We are only 14 days away from the most looked forward to event in Sri Lanka school cricket - the Observer SLT Mobitel School Cricketers of the Year grand finale, which will be held at the BMICH in Colombo on December 15.
When Sri Lanka school cricket is spoken about, Ananda and its sister school Nalanda have dominated the Observer SLT Mobitel School Cricketers of the Year series for the past 44 years.
A total of 14 Observer SLT Mobitel Schoolboy Cricketers of the Year titles have been jointly won by the two leading Buddhist educational institutions - nine by Ananda and the other five by Nalanda. Ananda’s golden products include Sri Lanka’s World Cup winning captain Arjuna Ranatunga while Nalanda’s star lot is headed by former national captain Roshan Mahanama.
Two Anandians – Arjuna Ranatunga (1980 and 1982) and Thilan Samaraweera (1994 and 1995) on two occasions each, Sanjeewa Ranatunga (1988), Marvan Atapattu (1990), Muthumudalige Pushpakumara (1999), Malith Gunathilake (2007) and Dinesh Chandimal (2009) once each have won the titiles.
Besides former Sri Lanka ODI captain and ex-ICC Match Referee Mahanama, who also won the Observer Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year award twice in 1983 and 1984, the other Nalandains who won the coveted prize are Asanka Gurusinha (1985), Kumara Dharmasena (1989) and Gihan Rupasinghe (2006).
The Observer SLT Mobitel Schoolboy Cricketers of the Year was launched in 1979, won by Ranjan Madugalle of Royal College, Colombo who went on to lead Sri Lanka. He went on to become the world’s second ICC Match Referee after West Indian Clive Lloyd and still remained in the title at the recent ICC T20 World Cup in Australia early this month.
But the very next – the second Observer Schoolboy Cricketers of the Year title was won by then 17-year-old Arjuna Ranatunga of Ananda. What is most remarkable was that Ranatunga won the Observer Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year title from then Minister and present President Ranil Wickremesinghe.
Arjuna’s emotional parents – the late Reggie (who later became Member of Parliament, a Minister and the Governor of Sabaragamuwa Province) and Nandani Ranatunga were seen on the stage to witness their son receiving the glittering Observer Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year trophy from then Minister of Education and Youth Affairs Ranil Wickremesinghe.
Arjuna won the Observer Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year title once again in 1982. In the same year, he made it to the inaugural Test team at the age of 18.
He would have become the first ever schoolboy cricketer to win the Mega Award thrice – something which no schoolboy cricketer has achieved to date. Although Ranatunga became the Observer Schoolboy Cricketer of Year twice in 1980 and 1982, he had to be satisfied with being runner up to Rohan Buultjens of St. Peter’s College, Colombo who won the Mega award in1981.
After Arjuna Ranatunga’s superb show with two Observer Schoolboy Cricketer of Year titles and one runner up title, his younger brother Sanjeewa Ranatunga won the Mega award for Ananda in 1988.
Thus, Ranatunga brothers Arjuna and Sanjeewa became the first and only brothers to become Observer SLT Mobitel Schoolboy Cricketer of Year to date. Incidentally, the 1988 Observer Schoolboy Cricketer of Year Outstation was won by none other than Sanath Jayasuriya of St. Servatius College, Matara. Of the seven who won the Observer Schoolboy Cricketer of Year from Ananda, three have led Sri Lanka with distinction. Besides Sri Lanka’s World Cup winning captain Arjuna Ranatunga, the other two who had led Sri Lanka are Marvan Atapattu and Dinesh Chandimal. Atapattu, only a few months after winning the Observer Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year 1990, was selected to make his Test debut against India in the one-off Test in Chandigarh on November 23, the same year.
Unfortunately he had a disastrous beginning to his career but later played many star-studded innings. His inauspicious Test debut would have been too hard to absorb - scoring just a run in his first six Test innings.
Despite his failure in the first three Tests of his career, there was no stopping him when he finally found his natural form and rhythm to reach the highest level. Playing in 90 Tests for Sri Lanka, Atapattu aggregated 5,502 runs at an average of 39.02.
Atapattu’s Test career was illuminated with 16 centuries, including six double tons and 17 fifties with a highest score of 249. Atapattu had played the role of a dependable Test opener for 17 long years until 2007.
Born on November 18, 1989 in Balapitiya, Chandimal made his Sri Lanka debut in less than one year after his Observer-SLT Mobitel Schoolboy Cricketer glory in 2009.
He first made his ODI debut on June 1, 2010. In the following year, he made his Test debut in the Boxing Day Test against South Africa in 2011. Chandimal has now aggregated 4,936 runs in 70 Test matches at an average of 43.29. He has scored 13 Test hundreds and 24 half centuries. Besides Test cricket, Chandimal has proved his class in One-Day Internationals too, aggregating 3,821 runs at an average of 31.84 with four centuries and 24 fifties in 155 matches.
Representing Sri Lanka in 68 T20 Internationals, he has also aggregated 1,062 runs with six half centuries. The brightest moment in Chandimal’s Test career was witnessed at the Galle International Stadium. He produced a magnificent unbeaten double century – the first by a Sri Lankan against Australia, to pilot the home team to a convincing innings victory with more than a day to spare.
A marathon 206 not out by Chandimal guided Sri Lanka to an innings win. It was Sri Lanka’s first-ever innings victory against Australia in Test cricket.
Chandimal became the first ever Sri Lanka batsman to score a double century against Australia, surpassing the previous best of 192 by Kumar Sangakkara in Hobart 2007.
Former Sri Lanka captain Chandimal was in fine domestic form about two years ago, cracking an unbeaten 354 for Army Sports Club in their Premier League Tier ‘A’ match against Saracens SC at Katunayake. While Ananda has produced winners of the Observer SLT Mobitel Schoolboy Cricketers of the Year on nine occasions, its sister school Nalanda has produced such champions on five occasions. Leading the champion Nanandians is former Sri Lanka captain and ex-ICC Match Referee Roshan Mahanama.
He went on to become a classic example to all young cricketers aspiring to reach the top in the game. Mahanama, who turned 56 last May, played 52 Tests for Sri Lanka with an aggregate of 2,576 runs with four centuries and 11 fifties. Mahanama’s career-best Test innings of 225 was made against India in 1997. He was associated in a record partnership of 576 runs with Sanath Jayasuriya (340) in that record-breaking match at the Premadasa Stadium in Colombo and the Sri Lanka team eventually recorded the highest team total in a Test.
Not many international cricketers perform well in their farewell innings but Mahanama made a half century in his last Test for Sri Lanka against South Africa at Centurion Park in 1998. In 213 One Day Internationals for Sri Lanka, Mahanama aggregated 5,162 runs with four centuries and 35 half centuries. Mahanama played in 213 One Day Internationals for Sri Lanka to enjoy an aggregate of 5,162 runs with four centuries and 35 half centuries.
Gurusinha, a technically sound left-handed top order bat who eventually turned out to be one of the most dependable one-drop batsmen ever produced by Sri Lanka, made his ODI debut on November 3, 1985 in Sri Lanka’s fourth ODI against Pakistan in Hyderabad.
He played 147 ODIs for Sri Lanka to aggregate 3902 runs inclusive of two centuries and 22 fifties to average 28.27. Merely four days after making his ODI debut, Gurusinha won his Test cap on November 7, 1985 to play for Sri Lanka in the third Test against Pakistan in Karachi. The reliable left-hander has represented Sri Lanka in 41 Tests and scored 2453 runs with seven centuries and eight half tons, including a fluent 88 in his farewell Test innings. He has a Test average of 38.92 and a career-best score of 143.
Dharmasena was born on April 24, 1971 in Colombo. He was one of the best all-rounders produced by Nalanda College. Dharmasena had the honour of playing four memorable seasons for the Campbell Place school. Apart from winning the prestigious title in 1989, he had been adjudged runner up thrice - to Sanjeewa Ranatunga of Ananda College in 1988, Marvan Atapattu also of Ananda College in 1990 and to Muttiah Muralithan of St. Anthony’s College, Katugastota in 1991.
After finishing his school cricket career on a high note, Dharmasena became a permanent member of Bloomfield in the domestic inter-club premier league season. Merely three years after winning the Observer Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year title, young Dharmasena made his Test debut in Sri Lanka’s second Test against South Africa at the SSC ground in September, 1993. He made his Sri Lanka ODI debut on August 24, 1994 in the fifth ODI against Pakistan at the Premadasa Stadium capturing 2 for 34 off nine overs.
Dharmasena aggregated 868 runs in 31 Tests with three half centuries and captured 69 wickets with 6 for 72 as his best innings analysis with his off cutters. He had represented Sri Lanka in 141 ODIs, aggregating 1,222 runs with four half centuries.
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