The cradle of Sri Lanka cricket is full of talent
View(s):By Lakshman Ranasinghe
The organisers of the recently concluded MCA Under 12 (25 over) cricket tournament should be commended for staging a very
Youngters need to be well groomed for the future - File pic
successful tournament. This sort of competitions open a window for the discovery of young talent which will be a good sign for the future of Sri Lanka cricket. At the conclusion of the tournament apart from selecting the Best Batsman, Bowler etc. the selection of best Captain and the most disciplined team by the umpires officiating is a step in the right direction.
The inter academy cricket tournaments for the youngsters which was inaugurated by Nelson Mendis who can boast of finding two of Lanka’s finest cricketers, the late Anura Ranasinghe and the world cup winning captain Arjuna Ranatunga. They had benefited by his tutelage and the discipline and the fundamentals of the game and on and off field. The spectator interest shown was very high and it should be left to the respective coaches to instruct the players to concentrate and take decisions of their own at the right time and not the parents to give instructions from out side the playing area. The organizers should take a note of this for the betterment of the future tournaments.
Notable batting and bowling performances were witnessed. It was noted that not a single T20 stroke was exhibited right throughout and it was a delight to see the fast bowlers bowling a nagging length and making the batsmen play almost every delivery. The spin bowlers attempting to deceive the striker by bowling well flighted and turning deliveries. The dying art of right arm leg-spin bowling by a couple of bowlers was worth watching as they bowled well controlled deliveries with a mixture of leg-spin and googlies. Field setting by most captains was of a high standard as making quick changes in the field and occasionally crowding the batsmen making them to think twice before going for a stroke. Fielding techniques were of high level and all in all the respective coaches should be praised for their dedication in grooming these budding cricketers.
As there are a numerous number of cricketers representing the national teams, coming from these academies, unlike in the early days when there were only one or two academies in the country the start that Nelson Mendis gave was of great assistance to these little cricketers, who were able to represent their schools and also come to national level.
It is high time that the outstation academies think and organize this type of tournaments for the youngsters of various age groups and form a pool of talented players to be handed over to the respective district coaches and out of which the best lot could be brought under the wings of the Sri Lanka cricket senior coaches for the final cut and polish duties. Picking them young and grooming for the future will help Sri Lanka in a great way to be the Best Cricketing Nation of the World.
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