Top award winner 1990,Atapattu now Sri Lanka batting coach

by Ranjan ANANDAPPA

CRICKET: After an illustrious school cricket career at Ananda College,former Sri Lanka skipper Marvan Atapattu has been appointed the batting coach for the Sri Lanka national cricket team.

He was the Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year 1990. Rated by most of the International and local cricket community as one of the most technically equipped batsman in the Test arena.

Atapattu captained Ananda College in 1989 and became the Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year 1990 due to his highly impressive performances at the school season.

He was so impressive with the bat and his right-arm leg-spin bowling during his school days. Atapattu was a player earmarked as a future Test prospect.

Likewise, he made his Test debut in 1991 against Australia. However, his Test career in the initial stages was not that impressive as he had a series of failures. But later, he made a big impact by coming back strongly with some superlative batting performances. He was a member of the 1996 World Cup winning team.

Marvan, captained Sri Lanka from 2003 to 2006 and has played 90 Test matches and 270 ODIs. He has sixteen Test hundreds and six double hundreds and has scored a hundred against every Test playing nation.

Atapattu, besides winning the Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year Trophy, also became the Best Batsman and the Best Captain in the year 1990.

In that year, the Outstation Schoolboy Cricketer Award was won by Moratu MV's Lucky Rogers Fernando the present Ananda first eleven coach.

Referring to the competition, Atapattu said that it is an occasion where school cricketers look forward very much.

"It inspires the player and indicates him where the player stands. It conveys the message that who have a future in the sport."

In the past it was a strong panel of umpires who picked the winners. Most of them have officiated in school matches and seen the players physically in action.

That's why most of the winners have reached the top level. "Hope that trend will continue in the future," said Atapattu.

Talking about a batsman's technique, he said that no batsman in the world could be one hundred percent technically perfect. There is a flaw somewhere. Most of the players have a wide range of shots , but it is better to curb them and select shots that you are good at.

It is useless being a 'Jack of All Trades, but Master of None".The main criteria should be consistency. Being technically sound and being inconsistent is of no avail. He rated South African quickie Allan Donald and Pakistan's Shoaib Akthar as the fastest bowlers he has faced during his Test career and Australian leg-spinner Shane Warne as the best spinner.