Lanka off for U-19 World Cup

By Ranjan ANANDAPPA

CRICKET: Sri Lankan youth cricketers left the Island on Friday to take part in the 9th edition of the ICC Under 19 Cricket World Cup that will be unfolded in Brisbane, Australia from August 11 to 26.

All 10 Test playing nations and six associate members of the ICC will complete in four groups. The six non Test playing countries are Nepal, Ireland, Afghanistan, Scotland, Papua Newguenia and Namibia.

Sri Lanka will meet Bangladesh in a Group ‘D’ match on 11th at the Allan Border Field, Brisbane while England will meet host Australia at the Tony Ireland Stadium, Townsville in a Group ‘A’ match. Zimbabwe will take on Papua New Guinea in a Group ‘C’ match at Endeavour Park, and in a Group ‘B’ match Pakistan will confront Afghanistan at John Blanck Oval, Buderim.

In the recently concluded Asia Cup tournament held in Malaysia, Sri Lanka lost to India in the semi final stage due to the lack of resolution in the batting according to coach, former Sri Lanka cricketer Naveed Nawaz. “The Sri Lankan batsmen were short by at least 30 to 40 runs most of the time. We have worked hard to address the batting failure and hopefully the batsmen will put enough runs on the board to insert the pressure on the opponents batting,” he said.

Sanitha de Mel captains Lanka

The Sri Lanka team is led by Sebastianite medium paceman Sanitha de Mel who opens the attack and his deputy is Angelo Jayasinghe of Maris Stella, Negombo. De Mel, a lively medium pacer, should have things to his liking on faster Aussie wickets rather than in places like Malaysia where the Asia Cup was staged a couple of months ago.

Off spinner Tharindu Kaushal with 12 wickets in four matches at the Asia Cup was the pick of the Sri Lankan bowlers. The batsmen who were among the runs were Sandun Weerakkody (73), Pabasara Waduge (76), Niroshan Dickwella (66) and Jason Perera (47).

If Sri Lanka are hoping to go the full distance of the tournament their overall performances should improve tremendously as the strongest teams at the junior level could be seen in action. The Lankan team comprises many talented players from the outstation schools who have fared impressively during the school cricket season. Kasun Vidura a left-handed batsman from Joseph Vaz, Wennappuwa, Pulina Tharanga (Sri Devananada, Ambalangoda) who now represents Tamil Union, Lahiru Madusanka (St. Thomas’, Matale) and Tharindu Kaushal of Devapathiraja, Ratgama will no doubt will be the players to watch for the future.

Sri Lanka still to win trophy

The Youth World Cup was previously held twice in Sri Lanka in the years of 2000 and 2006, where India won the title for the first time, beating the host under Mohammed Kaif. South African present captain Graeme Smith was the leading run-getter with 348 runs and Pakistan’s Shahid Shaheed was the best bowler taking 15 wickets and India’s top all-rounder Yuvraj Singh was judged Man of the Series. In the competition held in Sri Lanka for the second time in 2006 Pakistan beat India in the final. Sri Lanka has still to win the trophy.

This tournament has produced a galaxy of top class Test and ODI players from the time it was inaugurated in 1988 in Australia as the McDonald’s Bicentennial Youth World Cup as a part of the Australian Bicentenary celebrations which was held in South Australia and Victoria.Seven Test playing nations and an ICC Associate XI participated in a round-robin basis. Australia beat Pakistan in the final.

The tournament saw players of the calibre of former England captains Nasser Hussain and Mike Atherton, India’s Venkatapathy Raju, New Zealand’s Chris Cairns, Pakistan’s Mushtaq Ahamed and Inzamam-Ul-Haq, Sri Lanka’s Sanath Jayasuriya, West Indies Brian Lara, Ridley Jacobs and Jimmy Adams emerging as Test players.

Aussies win

In 2002 when the tournament was held in Christchurch and Auckland in New Zealand, Australia beat South Africa in the final. Australia was captained by present day cricketer Cameron White who also became the leading run getter in the tournament, another Australian Xavier Doherty was the leading wicket taker while Zimbabawe’s Tatenda Taibu who retired prematurely from cricket became the Man of the Tournament. Present day stars Upul Tharanga, Farveez Maharoof, Jeevan Mendis and Dammika Prasad represented the Sri Lanka Under-19 team at that tournament.

In 1998, the championship was relaunched in South Africa as a biennial tournament which included teams from the nine Test playing countries with Bangladesh, Kenya, Scotland, Ireland, Denmark, Namibia and Papua New Guinea also taking part.

England beat New Zealand in the final. West Indian Chris Gayle was the leading scorer in the tournament with 364 runs at an average of 72.80. Another West Indian Ramnerash Sarwan and Zimbabwean Mluleki Nikala were the leading wicket takers with 16 apiece.

The Sri Lanka Under-19 tour squad for the ICC Youth World Cup: Sanitha de Mel (Captain, St. Sebastian’s, Moratuwa), Angelo Jayasinghe (Vice captain, Maris Stella), Pabasara Waduge (Richmond, Galle), Shehan Fernando (St. Peter’s), Kasun Vidura (Joseph Vaz, Wenappuwa), Jason Perera (St. Benedict’s), Niroshan Dickwella (Trinity), Sandun Weerakkody (Dharmaraja, Kandy), Upila Tharanga (Tamil Union/Sri Devananada, Ambalangoda), Lahiru Madusanka (St. Thomas’, Matale), Chamod Pathirana (S. Thomas’, Mount Lavinia), Ranitha Liyanarachchi (St. Peter’s), Anuk Fernando (S. Sebastian’s, Moratuwa), Amila Aponso (St. Sebastian’s) and Tharindu Kaushal (Devapathiraja, Rathgama). Coach Naveed Nawaz, Assistant Coach Piyal Wijetunga. Manager Colonel Shiran Abeysekera, Jagath Senaratne (Schools representative), Asantha de Mel (Selector).

The previous winners of the Under-19 World Cup:

1988: Held in Australia – Winner - Australia beat Pakistan, Adelaide, Oval.
1998: Held in South Africa – Winner - England beat New Zealand, The Wanderers
2000: Held in Sri Lanka – Winner - India defeated Sri Lanka, Colombo
2002: Held in New Zealnd - Winner - Australia beat South Africa - Bert Sutcliffe, Oval.
2004: Held in Bangladesh – Winner - Pakistan beat West Indies - Dhaka.
2006: Held in Sri Lanka – Winner - Pakistan beat India - R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo.
2008: Held in Malaysia – Winner - India beat South Africa - Kinrara Academy, Oval.
2010: Held in New Zealand – Winner - Australia beat Pakistan - Bert Sutcliffe, Oval.

[Sri Lankan matches]

August 11 - Sri Lanka Under-19 Vs Bangladesh Under-19 at Allan Border Field, Brisbane.

August 13: Sri Lanka Under-19 Vs Namibia Under-19 at Allan Border Field, Brisbane.

August 15: Sri Lanka Under-19 Vs South Africa Under-19 at Peter Burge, Oval.