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He has been knocking at the door
and waiting for this opportunity for a long period. His prayers were not
answered despite being a prolific run getter in both forms of the game
in the domestic scene.
But the day has finally dawned for Nishad Tharanga Paranavithana to
put on the Sri Lankan cap as he has been selected to represent the
country in the Test series against Pakistan. He is one of the good
products of St. Mary's College Kegalle to represent the country after
former Sri Lanka wicket keeper batsman Mahesh Gunatilleke.
This has been a dream come true for the 26 year old left hander from
Kegalle where he completed a highly successful school cricket career at
St. Mary's College. In fact Paranavithana was able to make vast strides
in the school cricket scene where he piled up over one thousand runs for
three successive years from 1999 to 2001.
In his final year at school he was able to make a lasting impression
while scoring well over 1,500 runs including a career best 203 against
Taxila MMV Horana and seven other centuries.
Not surprisingly he was picked as the most outstanding player and the
best batsman in the outstation category.The other significant fact in
his school career was that he had the credit of captaining all age
groups namely under 13, 15, 17 and finally the first eleven under 19
team.
His talent and potential was so much that he was invited to represent
the SSC under-23 team while still at school.This was following a request
from the former Sri Lanka junior coach Owen Mathew and former Sri Lanka
Academy coach Anura Tennekoon who realised the fact that this player
would someday make his mark as a top class batsman.
After nearly a decade their ideas and thoughts have finally
materialized and Tharanga Paranavithana is well set to launch his career
in the big league that would carry him towards another era.
His career took a new turn after joining the Sri Lanka A team where
he was able to make some significant contributions with the bat under
the guidance of Coach Chandika Hathurusinghe. Hathurusinghe always
believed Tharanga was a gifted player.
- Chris
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