Schoolboy Cricketer Mendis leads Lanka’s U-19

By Ranjan Anandappa

The Sunday Observer/Mobitel Schoolboy Cricketer of The Year Kusal Mendis is tipped to lead Sri Lanka for the Under 19 Asia Cup cricket tournament to be held in the UAE in December 2013/2014.

Mendis from Prince of Wales College, Moratuwa has been a prolific scorer during the school cricket season and his ability to bat and keep wickets with authority has won the confidence of the selectors.

The Sri Lanka Under 19 Cricket Team cannot ask for a better deal to prepare themselves for the Under 19 ICC Cricket World Cup as they are scheduled to take part in the Under 19 Asia Cup Cricket Tournament that will be held from December 26th to January 9th at the United Arab Emirates.

The Under 19 World Cup matches too,will be played at the same venues in February, 2014 at the UAE and the countries in the sub-continent specially India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh will immensely benefit playing in familiar conditions. The last Asia Cup was played in Malaysia in June 2012, and the tournament is bound to produce the future cricketers for the participating countries.

Soon after the Asia Cup, the Under 19 World Cup will take place in February also in the UAE which should give more opportunities for the players to display their skills and cement their places in the side while the two high profile tournaments, the Asia Cup and the Under 19 World Cup being held within a short period of time.

Like in the Asia Cup, the World Cup Cricket Tournament has been the stepping stone for many aspiring cricketers to pursue in the their international cricket career. In the Under 19 World Cup Cricket history there have been nine championships held so far and almost every tournament has produced world class cricketers who have gone to represent their country.

The Under 19 World Cup first got off the ground as the Bicentennial Youth World Cup in Australia in 1987/1988. Host Australia won the first tournament. In the inaugural tournament Australia had players like Steuart Law and England had Mark Ramprakash, Nasser Hussain, Mike Atherton,Trevor Ward and Chris Lewis to name a few.

India had Nayan Mongia, Vekatpathy Raju, Praveen Amre and Narendra Hirwani.
Pakistan had Inzamam-UL-Haq and Mushtaq Ahamed.

The West Indies had Brian Lara. Keith Atherton and Ridley Jacobs. The Kiwis had the big hitting Chris Cairns who later went on to be a batting sensation for his country.

There after it took a decade to stage the tournament in England in 1998 which subsequently England won in their own back yard.

In the first Youth World Cup played in 1987/88’ in Australia, the Sri Lanka Under 19 team was captained by Josephian Rohan Weerakkody and had some promising youngsters like, Chandika Hathurusinghe (Ananda), Sanjeeva Ranatunga (Ananda), Romesh Kaluvitharana (St.Sebastian’s, Moratuwa), Sanjeeva Weerasinghe, Ajith Alirajah, (St.Joseph’s), Dilan Perera (St.Peter’s), Chaminda Mendis (Richmond), K.G.Priyantha (Isipathana), Sanath Jayasuriya (St.Servatius), C.Unantenne, Chaminda Fernando (Royal) and Johann Samarasekera (S.Thomas’, Mount Lavinia).

Eight years later, Romesh Kaluwitharana and Sanath Jayasuriya who played in that Youth World Cup (87/88) competition became one of the most feared opening batting combinations in the World and their batting had a big impact in the World Cup win in 1996.