Sanath Jayasuriya Pleads with School Cricketers
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SCHOOL CRICKETER OF THE YEAR Issued free with April 25, 2021 Navod Paranavithana Mahinda College - Galle 02 SCHOOL CRICKETER OF THE YEAR Best schoolboy team 2020 (all island) Trinity College Kandy receive their trophy presented by guest of honour, Minister of Information and Media Keheliya Rambukwella in the presence of ANCL Chairman W. Dayaratne PC (Pix: Sudath Malaweera) Sanath Jayasuriya pleads with school cricketers... ‘Be committed and disciplined’ ormer Sri Lanka cricket cap- be a long and hard road ahead. When tain and 1996 World Cup you leave school you will want to play champion Sanath Jayasuriya for a club and that will be the next step Fcalled on the next generation and it will mean that you have compet- of budding players to be committed in ed in all the age groups at school and what they do while adhering to disci- this is the best that your school can do pline and the rules of fair-play if they for you. are to succeed. “When I played for school it was He made the remarks when he ad- not easy to enter the Sri Lanka team. dressed winners of the 42nd Observer- But today I think it is different where SLT Mobitel School Cricket Awards you have more opportunities to be part held at the BMICH in Colombo last of the Sri Lanka team which is not do- Tuesday as the chief guest. ing too well these days. “I myself won this award and I knew “Sri Lanka looks forward to play- how important this was to me at that ers like you who will some day in the time when we did not even have the ba- near future make the grade. In the sic facilities. It is very different today Sanath Jayasuriya addresses budding school cricketers at the past like until about 15 years ago we where you have all the facilities and Observer-SLT Mobitel Cricketer Awards had schoolboy players who wore the opportunities to realize your dreams Sri Lanka cap straight from school of playing for Sri Lanka. said Jayasuriya. stood in the way to discourage him de- and I think some of you could be next. “So be committed make the most Recalling his school days Jayas- spite the absence of facilities unlike in It is my only hope and wish to see of what you have and pay attention to uriya said he was only nine years old the present era. players coming from all over the coun- discipline. Without discipline you will playing in the Under-11 team at St. Ser- “It is not going to be easy for anyone try able to make it to the Sri Lanka not go far as a cricketer or sportsman,” vatius College at Matara and nothing to be part of the Sri Lanka team. It will team,” said Jayasuriya Best schoolgirl team of the Year 2020 Devapathiraja College, Ratgama receive their trophy from the Chairman of Sri Lanka Telecom Rohan Fernando in the presence of Sunday Observer Editor in Chief Dinesh Weerawansa and guest of honour Minister of Information and Media Keheliya Rambukwella SCHOOL CRICKETER OF THE YEAR 03 Schoolboy Cricketer Ranjan Madugalle 1979 Royal College Ranjan Madugalle is a former Sri Lank- an cricketer and a former captain of the Sri Lankan team, who became a match referee in 1993. He was educated at Trinity College, Kandy and Royal College, Colombo. Madugalle who showed early promise as a schoolboy at Royal College, became a top Sri Lanka cricketer. He was the fi rst winner of the Observer Schoolboy Cricketer 1979 and went on to captain the Sri Lanka team and now oc- cupies the prestigious seat of Chief Match Referee of the ICC. Ranjan Madugalle who has been a popular Test Debut fi gure at this competition (Observer School- Vs England at Colombo (PSS) boy Cricketer) won it in 1979 and said “it was Feb 17-21, 1982 one of the best things that happened to me in 1979 when I won the Observer Schoolboy Last Test Cricketer of the Year Award”. He said play- ing for Royal brought him immense joy. “The Vs England at Lord’s school cricketers must be motivated and the He presented Sri Lanka in international Aug 25-30, 1988 outstation cricketers must not be neglected. cricket between 1979 and 1988, making his debut This contest will give all encouragement to in the 1979 ICC Trophy fi nal against Canada. He ODI Debut the school cricketers,” he said. had the honour of being in the fi rst Sri Lankan Vs India at Manchester, He was one of the fi nest all rounders pro- Test team in 1982, and top-scored in the fi rst in- Jun 16-18, 1979 duced by Royal. Besides captaining Royal and nings with 65 – making a 99 runs partnership then Sri Lanka under-19, he played a vital role with Arjuna Ranatunga. Madugalle represented Last ODI against Pakistan to achieve success winning Sri Lanka in 21 Test matches and 63 one day In- Vs Pakistan at Dhaka the ‘Ali Bhutto Trophy’ with his all round ternationals and also captained the Sri Lankan Oct 27, 1988 performances. cricket team in two Test matches. Schoolboy Cricketer Arjuna Ranatunga 1980-82 Ananda College Captaincy record was 56 matches,12 wins,19 Arjuna Ranatunga is a former international crick- losses, 25 draws and the highest ODI batting eter and cricket administrator. He captained the Sri Lankan cricket team in the 1990s and led them in the score of 131 not out was made against India, 1996 Cricket World Cup victory. In the 2015 General Colombo, 1997. elections he contested with the UNF for Good Gov- ernance and was placed second in Gampaha Dis- trict, and was appointed Minister of Ports and Shipping. Arjuna along with his brothers (Dammika,Nishantha,Prasanna, Sanjeeva and Ruwan) he studied at Ananda College Colombo where his mother was a teacher and where he started playing cricket. He represented his school in both junior and senior teams. A specialist left-handed batsman and part- inside the boundary line, halting play and giving the Test Debut time medium pace bowler, Ranatunga’s career with impression that he was about to forfeit the match, un- vs England at Colombo the Sri Lankan national team began in 1982, when til the Sri Lankan management conferred with him (PSS),Feb.17-21,1982 Sri Lanka were relative new-comers to international and play resumed. In June 2000, Ranatunga played in Sri Lanka’s Last Test cricket and was a key player in the team. Under Ra- natunga’s captaincy, Sri Lanka started to improve 100th Test match, becoming the only player to repre- vs South Africa at Colombo rapidly. Their growing success rate culminated with sent his country in their fi rst and hundredth Tests. (SSC) Aug 6-10,2000. a dominating performance and triumphed in the 1996 Ranatunga’s highest Test batting score of 135 not ODI Debut Cricket World Cup. out was made against Pakistan, Colombo,1985-1986. vs England at Colombo Ranatunga is also remembered for his stand in a Captaincy record was 56 matches,12 wins,19 loss- es, 25 draws and the highest ODI batting score of 131 (SSC), Feb 14,1982. One Day International against England. Australian Umpire Ross Emerson called Muttiah Muralidaran not out was made against India, Colombo, 1997. Last ODI Ranatunga’s best bowling fi gures of 4 for 14 came vs Kenya at Southampton, for throwing and Ranatunga exchanged heated words with umpire Emerson and led his team to a point just against India at Kanpur in 1986-1987. May 30,1999 04 SCHOOL CRICKETER OF THE YEAR Schoolboy Cricketer Roshan Mahanama Test Debut 1983-84 Nalanda College Sri Lanka v Pakistan at Colombo (CCC) Mar 14 -18, 1986 Roshan Mahanama is a former Sri Last Test Lankan cricketer and former ICC match South Africa v Sri Lanka at Centurion, referee. He was a key member in the Mar 27-30, 1998 1996 Cricket World Cup wining team for Sri Lanka. He is the first man to stand ODI Debut as a match referee in a day-night Test Sri Lanka v Pakistan at Kandy Mar 2, match in history. 1986 The high point of his school career Last ODI was his splendid unbeaten knock of 145 Southampton, May 30, 1999 runs in the ‘Big Match’ against Anan- da which established a record when he the captaincy of Aravinda de Silva. captained the team in 1984. In the 1992 Cricket World Cup, Ro- With such wonderful promise that shan Mahanama was selected as open- he held out as a schoolboy at Nalan- ing batsman along with M.A.R. Sa- da College, it was no surprise that he marasekera and U.C. Hathurusinha, would climb the ladder of success – scoring 59 runs off 89 balls vs Zimba- and climb he did in inter-school cricket bwe, 80 runs off 131 balls vs New Zea- seasons and it was no surprise land and 68 runs off 121 balls vs South that the judges in the Observer a Test Match against India at the R. Africa. Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year Premadasa Stadium in 1997, since sur- Following his retirement from in- Contests picked him as School- passed by Kumar Sangakkara and Ma- ternational cricket in 1999, Roshan boy Cricketer of the Year for two hela Jayawardene in 2006. Mahanama made the transition into years in succession in 1983 and Mahanama’s contribution to that becoming an International Cricket 1984. partnership was 225, the, highest score Council match referee.