Accolades for Suranga Sampath
The Blind Cricket team after the tour at the felicitation ceremony held by co-sponsor D. Samson and Sons - Pic by Krishan Ranasinghe
Suranga Sampath was selected as the Man of the Series at the Sri Lanka National Visually Handicapped cricket team’s tour of India to take part in the T/20 World Cup.
A felicitation ceremony for the team took place at the Ozo Colombo, co-sponsored by D. Samson and Sons. Pvt. Ltd.
Suranga Sampath scored 733 runs in the contest including five centuries and claimed four wickets as well.
This is the first ever time that in a Blind Cricket Tournament that a player had scored five centuries.
The Sri Lanka team defeated New Zealand by 214 runs with opening batsmen Ruwan Wasantha (170) and Suranga Sampath (126 n.o) being among the runs. This is a record in the tournament’s history as well.
The team returned to the island after facing many difficulties recently.
The Manager of the Sri Lanka team Chaminda Pushpakumara speaking on the occasion said that the Sri Lanka Blind Cricket Team is affiliated to the Sri Lanka Para Olympics Committee and that they should be absorbed into Sri Lanka Cricket.
Speaking further Chaminda said that there is no one to look after the team on such tours and that they had no official sponsor. “We have to look after ourselves to take part in such competitions”, he said.
“There is only one Blind Cricket Tournament in Sri Lanka. In other countries there are several tournaments and it is only after four or five tournaments that the national team is selected.
“We have been participating in Blind Cricket Tournaments since 1998. But we have had no official sponsor and we have to seek for sponsors when a tournament looms. The players in the current team are Government and Private Sector employees. We went on this tour without obtaining prior approval leave. This is a sad part of our participation.
The Chairman of D. Samson and Sons Pvt. Ltd, Nandadasa Rajapakse said that Susanthika Jayasinghe at the 2000 Sydney Olympics was in great difficulty without a sponsor and DSI having come to know about it presented a sponsorship without anyone knowing about it.
“The Blind Cricketers were in the same plight. We helped them out. We only wanted to help the side out at this particular moment, not seek any glory about it. Not anything else. In future to we will help them in whatever way we can”, he concluded.
A special gift was presented to Suranga Sampath for being adjudged the Man of the Series. The gift was presented by Samson Group Chairman Nandadasa Rajapakse.