi Kaushalya headed the respective Observer SLT Mobitel Most Popular Schoolboy and Schoolgirl Cricketers of the Year 2022 with convincing margins.
Sri Lanka Under-19 skipper Wellalage polled 44,564 votes to head the Observer SLT Mobitel Most Popular Schoolboy of the Year 2022 – 4,567 votes ahead of his closest contender Rusanda Gamage of St. Peter’s College, Colombo with 39,997 votes.
Sri Lanka Under-19 cricketer Sadisha Rajapakse of Royal College who emerged the Observer SLT Mobitel Most Popular Schoolboy of the Year 2021 last December, had to be satisfied with the third place with 31,404 votes.
Finishing fourth was Vishara Fernando of Richmond College, Galle polling 28,703 votes, followed by Pasan Suwahas (St. Benedict’s - 28,238), Caniston Karunaratne (S. Thomas’ - 18,993), Raveen de Silva (Nalanda - 14,109), Ramesh Madhubasana (Mahinda - 10,845), Pasindu Ratnayake (Thurstan - 10,056) and Theeraka Ranatunga (Trinity - 9,406).
Chushadi Kaushalya of Dharmapala Vidyalaya polled 40,077 votes to emerge the Observer SLT Mobitel Most Popular Schoolgirl Cricketer of the Year 2022, 3,965 votes ahead of Manudi Nanayakkara of Princess of Wales College Moratuwa. Nanayakkara polled 36,112 votes.
Kaushini Nuthyanga of Anula Vidyalaya, Nugegoda finished third with 23,055 votes, followed by Navodya Nethmini (Wadduwa MMV - 15,348), Tharushi Rajakaruna (Nugawela Central - 10,899), Imesha Dulani (Devapathiraja - 8,404), Vishmi Guneratne (Rathnavali BV, Gampaha - 7,236), Hirushi Nimanthi (Jayasiripura KV, Bakamuna - 6,989), Nimsara Dissanayake (Sri Siddhartha Central - 5,909) and Hashini Liyanage (Anula Vidyalaya, Nugegoda - 5,403).
Meanwhile, former Observer SLT Mobitel Schoolboy Cricketer in 2013 Kusal Mendis warmed up when cracked 54 in the T20 World Cup warm up match against Zimbabwe in Melbourne last week.
Mendis, one of the three ex- Observer SLT Mobitel Schoolboy Cricketers representing Sri Lanka at the T20 World Cup in Australia, took only 29 balls to make a sparkling 54 with an impressive strike rate of 188.20. He had three huge sixes and fours in opening the Sri Lankan innings in their 33-run win.
The Observer SLT Mobitel School Cricketers of the Year contest is considered as the Mother of All Battles in Sri Lanka school cricket, commencing from the early days when even the Sri Lanka Schools Cricket Association ever thought of rewarding the outstanding school cricketers.
When Sanath Jayasuriya was playing his school cricket for St. Servatius College, Matara, the Observer-Mobitel Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year contest was conducted under two sections for All-Island and for Outstation schools.
Neither he nor his school was able to qualify under the All-Island category; he was deservingly picked as the Observer Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year Outstation in 1988.
Jayasuriya, a former Sri Lanka captain and ex-Chairman of Selectors, said the Observer SLT Mobitel School Cricketers of the Year title would take outstanding young players closer to playing for the national side.
Commending the Sunday Observer’s exemplary contribution for school cricket, the explosive former Sri Lanka batsman said the elusive title he won in 1988 as an emerging player from St. Servatius College was a great source of encouragement and inspiration to go places.
Jayasuriya, recalling his early teenage career as a schoolboy cricketer at St. Servatius said winning the Observer Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year title has been the dream of every schoolboy cricketer from the good old days. “There was no exception in my case too and the glorious title gave me new wings,” he said.
“When I won the 1988 Observer Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year outstation title, it was a big event in my school life. I then thought I should stand a greater chance of playing for Sri Lanka if I continue to focus on the game with dedication and devotion. It definitely inspired me to go places,” Jayasuriya recalled.
The winner of the prestigious Observer Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year (Outstation) award in 1988, Jayasuriya said the Sri Lanka Schools Cricket Association (SLSCA) with the support of Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), should make a genuine effort to uplift the standard of local school cricket.
Jayasuriya said the new Under-19 tournament structure of the SLSCA should be reviewed to focus more on producing quality cricketers to the national pool.
“During our era, we only had about 12 First X1 inter-school matches. However, some schools play as many as 20-plus inter-school matches in each season, including their third term matches. I feel it’s too much. Scoring 1,000 runs in 20 to 24 matches is not a big deal, compared to the 10 to 12 matches most schools played in the past,” said Jayasuriya who was adjudged the Most Valuable Player of the Tournament in Sri Lanka’s 1996 World Cup triumph.
The 52-year old ex-opener, who introduced the art of pinch -hitting during the 1996 World Cup tournament and underlined his supremacy as one of the best batsmen in world cricket, has proved his class at Test cricket as well. He has a grand triple of 13,430 runs, 323 wickets and 123 catches to become probably the best ODI all-rounder ever in world cricket.
Jayasuriya had also been a classy batsman in the established game. With a career-best knock of 340 against India, Jayasuriya has aggregated 6,973 runs in 110 Tests, scoring 14 centuries and 31 half tons.
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 first-ever Observer Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year, sponsored by Warner-Hudnut under their brand name Haliborange, was held in 1979 to felicitate the outstanding schoolboy cricketers of the 1978/79 season. Former Sri Lanka captain Ranjan Madugalle was the first ever recipient of the glittering Observer Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year award in 1979.
Add new comment