Mendis to lead Lankan teens against India
The Bata-Sunday Times Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year 2013, Kusal Mendis will lead Sri Lanka when it hosts India in a bilateral Under-19 cricket series, which will begin next Tuesday. This will be Mendis’ second assignment as skipper of the Sri Lanka Under-19 team 
following his debut international tour against Bangladesh, which took place in April. Besides leading the pack, he will be the opening batsman as well as the wicketkeeper of the side.
Under Mendis’ captaincy, Sri Lanka drew the two-match Youth Test series and won the Youth ODI series 3-2 against the Bangladeshis, who are a relatively strong unit in that category internationally. And putting up a good show on home soil and performing well will be the next big thing the Prince of Wales’ skipper would like to achieve besides being crowned the Bata-Sunday Times Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year 2013 on August 2.
By that time Mendis and his lads would be fresh off the two Youth Tests to be played in Dambulla and Kurunegala.
Among the 16 schoolboys named by Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) for the India Under-19s tour of Sri Lanka, are three others who reached the top of the Bata-Sunday Times contest. Among them is off-spinner Ramesh Mendis, who is in perfect form with the bat as his skipper, in the ongoing SLC Under-23 Inter-Club tournament.
Dharmasoka’s Ramesh is the runner-up in the All-Island Best Bowler category in the contest. Left-hander Minod Bhanuka of Maliyadeva and Richmond off-spinner A.K. Tyron are two others who reached the final round in the categories of Best Batsman and Best Bowler in the contest. Both these young cricketers performed considerably well at the concluded Bangladesh tour with the bat and the ball respectively.
Other key players to top the list are Chamika Karunaratne, Sadheera Samarawickrama, Binura Fernando, Thilaksha Sumanasiri, Hashan Dumindu, Kavindu Kulasekara and Priyamal Perera, representing the Colombo schools.
Royal College’s Karunaratne, an all-rounder who also toured Bangladesh, emerged as the hero in the famous Battle of the Blues cricket encounter where his school emerged victorious. Samarawickrama, the Josephian opener and wicketkeeper and paceman Fernando from D.S. Senanayake, are two of the key assets the side possesses. Thomian Sumanasiri, Dumindu of Gurukula Kelaniya, Thurstan’s Kulasekara can be handy with the bat and Josephian Perera is a useful spinner in the making. Trinitian Lakshan Jayasinghe is another useful spinner who can also contribute immensely with the bat.
Apart from Rukshan Fernando, who is a newcomer from Joseph Vaz Wennappuwa, the remaining youngsters come from the Southern region of the island. Top order bat Sanjika Ridma emerged as the top run-getter for St. Servatius Matara while the remaining duo has been picked from Division II sides. Left-arm paceman Harsha Rajapaksha, who plays for Rahula Matara and another fast bowler from neighbouring St. Thomas’ Hashan Vimarshana are two newcomers.
In the upcoming tour, Sri Lanka will play two Youth Tests and three Youth One Day Internationals at Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium and at the Welagedara Stadium in Kurunegala. The tour, which begins on July 23 with the Youth Test at Dambulla, will end on August 8 after the third Youth ODI at the same venue
Sri Lanka Under-19s: Kusal Mendis (Capt/wk/Prince of Wales’), Rukshan Fernando (Joseph Vaz), Hashan Dumindu (Gurukula), Kavindu Kulasekara (Thurstan), Sadheera Samarawickrama (VC/St. Joseph’s), Thilaksha Sumanasiri (S. Thomas’), Minod Bhanuka (Maliyadeva), Sanjika Ridma (St. Servatius), Priyamal Perera (St. Joseph’s), Ramesh Mendis (Dharmasoka), AK Tyron (Richmond), Lakshan Jayasinghe (Trinity), Hashan Vimarshana (St. Thomas’ Matara), Binura Fernando D.S. Senanayake), Chamika Karunaratne (Royal), Harsha Rajapaksha (Rahula Matara).
| Tour schedule: 1st Youth Test: July 23 to 26 at Rangiri Dambulla 2nd Youth Test: July 29 to August 1 at Welagedara, Kurunegala 1st Youth ODI: August 4 at Rangiri Dambulla 2nd Youth ODI: August 6 at Welagedara, Kurunegala 3rd Youth ODI: August 8 at Rangiri Dambulla |
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