Pathum Nissanka bounces back into the lead
Isipathana College allrounder Pathum Nissanka bounces back to regain the top position among batsmen as Nipun Dhananjaya of St. Joseph Vaz College tops the bowler’s rankings in the fourth count of the Sunday Times-Batsman.com Schoolboy Cricketer Rankings.As the Singer Inter-School Under-19 Division I two-day Cricket Tournament nears an end, major changes in batting and bowling rankings are evidently visible. Two weeks ago Dhananjaya was leading the batting list while Ameen Miflal of St. Peter’s College in the lead in bowling.
This week Dhananjaya steps down to second place in batting as Nissanka moves to the top after a lapse of a few weeks. Nissanka was placed third last time but his tally of 878 runs in eight games and 14 innings puts him back on the top helped with an impressive average of 72.75. Dhananjaya takes his run tally to 848 in 12 matches and 21 innings and his average hits a low 44.63. When he led the list last time, his average was at 55.87.
At third is Udara Ravindu of Gurukula Vidyalaya Kelaniya, who also loses a place from the last count. His tally of runs counts to 786 in 11 matches and 17 innings with the average reading as 49.13. Sasiri Adhikari of Bandaranayake College Gampaha joined in the Top 10 last time at sixth but the latest count takes him to fourth position. He has accumulated 693 runs in 13 matches and 26 innings but his average is far near impressive at 26.55. Madushan Ranatunga of St. Joseph Vaz College makes it to the Top 10, claiming the fifth position for the first time this season. He averages 38.12 from 12 matches and 20 innings with a tally of 648 runs.
Deshan Gunasinghe of Dharmaraja College joins in the top list at sixth with a tally of 644 runs in 11 matches and 19 innings with an average of 33.89. Sajith Sameera, the skipper of Zahira College reaches the Top 10 to make his stake at seventh position. The allrounder has a tally of 641 runs in 12 matches and 21 innings with an average of 30.52.
Lasith Croospulle of Maris Stella College was fourth last time, when he made it to the Top 10. But the latest count pushes him to the eighth position. His tally of runs remains at 634 but his average is at an impressive 52.83. Tharusha Fernando of St. Sebastian’s College loses another slot as last time and moves down to ninth position. His run tally reads as 632 in 11 games and 15 innings at an average of 45.14. Charana Nanayakkara of Thurstan College moves down five slots to tenth in the list. Nishan Madushka of Moratu Vidyalaya, Dulaj Ranatunga of Maliyadeva College and Sanogeeth Shanmuganathan, the Trinity College allrounder moves out from the list of Top 10.
Dhananjaya, most evidently the best allrounder currently available in the ongoing competition, may have lost his grip in the batting ranking’s top position. But he claimed the top spot of the bowler’s list, dominated by spinners. The right-arm off-spinner has claimed 69 wickets in 12 games and sit ahead of left-arm spinner Hareen Buddhila Weerasinghe of St. Aloysius College Galle, who has a tally of 65 wickets in seven games.
Ameen Miflal, the St. Peter’s College left-arm spinner, who led the bowler’s list for two consecutive counts, pushes down to the third position. His tally however, remains unchanged at 59 wickets in 12 games. Dyan Vimukthi, the left-arm spinner from Lumbini College, loses a place and is at fourth with an unchanged tally of 53 wickets in 10 matches. Dileepa Jayalath, the right-arm leg-spinner from Ananda College gains two places and moves to fifth as he reaches the 50-wicket mark in 12 games.
Sajith Sameera, the right-arm off-spinner from Zahira, is one of the two cricketers to remain in both listings. He stands in at sixth in the bowler’s list with a tally of 49 wickets in 12 matches. Chathura Obeysekara, the right-arm off-spinner from St. Peter’s College loses two places and is currently at seventh with 47 wickets in 12 games. Thurstan College left-arm spinner Naveen Gunawardene was sixth last week but this count he moves down to eighth with 46 wickets in eight matches. Shanogeeth Shanmuganathan, the left-arm spinner from Trinity College makes a comeback to the top list at ninth with his tally of 46 wickets in 12 games. Left-arm spinner Lasitha Udage of St. Mary’s College makes his way in to the Top 10 with a tally of 46 wickets in 12 games.
Pasindu Ushetti, the left-arm spinner from Maris Stella College, Umeksha Dilshan, the left-arm spinner from Nalanda College and Thanuka Dabare, the right-arm off-spinner from Lumbini College are forced out of the Top 10 list for bowlers.
The ranking is an initiative of the Sunday Times in collaboration with Batsman.com to publish the Top 10 ranked players in batting and bowling in the ongoing Singer Inter-School Under-19 Division I Cricket Tournament. The rankings, totally based on statistics released by the Sri Lanka School Cricket Association (SLSCA) to its official stats provider Batsman.com, will be published in the Sunday Times every fortnight.