Best Batsman All Island:

Most Popular Schoolboy Cricketer All Island:

Royalist Kithruwan now tours England

By Leslie FERNANDO

OBSERVER-MOBITEL: The value of the OBSERVER-MOBITEL Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year Contest is amply seen as Royal’s Kithruwan Vithanage - the Best Batsman’s award winner in the 32nd Observer-Mobitel Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year Contest 2010 who was also voted in as the Most Popular Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year 2010, has been selected to represent the Sri Lanka Under-19 Team to tour England this month.

The Sri Lanka Team will leave for England on July 14 and will play two ‘Tests’ (four-day), two Twenty20 matches and five one-day International Matches against the England under-19 team. Good work has its rewards - so, the saying goes and it was nothing but fine reward for the wonderful performance with both bat and ball that caught the eye of the cricket selectors that got Kithruwan Vithanage the trip to England.

Kithruwan Vithanage - the under-19 Sri Lanka Youth Vice Captain, was voted in by Sunday Observer readers as the Most Popular Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year and then when the umpires sat down to select winners in the sectional contests, they picked as the Best Batsman All-Island.

Tour of Australia

This season, he played lesser number of matches for Royal as he was involved in the Sri Lanka Under-19 tour to Australia, Tri-Nation Tournament in South Africa and ICC Under-19 World Cup in New Zealand, Tri Nation Tournament in Sri Lanka.

In Australia, Kithruwan scored 209 runs, highest being 86 runs against Northern Territory (practice match).

Then batting at number five slot, Kithruwan hit a fine 47 in the 1st ODI against Australia and 61 in the 3rd ODI. He had a good average of 41.80. In the Tri-Nation Under-19 Tournament in South Africa, he had scores of 32 and 15 against India and 24 and 20 against South Africa, totalling 91 runs with an average of 22.75.

In New Zealand, he scored 179 runs in the ICC Under-19 World Cup in six matches averaging 29.83. His top score was 45 against South Africa Under-19.

Kithruwan hit two aggressive half centuries in the Tri-Nation Under-19 Tournament in Sri Lanka 83 against Bangladesh and 75 against Pakistan. He totalled 143 runs in four innings with an average of 47.66.

This season, Vithanage scored 380 runs for Royal in lesser number of matches. He stroked a brisk 44 not out in just 19 balls to win two awards-Best Batsman, Most number of sixes at the Royal-Thomian inaugural Twenty20 played in March this year. In the Munchi Tournament 2010, Kithruwan totalled 225 runs.

He also played in the SLC Combined XI in the Provincial Tournament and scored 123 runs with a highest score of 53 runs against Kandurata. In the Twenty20 Tournament, Kithruwan represented Combined XI and scored 97 runs. He scored 64 runs from 30 balls including 6 towering sixes and 5 fours.

He was selected for the National Youth Team after performing well in the last season for Royal in the inter-school tournament. He amassed 1,062 runs including two centuries and ten half centuries. He is a right-arm leg-spinner and standby wicketkeeper. He has already been included in Sri Lanka Development Pool.

Skips Surrey

He said that he will not be going to Surrey to play in the Twenty20 tournament. But one of the agents from Kent County has approached him to play in the league tournament. “It will be a great opportunity to play big league matches in England to raise my standard of the game. I have informed James Hine that he has to first consult his Manager Ravi de Silva, a former Josephian Cricketer presently holidaying in Melbourne. I hope my manager will give me the greenlight to play league cricket in England.

Kithruwan added that he will not be playing for Royal next season as he is overaged. But will continue to be in school to sit for the ‘A’ Level Examination. “I was to sit for the ‘A’ Level Examination in August but due to Sri Lanka’s under-19 cricket tour to England, I am compelled to keep out of the examination,” Vithanage said.

He said that he will request the school authorities to make him a Prefect at Royal in the year 2011. Kithruwan was high of praise for the organisers of the Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year Contest.

ANCL -Sunday Observer together with the sponsors Mobitel should be commended for holding this prestigious contest. This contest offers lot of encouragement for the young cricketers throughout the country. My wish is that the contest should be continued in the future,” Vithanage said.

Kithruwan Vithanage has been appointed the Vice Captain of the SSC for under-23 cricket tournament conducted by Sri Lanka Cricket.