Damitha Silva played First XI school cricket as a left hand top order batsman and left arm spinner for his alma mater Maliyadeva College, Kurunegala and at the very young age of 14 he made his First X1 debut after giving up his initial passion karate.
He then went on to play for five consecutive years and not missing the Battle of the Rocks against St. Anne’s College in any one of those years.
He bagged a total of 24 wickets in the five Battle of the Rocks encounters creating a record for Maliyadeva.
Damitha was the vice captain of the under-17 North Western Province team and won the man of the tournament award as well and captained the under-19 North Western Provincial team to victory for the first time. In the process he won the man of the tournament award, thus achieving a phenomenal feat.
He captained Maliyadeva College in the 2016/17 season and also represented the Sri Lanka under-17 and 19 teams under head coaches Roger Wijesuriya and Roy Dias.
He played club cricket for Tamil Union, captained and brought Tamil Union to the Under-23 semi finals and this year he had the honour of captaining Lankan CC to the Under-23 Cup championship beating the mighty SSC. Presently he is turning out for Ragama CC in the SLC Premier ‘A’ Division tournament.
Excerpts of an interview with the Sunday Observer:
Q: Describe yourself in one word?
Honest
Q: Any words or phrases you overuse?
I don’t have a specific word but most of the time I would like to say kind words. Because I think they bring happiness to others
Q: What is your most marked characteristic?
Humble
Q: If you could edit your past, what would you change?
I won’t change anything. I always think someone’s past should be a learning experience and it should not be an everlasting punishment
Q: What is the most important thing in your life?
My religion Buddhism
Q: Who has influenced you the most?
I have had many influencers. Out of them my guru, Gayan Bandara influenced me a lot by staying by my side through thick and thin
Q: Are you fashionable?
I think yes
Q: If you had access to a time machine what would you change?
There were some trial matches in 2016 to select players for the Emerging Team tour. There I took five wickets in a match and unfortunately I got injured. So I would like to change that incident
Q: What motivates you in your life?
My guru, Gayan Bandara and my family
Q: If you could choose any career right now, what would it be?
When I was a schoolboy I wanted to be an architect. But now I would like to be a mediator
Q: What forms of music do you listen to?
Most of the time, Classical
Q: What’s the best thing you would like to hear from someone?
When somebody admires me, I like that a lot
Q. What made you choose sports?
At school I have done several sports. My first sport was karate and my father was the reason for that. When I grew up I saw my brother playing cricket for the Maliyadeva team. So that influenced me to choose cricket
Q. Thus far what was your most unforgettable sporting incident?
From 16 to 19 years I was a member of the Sri Lanka Under-19 cricket team. And the peak point was I got the chance to become a member of the Sri Lanka Youth World Cup team in 2016
Q. What’s your best school sporting achievement?
There were many. But out of them I got the chance to become the man of the match for three consecutive years in big-match history. And still I am the highest wicket taker in big match history, the Battle of the Rocks
Q: What is your idea of happiness?
I don’t worry about my past and I don’t have a lot of expectations for the future. Just enjoying the moment as it is
Q: What is the trait you most deplore in others?
I hate lying
Q: What has been your biggest disappointment?
When I talk about my cricket career, there were some days I performed well but didn’t get a chance in some squads. That brought disappointment
Q: Most important lesson life has taught you?
Biography of Swami Rama, this book was a turning point of my life with a lot of lessons