Three Davapathiraja players in Sri Lanka Under-19 pool

by Reemus Fernando

In a notable move cricket selectors have retained three players from Devapathiraja College, Ratgama and a player from Madampa Central, Ambalangoda when pruning the 75-member pool to a squad of 26 for the upcoming youth cricket tours including next year’s ICC Youth World Cup.

Batsmen Pawan Sandesh and Jeewaka Shasheen and off-spinner Sasanka Nirmal who were part of the Devapathiraja team that featured in the Under-19 Division I Tier ‘B’ final early this year have been picked in the squad alongside Madampa Central, Ambalangoda leg-spinner Malsha Tharupathi.

It is not the first time that Devapathiraja has produced cricketers for Youth teams but it is the first time after the school was promoted to the Division I category in the 2018/19 season.

When Devapathiraja make a notable presence, for the first time in many years the Sri Lanka Under-19 pool does not have a single player from Lovers’ Quarrel rivals Richmond or Mahinda.

In the pool announced by Sri Lanka Cricket yesterday Trinity paceman Matheesha Pathirana, St. Joseph’s spinner Dunith Wellalage, Nalanda all-rounder Raveen de Silva, St. Anthony’s paceman Chamindu Wickramasinghe and Thomian Yasiru Rodrigo are the players with previous Sri Lanka Under-19 team experience.

Pathirana, who bowls with a round arm action, is the only player from the last Youth World Cup.

Pathirana, who also featured in the just concluded SLC Invitational tournament, has the company of two of his Trinity teammates Pawan Pathiraja, a batsman and pacie Vibahavith Ehelapola in the squad while Wellalage has wicketkeeper batsman Sadeesh Jayawardena and all-rounder Shavon Danial joining him from the Darley Road  School.

Three players each has also been picked from St. Anthony’s, Katugastota and St. Peter’s, Bambalapitiya, while two each have been selected from Nalanda Colombo and S. Thomas’ Mount Lavinia.

One player each has been selected from Royal Colombo, Thurstan, D.S. Senanayake Colombo, Maliyadeva Kurunegala, St. Thomas’ Matara and St. Sylvester’s Kandy.

SLC yesterday said that the 26-member squad was selected ” in preparation for the upcoming Inbound Tours, U19 Asia Cup, and the U19 World Cup.”

The Members of the National Selection Committee were present during the entirety of the ‘Residential Training Program,’ taking a closer look at every individual player.

Under 19 Squad:

Sadeesh Jayawardena (St. Joseph’s), Shavon Danial (St. Joseph’s), Dunith Wellalage (St. Joseph’s), Pawan Pathiraja (Trinity), Matheesha Pathirana (Trinity), Vibahavith Ehelapola (Trinity), Traveen Mathews (St. Anthony’s), Chamidu Wickramasinghe (St. Anthony’s), Lahiru Abeysinghe (St. Anthony’s), Lahiru Dewatage (St. Peter’s), Danal Hemananda (St. Peter’s),  Wanuja Kumara (St. Peter’s), Pawan Sandesh (Devapathiraja), Jeewaka Shasheen (Devapathiraja), Sasanka Nirmal (Devapathiraja), Ryan Fernando (S. Thomas’, Mount Lavinia), Yasiru Rodrigo (S. Thomas’), Raveen de Silva (Nalanda, Colombo), Vinuja Ranpul (Nalanda), Abhishek Liyanarachchi (D.S. Senanayake), Sadisha Rajapaksa (Royal), Matheesa Weerasingha (Maliyadeva, Kurunagela), Malsha Tharupathi (Madampa Central, Ambalangoda), Harindu Jayasekera (St. Thomas’, Matara), Bawantha Jayasinghe (Thurstan) and Maleesha Silva (St. Sylvester’s).