Much awaited show on Tuesday

by Dinesh Weerawansa

The much looked forward to moment in the school cricket calendar has finally arrived! The 38th Observer-Mobitel Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year awards ceremony will be held at the Grand Ballroom of the Galadari Hotel, Colombo on Tuesday (20), commencing from 5.30 pm.

Flashback: Charith Asalanka of Richmond College, Galle receiving the Observer-Mobitel Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year award 2015 from former Sri Lanka cricketer turned international commentator Russel Arnold who was the chief guest at the award ceremony held at Galadari Hotel last year

The Mega Show which adds value to the milestone achievements of the 2015/ 2016 inter-school season will be a fitting tribute to the country’s outstanding schoolboy cricketers. The Observer-Mobitel Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year show is hosted by the country’s flagship English newspaper – the Sunday Observer and its publisher Lake House, and sponsored by Sri Lanka’s national mobile service provider Sri Lanka Telecom Mobitel. Minister of Sports, Dayasiri Jayasekera will grace the occasion as the chief guest. Top officials of Sri Lanka Cricket, Sri Lanka Schools Cricket Association, Sri Lanka Cricket Umpires and Scorers Association, Sri Lanka Telecom Mobitel and the Lake House (ANCL) will also grace the occasion.

Mahela guest of honour

Former Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardena will be the guest of honour. It will be a great honour for the country’s next generation cricketers to have the celebrated cricketer for the most cherished moment in their school cricket career.

Jayawardena is one of the greatest cricketers produced by Sri Lanka and has aggregated 11,814 runs in 149 Tests at an average of 49.84 with 34 centuries and 50 half tons. He has equally proved his class in One Day Internationals, aggregating 12,650 runs at an average of 33.37 with 19 centuries and 77 fifties. Jayawardena’s exemplary career and his inspirational words when addressing the cream of first X1 cricketers at the Mega Show will go a long way in motivating the budding cricketers to step in to the big league.

The million dollar question is who would be crowned on Tuesday as the new Observer-Mobitel Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year? Whoever it would be, the new star will have all credentials to step in to the Sri Lanka national team in the next couple of years, provided he takes his form in school cricket to inter-club level.

Will last year’s winner Charith Asanka of Richmond College, Galle be able to join the select band of cricketers who had won the richest prize in school cricket twice? The answer to the question would only be known by Tuesday night. If Asanka could achieve that dream milestone, he would join the distinguish team of cricketers who had won the top award twice – Arjuna Ranatunga of Ananda (1980 and 1982), Roshan Mahanama of Nalanda (1983 and 1984), Thilan Samaraweera of Ananda (1994 and 1995), Lahiru Peiris of St. Peter’s (2004 and 2005) and Bhanuka Rajapaksa of Royal (2010 and 2011). This year’s Mega Show too will be packed with come eye-catching

entertainment and is directed by the leading event organizer Funtime headed by Imran Saibo.

Almost all past winners of the prestigious Observer-Mobitel Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year title have stepped into the Sri Lanka national team in next to no time. Hence, winning the Observer-Mobitel Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year title is the dream of every schoolboy cricketer.

Ever since its inception, the Observer Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year series has produced some of the greatest Sri Lanka cricketers. Former Sri Lanka captain and the current Chief Match Referee of the ICC Ranjan Madugalle had that rare honour of becoming the first recipient of the

Galaxy of stars

Observer Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year title at the inaugural year in 1979. Since then, the Mega Show has gone from strength to strength, producing a galaxy of stars who had not only excelled for Sri Lanka but had also engraved their name among all-time greats of world cricket. Among them are Sri Lanka’s world cup-winning captain Arjuna Ranatunga, the most valuable players of that 1996 world cup tournament Sanath Jayasuriya and the highest wicket taker ever in Test cricket Muttiah Muralitharan. Former Sri Lanka captain and ex-national coach Marvan Atapattu, former Sri Lanka captain and ICC match referee Roshan Mahanama, ICC Elite Panel Umpire Kumar Dharmasena and member of the 1996 world cup winning team Asanka Gurusinha too had won this coveted award. Sri Lanka star batsman Dinesh Chandimal had won the top award in 2009.

When the overwhelming success of the Observer-Mobitel Schoolboy Cricketer of the series is talked about, we cannot forget the contribution made by Sri Lanka Schools Cricket Association and the umpires association. Full credit should also go to the founder of the popular cricket website batsman.com Kumara Gamhewage who has played a praiseworthy role in providing statistical data for the selection panel.

Most importantly, the Chief Operative Officer of the SLT Mobitel Nalin Perera has played an important role in keep the decade-long alliance of the Sunday Observer and SLT Mobitel going. He has shown a keen interest in promoting the game under the blessings of the Sri Lanka Telecom Chairman P.G. Kumarasinghe.

Sri Lanka’s flagship English newspaper the Sunday Observer gave birth to this show some four decades ago at a time when there hadn’t been a single awards show to appreciate the hard work of the country’s schoolboy cricketers. In fact, there had not been even an organized inter-school cricket tournament for two-day matches at that time.

Since its inception way back in 1979, the Observer Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year has gone from strength to strength, providing an ideal platform for the future stars of Sri Lanka cricket. Holding such a prestigious show continuously for almost four decades is not an easy task. But the Sunday Observer has fulfilled its obligation not only by hosting the event continuously but also improving the standard and the quality of the show.