Sri Lanka’s Srimantha making vast strides in Canada
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Srimantha Wijeyeratne
Now 31-year-old Srimantha, with his hard working efforts, has succeeded to get drafted as a member of the Canada national team. But even then he had to wait for four long years to be eligible to represent Canada which is the eligibility rule of ICC for foreign players to represent another country.
Srimantha made his debut for the Canada national team in the year 2015 against the Netherlands in the ICC World Cup Qualifiers held in Namibia and had a successful baptism when he made a useful 35 whilst opening the innings. Since then he has not looked back and has been a regular member of the Canada national team and played in tournaments held around the globe.
Last year in the first round of the ICC World Cup League Qualifiers Tournament held in Malaysia and participated by host Malaysia, Denmark, Qatar, Singapore and Vanuatu, he shone for Canada with knocks of 112 against Qatar, 84 against Denmark and 31 against Singapore for the team to end up as table leaders.
Prior to that in 2018, he cracked his maiden international ton of 103 not out against Nepal at the Wanderers Cricket Ground in Namibia. But Canada was unfortunate as they lost to Nepal who edged them by 1 wicket in the last ball in the deciding match, depriving them from gaining ODI status. Nepal earned the ODI status with that win.
Srimantha, from 38 List A matches, has accumulated over 1000 runs inclusive of two tons and four half tons. Srimantha has played in two T20 tournaments for Canada and has a top score of 56 in 35 balls against Oman.
Apart from playing for Canada he was a member of ICC Americas XI comprising of players from Canada, USA and Bermuda and participated in the West Indies CA conducted Regional Super 50, an annual tournament.
The tournament is rotated among the three countries with the other teams being Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, Guyana, Barbados, Leeward Island, Windward Islands, Combined Universities of WI and a WI Emerging XI. The organisers have now proposed that the USA, Canada and Bermuda send three separate teams.
Srimantha was a member of the victorious Vancouver Knights team led by the legend Chris Gayle in the Canada GT20 tournament which included international players in the likes of Tim Southee, Ben Dunk, Sheldon Cortrell, Russie Van Der Dussen, Barbar Hyatt and Fawad Ahmad to name a few.
Srimantha, in the latter part of last year, was unavailable for selection due to a shoulder injury and early this year he was appointed as the manager of the franchise team Toronto Nationals in which Sri Lanka players Dinesh Chandimal and Thisara Perera was to be members. But the 2020 edition was forced to be cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In Canada’s domestic tournament Srimantha has represented the Centurions CC from 2009 and the club consists of few other Sri Lankan players in Manoj Mendis, Rohan Jayasekera, Pubudu Dasanayake, Sanjayan Thuraisingham, Asela Jayasinghe, Udara Waruna, Dexter Solomons,
Dhanuka Pathirana and Shehan Kamaleen along with Uvin and Kavin Bandara and Ruvindu Gunasekera.
He was also a member of the Police SC team in Sri Lanka’s Premier Tier ‘B’ in 2018 and was also a playing member of Australia’s Victoria State Murumbeena CC but had to cut short midway after being be called for national duty of the Canada team.
The Canada 2020 cricket season was unfortunately shortened due to the pandemic and was replaced by a T20 tournament which has reached the final stages. Srimantha has been in cracking form, slamming two unbeaten tons of 121 in 71 balls and 100 in 67 balls in the last two games which ensured the Centurions CC a slot to the quarter-finals. In the quarter-finals he cracked 49 and in the semi-finals he made 28 as Centurions CC went on to emerge champions with an unbeaten record by defeating Victoria Park CC in the final.
In July last year he opened up another innings when he tied the knot with Manisha Fernando, a
Sri Lankan born Canadian, who is an ardent supporter of his endeavours.