Looking for small goals to establish for the future
View(s):By Naushad Amit
After going through a poor season last year, Dharmapala College Pannipitiya cricketers are showing signs of improvement this season. Strangely, last season Dharmapala had a bunch of cricketers who were strange to first XI cricket and Susil Gunawardhane, who is
Sahan Chamikara (Capt)
serving in his second year as coach, definitely had a tough time in putting things into its perspective. Gunawardhane still combats with his young cricketers who only have a season of experience in first XI cricket, to combat among other tough contenders of school cricket.
Last year it was an all-fresh first XI team and Gunawardhane who was back on his second tenure, after serving Dharmapala for 14 seasons since 1994, had a challenging year.
Gunawardhane’s target was to keep Dharmapala’s placed secured in Division I while helping the youngsters build up their character as first XI cricketers. The team had four players each from the Under-15, Under-17 and fairly older age categories, but had to suffer seven defeats sans a win in 15 games.
But Gunawardhane made sure not to let his bunch of cricketers feel the intensity of what they went through in the seven games that were lost, but instead spoke much on the positives of the eight matches that they managed to draw, despite less exposure. As at now, with some intensive off season training, Dharmapala cricketers have readied themselves to a position that they could easily settle games to draw. But their aim is to push for a few first inning wins and if they are lucky to extend those as outright
Prashan Ratnayake
wins.
However Gunawardhane’s main aim is to put Dharmapala cricket back on the winning track by next season. His ambitions will be more strident with the fact that the same team as last season, will still remain for the coming year after this year. To make his vision a fact, the young Dharmapala cricket team led by Sahan Chamikara have already uncovered their potential.
The team is well poised in all departments alike. Batting and spin bowling are their main features for this season. With every member of the team having the same amount of experience, the team has no such senior players in their patio. All of them are being brought up and tuned up equally but as in any other team, Dharmapala too has star performers.
Among them are Himasha Liyanage, Harsha Gallage, Ashan Jayasanka, Prashan Ratnayake, Tharindu Maduwantha, Vimukthi Radella, Kushan Jayalath and the skipper Chamikara, considered as the most prominent in the batting list.
Dharmapala has three leading seamers and five dependable spinners in their bowling attack. Among them are off-spinners Himasha Liyanage, Kushan Jayalath, Tharindu Maduwantha, leg-spinners Gihan Madusanka and Vimukthi Radella. The bowling attack is however spearheaded by the skipper Chamikara who is assisted by Asanka Sameera while as the first bowling change Dharmapala call in Prashan Ratnayake.
The past few years have not been much productive for Dharmapala but with their junior structure coming back into track, they are on the brink of regaining their winning ways. With the development that is taking place at present, Dharmapala’s days of glory in cricket are surely to reach them swiftly.
| Dharmapala cricket squad – 2013 | ||
| Player | Batting style | Bowling style |
| Sahan Chamikara (Capt) | Left hand | Left-arm fast |
| Ashan Jayasanka (VC) | Right hand | |
| Himasha Liyanage | Left hand | Right-arm off-spin |
| Harsha Gallage | Left hand | Wicketkeeper |
| Prashan Ratnayake | Right hand | |
| Tharindu Maduwantha | Right hand | Right-arm off-spin |
| Vimukthi Radella | Right hand | Right-arm leg-spin |
| Kushan Jayalath | Right hand | Right-arm off-spin |
| Supub Chathura | Right hand | Wicketkeeper |
| Asanka Sameera | Right hand | Right-arm fast |
| Gihan Madusanka | Left hand | Left-arm leg-spin |
| Chameen Himalka | Right hand | Right-arm fast |
| Bimantha Visul | Right hand | Right-arm fast |
| Prabath Sandaruwan | Right hand | Right-arm fast |
| Tharindu Dhanushka | Left hand | Right-arm off-spin |
| Jayampathy Bandara | Left hand | |
| Tharaka Hondamunige | Left hand | Right-arm fast |
| Officials: Susil Gunawardhane (Coach), Sujith Liyanage (MIC) | ||
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