St. Benedict’s face Ananda in U19 Division I Tier ‘B’ quarter-final
Firaz, Thathsara secure semi-final berth for St. Thomas’
Colombo Junior Open Squash Championship concludes successfully
Back Kirsten, but don’t turn back the clock
For several years, I have contemplated writing about Sri Lankan cricket, but I have struggled to find the right avenue through which to bring my observations and concerns to the fore.
My views are shaped by a lifetime spent in the game. I have coached and managed cricket at school, club, district, regional and international levels.
In Sri Lanka, I coached and managed St. Joseph’s College, Grandpass, De La Salle College, Mutwal and De Mazenod College, Kandana. I also served as a district coach covering five major districts. I was also a selector for the Schools Cricket Association, travelling across the country to identify players for junior national teams. In 2000, I established the Vernon School of Cricket.
After leaving Sri Lanka, I continued my coaching career in England. I coached at schools and clubs and spent a decade as head coach of two leading clubs, Stanmore Cricket Club and Bessborough Cricket Club. I subsequently established my own cricket school in England and currently run it at Merchant Taylors’ School in Northwood.
Having watched Sri Lankan cricket closely over many years, I believe several factors have contributed to its decline.
The first and perhaps most fundamental problem is the lack of proper teaching at junior level. Before a youngster can be coached, he must first be taught the basic skills of the game. If children are not taught the fundamentals correctly, coaching them at a more advanced level becomes increasingly difficult.
The second concern is the standard of coaching itself. Too many coaches fail to update their knowledge and methods regularly. Cricket continues to evolve, and coaches must evolve with it. The consequences of failing to do so are particularly evident in batting, where technical deficiencies have become increasingly apparent.
There is certainly no shortage of private cricket academies. They can now be found in almost every city. What is lacking, however, is proper structure, regulation and supervision. In too many instances, commercial interests appear to have overtaken player development.
The damage can be considerable. Young players pick up poor habits and technical flaws that become deeply ingrained. Correcting them later is neither easy nor inexpensive. It requires considerable time, patience and expertise.
The structure of domestic cricket also deserves attention.
Sri Lanka’s top level club competition should serve a similar purpose to county cricket in England: it must bring the best players together and expose them to consistently demanding cricket. When quality players are spread too thinly across too many clubs, the overall standard of competition suffers. Concentrating the best players among a smaller number of genuinely competitive teams would raise standards and ensure that emerging players are tested against quality opposition week after week.
At the same time, every team, whether at school, club or Premier League level, needs balance and continuity. Young players must be introduced gradually rather than thrown into a side en masse.
That was the approach I adopted while coaching the First XI at De Mazenod College, Kandana. Each year, I introduced one or two promising Under-13 or Under-15 players into the senior squad. They learned alongside experienced players, understood the standards expected of them and gradually developed into senior cricketers themselves.
Sri Lanka has never lacked cricketing talent. What it needs is a system capable of identifying that talent, teaching youngsters properly, developing them patiently and ensuring that advancement is determined by ability rather than influence.
India survive Japan scare in thrilling Sano contest
Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *
Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.
St. Benedict’s College, Kotahena, will take on Ananda College, Colombo, in a much-anticipated quarter-final of the Under-19 Division I Tier ‘B’ Limited Overs Cricket Tournament at the Gajaba Stadium in Saliyapura, Anuradhapura, today.
St. Benedict’s, led by Dinath Senila, will enter the knockout encounter with confidence after securing their place as group champions in the first round. Their consistent performances have made them one of the teams to watch in the competition.
Ananda, captained by Nethula Edirmanna, qualified for the quarter-finals after finishing third best during the group stage. They will be looking to raise their game and produce a strong performance against their more highly placed opponents to keep their title hopes alive.
With a place in the semi-finals at stake, both teams will be eager to make the most of this knockout opportunity.
Dharmasoka encounter Christ King
Meanwhile, Dharmashoka College Ambalangoda are set to meet Christ King College Ja Ela in the semi finals of the Under 19 Division II Tier ‘A’ tournament at Maris Stella College Ground Thimbirigaskatuwa today.
Dharmasok led by Kaveesha Matheesh are in the semi finals after registering several crushing victories including 98 runs win over Royal College Panadura in the quarter final.
Their other big victories included 99 runs win over St. John’s Panadura and seven wickets win over St. John’s Jaffana. They were the leading team in their group in the first round.
Christ King College Ja Ela advanced to the quarter final as the runner up of their group in the first round. They are led by Heli Anjana. (RF)
St. Thomas’ College, Matara, booked their place in the semi-finals of the Under-19 Division I Tier B Limited Over Cricket Tournament with a four-wicket win over Maliyadeva College, Kurunegala as Firaz Ahamed and Thathsara Dewmith played key roles for them at the Uyanwatta Grounds in Matara on Monday.
Chasing a modest target of 138, the Thomians reached 140 for six with many overs to spare with Firaz Ahamed and Thathsara Dewmith scored the bulk of runs in the successful run chase.
Ahamed top-scored with a patient 58 off 83 balls, including five fours and a six, while Dewmith remained unbeaten on 40 off 60 deliveries, striking four boundaries.
Their contributions ensured that St. Thomas’ recovered from a few early setbacks to secure victory.
Earlier, batting first Maliyadeva were dismissed for 137 (in 41.2 overs).
The Thomians’ bowling attack was spearheaded by Punal Pamuditha, who claimed three wickets for 21 runs, while Dewmith also took three wickets for 17 runs. Vindila Chanuth supported them with an economical spell of one for nine.
Dushan Rajapaksha top-scored with 28 off 70 balls, while Thiwanka Dissanayake made 25 and Risith Wijesinghe contributed 18.
For Maliyadeva, Rahal De Silva and Risith Wijesinghe claimed two wickets each, but their efforts were not enough to prevent St. Thomas’ from advancing to the last four. (RF)
The Sri Lanka Tennis Association paid tribute to the late Mr. Suresh Subramaniam, former President and serving Vice President of the SLTA, who passed away on the 15 July In recognition of his outstanding contributions to Sri Lankan and Asian tennis, the Asian Tennis Federation presented a commemorative trophy honouring his dedicated service to the sport. This token of appreciation was presented to his wife, Ranjitha Subramaniam, by the Governor of the Western Province, Hanif Yusoof, in the presence of Iqbal Bin Isaac, President of the Sri Lanka Tennis Association and J. M. Wijebandara, Director General Legal of the Presidential Secretariat.
Mr. Subramaniam served as SLTA President from 2002 to 2007 and later became the first Sri Lankan to serve as Vice President of the Asian Tennis Federation. He also served as ATF Secretary General and contributed to tennis administration at the international level.
His remarkable contribution to tennis and sports administration will remain an enduring part of Sri Lanka’s sporting legacy
Airbus deal: Namal among four indicted
CP warns of secret plan to establish ‘spaceport’ on Sri Lanka’s east coast
Norochcholai unit goes offline again, raising fresh questions over power security
Over Rs. 8 mn worth of copper stolen from KDU Hospital lightning protection system
Dialog Touch partners with HelaGo to advance the future of cashless corporate mobility
Iranian vessel with majority Indian crew leaves Lankan EEZ after receiving fuel, supplies
Arrest and re-incarceration of Gnanasara Thera: An analysis
NCM against Speaker: New low in Parliament
Copyright © 2020 Upali Newspapers (Pvt) Ltd. Solution by LankaCom Privacy Policy
Loading comments…