Sajeewa – unlucky not to play in Youth World-Cup
OBSERVER-MOBITE CONTEST: Sajeeva Salgado of Thurstan College who was
voted as the Sunday Observer/Mobitel Most Popular Schoolboy Cricketer of
The year (All Island) is another player who should consider himself
unlucky not to find a place in the Sri Lanka Under 19 squad to Australia
for the recently concluded World Cup Under 19 Championship.
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Sajeeva Salgado - Most Popular Schoolboy Cricketer of The
year (All Island) |
A prolific scorer in the last school cricket season with over 1,200
runs and five centuries against his name, Salgado could not make it into
the final squad as he could not impress in the trials that were held to
select the team. His twin centuries against Prince of Wales, and
hundreds against Mahanama, S. Thomas’, Mount Lavinia and Isipathana had
put him on a sound footing for a top order batsman in the Under 19 team.
But luck went out of his way when he failed to impress the selectors at
the trials.
Foreign cricket tours with junior teams is nothing novel for Salgado.
He was a member of the Sri Lanka under 14 and 15 teams that toured
Malaysia in 2004 and 2005 and had come out with good scores. He
continued his good form into the next level by captaining his school
team and scoring a heap of runs.
In the 16 matches played this season, he has topped the 1,000 run
mark and his one ambition is to one day represent the country in the
sport that he loves so much.
He has two elder brothers-one a Royalist who played cricket for the
school and the other an old boy of Thurstan who played rugger.
Sajeeva’s father, Tissa Salgado, also represented Thurstan at cricket
and he should be a happy man that his son is following in his foot
steps. Sajeeva gets all the support and encouragement from his parents
and he is currently trying to find a Premier division cricket club to
play in the big league.
Salgado who won the title after a close tussle with his team-mate
Ashan Wanigaratne was full of praise for the friends, colleagues and
well-wishers who voted for him and also for the contest which recognises
talented players and reward them.
(RA)
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