SLC presents Under-21 Women’s Development Squad with contracts
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(From left) Chinthaka Edirimanne (Head of Domestic Cricket Operations, SLC, Ashley de Silva (CEO, SLC), Ravin Wickramaratne (Vice President, SLC) and Apsari Tillakaratne (Convenor of Sri Lanka Women’s Cricket) at the ceremony
Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) on Monday, handed over contracts for the 20 players of the Under-21 Women’s Development squad, which was recently formed in a bid to strengthen the pool of talent for future international commitments.
The handing over ceremony took place at the SLC Headquarters with the participation of Ravin Wickramaratne, the Vice President of SLC, Ashley De Silva, the CEO of SLC, Chinthaka Edirimanne, Head of Domestic Cricket Operations of SLC, Apsari Tillakaratne, Convener of Women’s Cricket of SLC and member of the National Selection Committee Thilaka Gunaratne.
“Today is a special for these 20 players present here, as the day marks your entry to the national cricket pathway. The unique point of this squad is that we have players from places such as Jaffna, Badulla, and Polonnaruwa, etc. This is a very good development, in terms of women’s cricket,” said Ravin Wickramaratne, the Vice President, SLC.
“We selected the best 20 players out of a talent screening done among 120 players, and this is a great opportunity for all of you to capitalise and launch an international cricketing career. However, you need to work hard to get to your goal,” he added.
The welcome address was delivered by Apsari Tillakaratne, the Convener of Women’s Cricket, who explained that women’s cricket is shaping up well on the global stage, and these efforts are part of SLC’s plans to build Sri Lanka’s place in women’s cricket.
The newly formed squad is currently undergoing a three-month special training programme, covering skill development and fitness training, under the watchful eyes of the SLC’s District and Provincial coaches.
Once the players complete the three-month training programme, they will be further assessed and inducted into SLC’s Women’s District and Provincial teams to play in SLC-organised annual tournaments, which is expected to be played during March and April of 2022.
The girls were contracted by the SLC for the respective three-month period, from November 1 to January 31 of 2022, as a measure of providing financial assistance for them.