From the frying Pan to the Fire!
School cricket in Sri Lanka which not so long ago was the nursery to Sri Lanka Cricket appears to be on a declining trend.
For those who are genuine followers of School Cricket this is no surprise as they would have witnessed the gradual decline in the Sandard of Schools Cricket which can no longer produces the Ranatungas, Mahanamas, De Silvas or the Muralitharans who simply walked into the National Team straight from School.
For others who are not keen followers of School Cricket, the recent performance of the Under 19’s at the World Cup where Sri Lanka lost to Pakistan, India and Bangladesh is testimony to the islands continuous decline in the standard of School Cricket.
Various reasons have been attributed to the declining standards of School Cricket which includes the Overall Structure, the format, the Competition, lack of knowledgeable Coaches, Trainers, parental interferences etc. which have never been addressed by the Schools Cricket Association or by Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) if it has the authority to do so.
Thus at a time when the School Cricket Standard is low and in such a sad state that the Sri Lanka Schools Cricket Association (SLSCA) has apparently decided to make the First Eleven Tournament Under 20 from the Current Under 19.
This decision will keep the school boy cricketers one more year in the current School Cricket System which is far from delivering the expected results.
On the contrary if it remains Under 19 ,the Schoolboy Cricketers can move on to a preferred club and work/improve their skills and play at a higher level and amongst better and Senior Cricketers enabling the Schoolboy cricketers to further enhance their skills much faster.
This will augur well for Sri Lanka Cricket as the system will be able to produce better Cricketers who can graduate to the National level much faster.
The Productivity of a Schoolboy remaining in school after sitting his advanced level examination for the sake of playing an extra year of School Cricket will be another issue that the School Authorities will have to look into when the tournament is changed from the current Under 19 to the proposed Under 20.
It is also believed that SLC has little or no control with School Cricket. SLC and the Schools Cricket Association need to work more closely with each other if the Country and the School boys are to benefit.