Chaturanga de Silva – good investment for future Sri Lanka

by Ranjan Anandappa

At a time when Sri Lanka are in search of quality all-rounders, Moors Sports Club cricketer Chaturanga de Silva is no doubt a good investment for the country’s future cricket.

Chaturanga hails from Galle and played for St. Aloysius College, Galle and was an outstanding member in their cricket teams from the junior level to the first eleven.

As an all-rounder who bats and bowls left handed, he made a big impact in the recently concluded Mercantile Premier Cricket Tournament by excelling in all three departments of the game which enabled him to proceed on a scholarship to the Darrel Lehman Cricket Academy in Australia.

The Mercantile Cricket Association headed by it’s President Ashley Ratnayake had offered the scholarship for the emerging player of the tournament and Chaturanga de Silva representing Commercial Credit in the MCA Premier Tournament, was the unanimous choice.

For Chaturanga, there were no short cuts and he had to go through the vigorous process as any other cricketer who is eager to represent, the country at the highest level of the game. While at St. Aloysius’, he made it into the Sri Lanka Under 19 team then led by Dinesh Chandimal and thereafter was selected to play in the Sri Lana ‘A’ teams which toured South Africa and the West Indies.

He has been included in the Sri Lanka ‘A’ team pool to meet the England ‘A’ team which is expected to be in the Island next month.

However, Chaturanga, now has a choice whether to play for the ‘A’ team against England and prove himself or to go on the short training sessions to Australia.

Moors Sport Club coach Mahesh Weerasinghe said that, Chaturanga is definitely a potential national player who is confident that in the near future he could find a place in the national team. He is a all-rounder, a left-arm spinner and a top fielder.

In an era where the game is moving fast, he has all the qualities of a player who could easily fit in to the game today.