Outstation schoolboys grab the limelight at Asia Cup

By M. Shamil Amit

Sri Lanka has picked as many as nine schoolboy cricketers from the provinces in a 15-member squad to play in the Under-19 Asia Cup championship to be held in the United Arab Emirates starting on December 13.

The Central Province has four players, three from Trinity College and one from Kingswood College while the Southern Province has two players from St. Servatius College in Matara with the Northern Province producing two players, one from Hartley College and the other from St. John’s College in Jaffna.

One player in the tour party hails from the North Western Province representing St. Anne’s College in Kurunegala.

In the process the team selectors have made three changes bringing in Dulnith Sigera from Mahanama College in Colombo, Chamarindu Nethsara from St Servatius College in Matara and Kithma Vidanapathirana from Ananda College in Colombo as replacements for Ramiru Perera, Senuja Wakunugoda, Pulisha Tillekeratne and Jason Fernando who are with the Sri Lanka U-17 team in Bangladesh. 

They were in the Sri Lanka U-19 squad that played against the West Indies U-19 two months ago.

The Under-19 Asia Cup tournament will have the participation of eight teams, India, Malaysia, Pakistan, Nepal, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and host UAE.

Sri Lanka is grouped alongside Nepal, Afghanistan and Bangladesh. 

Sri Lanka will begin the campaign with a match against Nepal on December 13 and are down to play Afghanistan on December 15 and Bangladesh on December 17. 

The tour party is scheduled to leave today.

Sri Lanka squad:
Vimath Dinsara (Royal – Captain), Kavija Gamaga (Kingswood), Dimantha Mahavithana (Trinity), Adham Hilmy (Trinity). Viran Chamuditha (St Servatius’ Matara), Dulnith Sigera (Mahanama Colombo), Chamika Heenatigala (Mahanama Colombo), Chamarindu Nethsara (St Servatius’ Matara), Sethmika Seneviratne (Trinity), Kithma Vidanapathirana (Ananda), Kugathas Mathula (St John’s Jaffna), Sanuja Ninduwara (St Anne’s Kurunegala), Rasith Nimsara (Lyceum IS Wattala), Vigneshwaran Akash (Hartley College Jaffna), Tharusha Navodya (Zahira Colombo)