Schoolboy Cricket- An overview
The Sri Lankans caved in abjectly in the Limited-over leg of the recent tour of South Africa. The inability of our batsmen to last the 50 overs has been put forward as the main reason.
Have Sri Lanka’s Under-19 schoolboys got what it takes to bat forever and a day? It would appear so, going by the performances of the Thomian’s, the Josephians and the Royalists. Consider the following facts, S. Thomas’ made 514-8 in 183.2 overs and Mahinda in reply 26 in 3.4 overs. The school by the sea did it once more against Nalanda, 551-9 in 165.4 overs and Nalanda replied with 61-2 in the 19 overs bowled. St. Joseph’s 433 in 107.5 overs as against 85 in 34.2 overs by St. Sebastian’s. Not to be outdone, Royal scored 514 in 148 overs and bowled out Kalutara Vidyalaya for 95 in 31.1 overs.
These examples of overkill are very impressive indeed. There is an element of cynicism, a kind of putting down of the other team, when a side bats on and on and denies the other a reasonable chance of running down the target.
Of course, the above mentioned schools cannot be blamed for twisting the shoddy rules to their advantage. The Schools Cricket Association should find a better way to complete their tournaments. What need was there for another 2-day tournament?
Schoolboys live cricket almost 24 hours a day in the period from September to March, with a slight break for the GCE O/L. Dragging the season into April can, and must be avoided. Schoolboy batsmen making 200 plus scores in a meaningless exercise only serves to boost their egos. It doesn’t lead to the advancement of school cricket. It is time that the SLSCA realized that it is not the quantity of cricket, but the quality, that matters.
On a related issue, neutral venues from the semifinal stage is a good idea. Sometimes it can lead to great inconvenience. At the time of writing, a school from Kandy is meeting another from Ja Ela at a venue in Bulathsinghala. Well and good. But why didn’t this business of a neutral venue apply in the case of the Richmond-S. Thomas’ Limited-Over final. Wasn’t the SLSCA being partial to one team? The tawdry, unsavoury incidents that occurred at the Galle Stadium could have been avoided had the authorities stuck by the neutral-venue principle.