It is less than three weeks to go for the 44th Observer SLT Mobitel School Cricketers of the Year grand finale. The stage has been set for the Mega Show grand finale which will be held at the BMICH in Colombo on December 15.
Ananda College, Colombo – a household name in Sri Lanka school cricket, has dominated the Observer SLT Mobitel School Cricketers of the Year series for the past 44 years.
Out of 43 previous Observer SLT Mobitel Schoolboy Cricketers of the Year titles, nine have been won by Ananda, including two doubles by Anandians Arjuna Ranatunga and Thilan Samaraweera.
When the Observer SLT Mobitel Schoolboy Cricketers of the Year was launched in 1979, it was won by Ranjan Madugalle of Royal College, Colombo who went on to lead Sri Lanka. He went on to become the world’s second ICC Match Referee after West Indian Clive Lloyd and still remained in the title at the recent ICC T20 World Cup in Australia early this month.
But the second Observer Schoolboy Cricketers of the Year title was won by then 17-year-old Arjuna Ranatunga of Ananda. What is most remarkable was that Ranatunga won the Observer Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year title from then Minister and present President Ranil Wickremesinghe.
Arjuna’s emotional parents – the late Reggie (who later became Member of Parliament, a Minister and the Governor of Sabaragamuwa Province) and Nandani Ranatunga were seen on the stage to witness their son receiving the glittering Observer Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year trophy from then Minister of Education and Youth Affairs Ranil Wickremesinghe.
Arjuna won the Observer Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year title once again in 1982. In the same year, he made it to the inaugural Test team at the age of 18. Interestingly, he became the first Sri Lankan to score a half century in Test cricket – 54 against England at the Sara Stadium in February, 1982.
He would have become the first ever schoolboy cricketer to win the Mega Award thrice – something which no schoolboy cricketer has achieved to date. Although Ranatunga became the Observer Schoolboy Cricketer of Year twice in 1980 and 1982, he had to be satisfied with being runner up to Rohan Buultjens of St. Peter’s College, Colombo who won the Mega award in1981.
After Arjuna Ranatunga’s superb show with two Observer Schoolboy Cricketer of Year titles and one runner up title, his younger brother Sanjeewa Ranatunga won the Mega award for Ananda in 1988.
Thus, Ranatunga brothers Arjuna and Sanjeewa became the first and only brothers to become Observer SLT Mobitel Schoolboy Cricketer of Year to date. Incidentally, the 1988 Observer Schoolboy Cricketer of Year Outstation was won by none other than Sanath Jayasuriya of St. Servatius College, Matara.
Besides the Ranatunga brothers – Arjuna in 1980 and 1982 and Sanjeewa in 1988, the other Anandians who won the Observer SLT Mobitel Schoolboy Cricketer of Year award are Marvan Atapattu (1990), Thilan Samaraweera (twice in 1994 and 1995), Muthumudalige Pushpakumara (1999), Malith Gunathilake (2007) and Dinesh Chandimal (2009).
Of the seven who won the Observer Schoolboy Cricketer of Year from Ananda, three have led Sri Lanka with distinction. Besides Sri Lanka’s World Cup winning captain Arjuna Ranatunga, the other two who had led Sri Lanka are Marvan Atapattu and Dinesh Chandimal.
Atapattu, only a few months after winning the Observer Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year 1990, was selected to make his Test debut against India in the one-off Test in Chandigarh on November 23, the same year.
Unfortunately he had a disastrous beginning to his career but later played many star-studded innings. His inauspicious Test debut would have been too hard to absorb - scoring just a run in his first six Test innings.
In reply to India’s first innings total of 288 all out, Sri Lanka were bowled out for 82 on his Test debut in the Chandigarh Test. There were five Sri Lankan batsmen who were out for ‘ducks’ in the first innings - Hashan Tillakaratne, Rumesh Ratnayake, Graeme Labrooy, Jayananda Warnaweera and debutant Atapattu.
Following on, Sri Lanka were bowled out for 198 runs in the second essay. Once again five batsmen failed to open their accounts – Asanka Gurusinha, Rumesh Ratnayake, Labrooy, Warnaweera and Atapattu.
Despite his failure in the first three Tests of his career, there was no stopping him when he finally found his natural form and rhythm to reach the highest level. Playing in 90 Tests for Sri Lanka, Atapattu aggregated 5,502 runs at an average of 39.02.
Atapattu’s Test career was illuminated with 16 centuries, including six double tons and 17 fifties with a highest score of 249. Atapattu had played the role of a dependable Test opener for 17 long years until 2007.
Born on November 18, 1989 in Balapitiya, Chandimal made his Sri Lanka debut in less than one year after his Observer-SLT Mobitel Schoolboy Cricketer glory in 2009.
He first made his ODI debut on June 1, 2010. In the following year, he made his Test debut in the Boxing Day Test against South Africa in 2011.
Chandimal has now aggregated 4,936 runs in 70 Test matches at an average of 43.29. He has scored 13 Test hundreds and 24 half centuries. Besides Test cricket, Chandimal has proved his class in One-Day Internationals too, aggregating 3,821 runs at an average of 31.84 with four centuries and 24 fifties in 155 matches.
Representing Sri Lanka in 68 T20 Internationals, he has also aggregated 1,062 runs with six half centuries. The brightest moment in Chandimal’s Test career was witnessed at the Galle International Stadium. He produced a magnificent unbeaten double century – the first by a Sri Lankan against Australia, to pilot the home team to a convincing innings victory with more than a day to spare.
A marathon 206 not out by Chandimal guided Sri Lanka to an innings win. It was Sri Lanka’s first-ever innings victory against Australia in Test cricket.
Chandimal became the first ever Sri Lanka batsman to score a double century against Australia, surpassing the previous best of 192 by Kumar Sangakkara in Hobart 2007.
Former Sri Lanka captain Chandimal was in fine domestic form about two years ago, cracking an unbeaten 354 for Army Sports Club in their Premier League Tier ‘A’ match against Saracens SC at Katunayake.
While Ananda has produced winners of the Observer SLT Mobitel Schoolboy Cricketers of the Year on nine occasions, its sister school Nalanda has produced such champions on five occasions. Leading the champion Nanandians is former Sri Lanka captain and ex-ICC Match Referee Roshan Mahanama.
He went on to become a classic example to all young cricketers aspiring to reach the top in the game. Mahanama, who turned 56 last May, played 52 Tests for Sri Lanka with an aggregate of 2,576 runs with four centuries and 11 fifties.
Mahanama’s career-best Test innings of 225 was made against India in 1997. He was associated in a record partnership of 576 runs with Sanath Jayasuriya (340) in that record-breaking match at the Premadasa Stadium in Colombo and the Sri Lanka team eventually recorded the highest team total in a Test.
Not many international cricketers perform well in their farewell innings but Mahanama made a half century in his last Test for Sri Lanka against South Africa at Centurion Park in 1998. In 213 One Day Internationals for Sri Lanka, Mahanama aggregated 5,162 runs with four centuries and 35 half centuries.
Besides Mahanama who has won the title on two occasions – 1983 and 1984, the other Nalandians to emerge the Observer SLT Mobitel Schoolboy Cricketers of the Year were Asanka Gurusinha (1985), Kumara Dharmasena (1989) and Gihan Rupasinghe (2006).
The ANCL Chairman and board of management have always given their utmost support to keep the Observer SLT Mobitel School Cricketers of the Year alive.
Chairman/Managing Director of ANCL Anusha Palpita, who is also the Secretary to the Ministry of Media, together with Director Editorial Sisira Paranathantri, Director Legal and Administration Janaka Ranatunga, Director Finance Prof. Harendra Kariyawasam and Director Operations Manjula Makumbura have helped this show to go from strength to strength.