A safe pair of hands
View(s):
With the Dialog 4G-the Sunday Times Schoolboy/Schoolgirl Cricketer of the Year 2019 contest drawing to a close, the schoolboy cricketers who were outstanding in all three departments of the game, will come under the microscopic eyes of the selection panel, to be rewarded at a glittering show very soon.
Fielding plays a major part in cricket. With ‘catches winning matches’, an aerobatic catch or a dropped catch, or a mis-field, can change the fate of a game. A team with good fielders inspire the bowlers to rise to the occasion. In a contest with three segments, the Best Fielder in each segment will be chosen.
In the Premier Schools category, a player who is capable of fielding at any position is Nalanda skipper Rasanjana Manasinghe. An agile fielder with a hawk eye and quick on-field movements, Manasinghe always leads from the front. With a strong arm he returns the ball right over the stumps. He has taken 23 catches in 20 innings in 15 matches. His close-in catching and in the outfield is a delight to watch.
Another fielder who has guided his alma mater to victory is D.S. Senanayake College’s Amitha Dhananjaya Dabare. Dabare’s contribution to the Colombo 8 school is 30 catches from 18 innings off 13 matches. A fielder with quick reflexes, he grabs every ball that passes him with electrifying speed.
The other is Adithya Siriwardena of Richmond College, Galle. It may be close in or in the outfield, Siriwardena’s presence makes it difficult for the batters to get the ball past him. This lad’s catching and ground fielding has brought him rounds of applause wherever he plays. Siriwardena, with 26 catches from 16 innings off 12 matches, is an outstanding fielder.
Pulasthie Attapattu of Kegalu Vidyalaya in the Emerging Schools category, has shown his class as a fielder. He has no favourite positions on the field. He is quite at home in any position, as he is a man with safe hands.
He never lets anything fly pass him. His ground fielding and returns from the outfield are a delight to watch. Atapattu has accounted for 33 catches in 18 innings off 10 matches this season.
Piliyandala Central’s Chamod Sandaru stands tall among others on the field, with 47 catches in 25 innings from 15 matches. When playing against Piliyandala Central, the opposing side’s batters should be mindful their shots don’t carry to Sandaru. This lad’s fast movements on the field and his catching, motivates the bowlers to attack the batsmen and frustrate them in their quest for runs.
Another fielder whom the Emerging teams batsmen hate to see close to them on the field is Karandeniya Central College’s Maduwantha Hewa. His concentration and movements in following the ball from the bat, enables him to accept every catch that comes his way. Hewa’a fielding in the close-in region and in the outfield, is an an object lesson to the others in his team.
His total of 46 catches from 28 innings off 14 matches speaks volumes of this lad’s capabilities on the field.