Janith Liyanage — the man on a mission
Janith acknowledges the cheer after a knock
As the Lanka Premier League (LPL) continues to grow in stature, it provides the perfect platform for young cricketers to showcase their talents. Janith Liyanage is one such player who benefited from the five-team franchise tournament.
Liyanage, who represented Dambulla Giants in his debut season, was crowned the ‘Emerging Player of the Tournament’. He scored 108 runs in four matches at an average of 36. As his idol and role model, TM Dilshan, Liyanage too, is ambitious of being a genuine all-rounder in the national team in the near future.
This talented, 26-year-old, had shown keen interest in the sport since the age of eight. His constant dream was on becoming a professional cricketer and representing the country. His parents were quick to notice his abilities and they were keen to push their son’s desire.
“My family has done a lot of sacrifices,” he remembered. “Without their support I wouldn’t be able to embark on my journey, to achieve my dream of representing the national team. I’m determined to show my capabilities and I think I have the ability to deliver at crunch situations. I hope to be consistent, so that I will be able to do justify the sacrifices my family had done throughout my career and also to make my country proud”.
Liyanage commenced his school cricket career at Lalith Ahulathmudali Maha Vidyalaya in Mt. Lavinia, where he cut his teeth in the basics of sports under the watchful eyes of coach Ravindra Weligoda. As his career progressed Liyanage moved to St. Peter’s College, where he had to play in the Under-15 age category for two years.
From there onwards, he went on to represent St. Peter’s at all age group levels to follow. He was also nurtured and guided by renowned coaches such as L.H. Sunil, Keerthi Gunarathne and Nelson Mendis.
His career began to blossom further at St. Peter’s College, as one of the consistent batsmen. Some of his memorable achievements include being the best batsmen in the Under-17 category. He also played a pivotal role in the 79th Battle of the Saints encounter where St. Peters emerged victorious. With a gritty knock of 42 runs in the first innings and a match-winning knock of 72 runs in the second, Liyanage produced consistent performances with the bat, to be crowned as the player of the match. He played a crucial role as an all-rounder in enabling St. Peter’s to win several tournaments at Under-17 and Under-19 levels.
Due to his impressive performances at school level, Liyanage was immediately selected for the Sri Lanka Under-19 team. He was in the squad for the tour of India that was held just before the World Cup in United Arab Emirates in 2014. Unfortunately he missed the World Cup.
He made his domestic debut in 2013, turning out for Ragama Cricket Club under the guidance of his former coach Keerthi Gunarathne and renowned cricket commentator Roshan Abeysinghe.
The domestic cricket arena has its own challenges and according to Liyanage getting into the Under-23 squad was a challenge itself.
“During my first few years securing a place in the Under-23 team was a real challenge. We had a formidable team with players including Dhananjaya de Silva, Amila Aponso, Lahiru Milantha and many others. It was extremely hard to get into the team,” the batting all-rounder recalled.
Liyanage had to earn his opportunity. He had to play for the Under-23 team for two more years before making his First Class debut in 2015 against Bloomfield, where he was able to show a glimpse of his capabilities as an opener. He scored a gritty knock of 64 from 164 balls.
In the early years of his career, Liyanage was given the responsibility of opening the batting and he also bowled a considerable amount of overs. As his career progressed, Liyanage became an integral part of the team as a batting all-rounder, a role he mastered.
According to Liyanage, the domestic level will test the skill and temperament of the player. The one who can hold the nerves for longer periods will succeed. After being consistent in his first couple of years, there was a time period where he struggled to score runs. This was the time where he decided to play league cricket in England. He represented Accrington Cricket Club and found back his rhythm.
After regaining his confidence, Liyanage returned to Sri Lanka and continued to play for his club, Ragama CC. His dedication and commitment over the last few years were rewarded when Liyanage became the ‘Player of the Series’ in the Major Club Limited Over Tournament in 2020 with 467 runs in seven matches.
The concluded year, in particular, has been filled with fond memories for Liyanage. He continued to play league cricket in England and scored 750 runs in 16 matches at an average of 49 and bagged 43 wickets to prove that he has all the attributes of a perfect all-rounder. At present he bats at No.4 and bowls medium fast for Ragama CC.
“My league cricket stints in England enabled me to understand the game better and how to adjust my game plan according to conditions. I hope that this experience will help me to fulfil my ambition of being a successful cricketer,” he noted.
Among his achievements in 2021, representing Dambulla Giants in the second edition of the LPL, is considered as a watershed period of his career. The concluded LPL was another significant platform for Liyanage, as it was the first time he played under lights.
“LPL was a great experience for me and being able to win the ‘Emerging Player’ award in my debut season gives me great satisfaction,” he said, adding that the experience gained from the LPL will be invaluable for his journey as a professional cricketer. He is currently a contracted cricketer at the emerging level with Sri Lanka Cricket.
“My dream is to be a successful cricketer and I will be committed to be the best and I hope that I can fulfil my ambition,” he concluded, ambitiously.