Murali to grace mega show

Celebrated Sri Lanka cricketer Muttiah Muralitharan will grace the 33rd Observer-Mobitel Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year mega awards presentation ceremony at the Grand Ballroom of the Galadari Hotel, Colombo at 5.30 p.m. tomorrow.

Incidentally, it was exactly 20 years ago that Muralitharan, as a schoolboy from St. Anthony’s College, Katugastota won the prestigious Observer Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year in 1991. Thereafter he was selected to make his international debut to begin a two-decade long journey and ultimately reached the pinnacle of world cricket as the highest wicket taker in Tests and One Day Internationals. Moreover, Muralitharan is a brand ambassador for Sri Lanka Telecom Mobitel and would get a rare opportunity of gracing a premier event sponsored by Sri Lanka’s national mobile telephone service provider.

Ministers Keheliya Rambukwella (Media), Mahindananda Aluthgamage (Sports) and Bandula Gunawardena (Education) will be the guests of honour. Since its inauguration in 1979 naming Ranjan Madugalle as the first recipient of the Observer Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year, the first and the premier schools cricket award ceremony has come a long way during the past three decades, producing some of the top Sri Lanka cricketers.

The long list of ‘greats’, besides Muralitharan, include Arjuna Ranatunga, Asanka Gurusinha, Roshan Mahanama, Marvan Atapattu, Kumara Dharmasena and Sanath Jayasuriya. Evergreen Bhathiya and Santhush will add colour to this year’s show as well besides B n S, there will be several other popular artistes to entertain the youth, including K. Sujeewa, Asanka Sahabandu of Good Morning Mala fame, Chinthika Ranaweera (Sulanga wage) and Randhir of Ojaye fame.

A limited number of special passes is available exclusively for Sunday Observer readers on a first come first served basis.

Please call the organisers on 011-2429231 between 9 am to 12 noon tomorrow for prior reservations.