Sports
How Arjuna spotted and nurtured Praveen Jayawickrama’s talent
by Rex Clementine
As Sri Lanka ended their Test win drought that had stretched for 16 months, they had an unlikely hero. Praveen Jayawickrama, a left-arm orthodox spinner on debut was Man of the Match, finishing with figures of 11 for 178, the tenth best bowling figures by a debutant in Test match cricket.
Despite having played just ten First Class games before his Test debut, Jayawickrama bowled like a man who had been in the professional circuit for years. The turn he was able to produce was quite handful when the wicket started crumbling, but he also had control, guile and a clever arm ball. His rise has surprised many Sri Lankans but not World Cup winning captain Arjuna Ranatunga, who predicted a bright future for the youngster when he saw him a decade ago and took him under his wings.
“Ten years ago, my school Holy Cross College, Kalutara wanted to do a full day training camp for all the cricketers of the school. Arjuna was the Member of Parliament from the area at that point. So we asked him whether he could come along and help us. He readily agreed,’’ Sunil Silva, an old boy of the school and the Most Popular Schoolboy cricketer of the Year in 1986 told The Island.
“I remember Praveen sent down his first delivery and Arjuna stopped the next bowler and had a word with Praveen. He then sent down a couple of more deliveries, Arjuna turned to me and said, ‘Sunil, I see a bit of Ajit de Silva in this kid.”
Ajit de Silva, also a left-arm orthodox spinner, played in Sri Lanka’s inaugural Test and later was banned for 25 years for going on the rebel tour to apartheid South Africa in 1982.
After the session, Ranatunga met the Rector of the school and inquired more about young Praveen. “Arjuna came up to me and said, Father, look after this kid. He is a special talent. He had no doubt Praveen would go onto play for Sri Lanka,” Rev. Fr. Camillus Fernando, the Rector of Holy Cross told The Island.
Ranatunga was conducting a cricket academy for the kids of that area every weekend and Praveen was invited to attend. He made steady progress and went onto represent Sri Lanka Under-19.
“Praveen’s father passed away when he was small. We have four kids,” Praveen’s mother Nimali told The Island.
“Praveen is our second son. The eldest son, got a law degree. The third son just got selected to University in Engineering. The fourth son is also good at studies. Only Praveen missed out on his studies. In fact, he could not sit for GCE AL exams. All the time he was occupied with games either with the school or with Sri Lanka Under-19. This was troubling me. But I remembered Arjuna’s words that one day he would go onto play for Sri Lanka. Therefore, I did not stop Praveen’s cricket and let him continue to play,” she added.
Speaking to The Island, Ranatunga said that there are lots of talent away from Colombo but they do not get nurtured properly. “I have always believed that outstations produce some superb talents. Look at Sanath Jayasuriya, Muttiah Muralitharan or Rangana Herath. But we don’t invest much on outstations. Praveen Jayawickrama and Ramesh Mendis took 17 wickets in the second Test that Sri Lanka won and both are from outstations.”
“Praveen has great potential. I have no doubt about that. But then, the important thing is young players need to be guided well. Discipline is the key. Talent will get you somewhere, but you need to work hard and stay disciplined to achieve greater things,” Ranatunga a veteran of 93 Tests added.
“He is not the finish product yet. There are a few technical areas he has to work on. I think his right arm is falling too soon. He needs to work on his endurance. If he can spend some time with someone like Murali, that would be ideal. But he is a smart kid with an ability to outsmart the batsmen. That’s a very rare skill. I am sure we are seeing a special guy here. We will hear a lot about him in years to come,” Ranatunga added.
Dialog Axiata PLC, Sri Lanka’s leading connectivity provider and long-standing patron of school sports, has reaffirmed its commitment to youth development by once again partnering with the Sri Lanka Schools Rugby Football Association (SLSRFA) to power the 2025 Under-19 School Rugby Season.
In a break from tradition, this year’s tournament will begin with the prestigious President’s Trophy Knock-Out Tournament, which kicks off on 25th April, featuring sixteen top rugby-playing schools. The League Tournament will follow, drawing over 2,500 players from 90 schools, making it one of the largest school sporting events in the country.
The 2025 season promises a festival of school rugby, spread across premier venues in Colombo. The Knock-Out Tournament will spotlight the best young talent Sri Lanka has to offer, culminating in a grand finale on 18th May at Sugathadasa Stadium.
Opening day fixtures on 25th April will see Wesley College take on St. Joseph’s College at Royal Grounds, while Dharmaraja College meets D.S. Senanayake College at CR&FC Grounds. Both matches begin at 4:15 PM.
A blockbuster Saturday awaits on 26th April, with four matches lined up. At CR&FC Grounds, S. Thomas’ College face Science College at 3:30 PM, followed by Trinity College vs. St. Anthony’s College at 6:30 PM. Simultaneously, two more games kick off at 4:15 PM — Zahira College vs. Vidyartha College at Havelock Grounds and Sri Sumangala versus defending champions Isipathana College at Royal Grounds.
The opening weekend concludes on 27th April, with St. Peter’s College versus Thurstan College at Royal Grounds and Royal College versus Kingswood College at CR&FC Grounds, both kicking off at 4:15 PM.
The quarter-finals will be held on 3rd and 4th May, followed by semi-finals on 9th and 11th May, with the season climaxing in the final at Sugathadasa Stadium.
As the principal sponsor, Dialog Axiata has ensured comprehensive coverage of the tournament. All matches will be broadcast live on Dialog Television via ThePapare TV (Channels 62 & 63) and ThePapare TV HD (Channels 126 & 127). Fans can also tune in via Dialog ViU and ThePapare.com, enabling students, alumni, parents, and supporters to follow the action from anywhere.
At the official sponsorship handover Lasantha Theverapperuma, Group Chief Marketing Officer of Dialog Axiata PLC, presented the sponsorship cheque to Kamal Ariyasinghe, President of the SLSRFA and Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Education. Also in attendance were Harsha Samaranayake (Vice President – Brand & Media, Dialog Axiata) and SLSRFA officials Chanaka Dhananjaya (Treasurer), Manuja Nimmana (Secretary) and Nirodha Wijerama (Tournament Secretary).
Sports
Harsha requests for Sports Ministry and Sri Lanka Athletics mediation to take part in Indian Grand Prix
Reigning national champion in the men’s 800 metres, Harsha Karunaratne has requested Sri Lanka Athletics and the Ministry of Sports to provide him with the opportunity to compete in the upcoming Indian Grand Prix 2 utilizing his own funds in a bid to produce a top performance.
Sri Lanka Athletics did not pick Karunaratne for the South Asian Athletics Championship which has now been postponed after being placed second at the selection trial. He had competed within a week after recovering from an illness. His non selection sparked controversy prompting his coach Susantha Fernando to vehemently criticize the track and field governing body.
G.K. Chathuranga who won the event at the selection trial held early last month and second placed Karunaratne were separated only by milliseconds. While Chathuranga returned a time of 1:49.89 seconds, Karunaratne clocked 1:49.98 seconds.
In his letter addressed to the Sports Minister, the Director of Sports and Sri Lanka Athletics Karunaratne requests the authorities to mediate on his behalf to take part in the Indian Grand Prix 2 taking place in Thrivendram, India on May 17.Karunaratne has stated that he has no opportunity in Sri Lanka now to prove that he has the ability to produce a better timing. “
“I am confident that I have the ability to run below 1:48.00. But there is no opportunity for me to produce such a feat here in SriLanka,” states Karunaratne in his letter. “I am greatfull to you if you could provide me with the opportunity. I am ready to bear the full cost.”
Athletes need the approval of the governing body of the sport of their country to take part in such events
. The country’s top athletes receive Sri Lanka Athletics mediation to take part in overseas competitions. . Taking part in such competetive events has stood in good stead for a number of athletes to improve their rankings.
The former Ratnayake Central Walala athlete is the elder brother of Asian Games gold medallist Tharushi Karunaratne. Like his sister, Harsha too excelled at international competitions when he was a youth athlete.He won a silver medal in the 800 metres at the Asian Youth Championships in Bangkok in 2017 before emerging as a top national athlete.
by Reemus Fernando
Zimbabwe beat Bangladesh by three wickets in an exciting finish on the fourth day of the first Test in Sylhet to go 1-0 up in the two-match series. It was Zimbabwe’s fifth overseas Test victory, which came after they completed their highest successful chasein the fourth innings. It was also their first win in the last 11 Tests and with this one, each of their last three wins have come away from home.
Blessing Muzarabani was the architect of the victory with a nine-wicket match haul, but it needed Wessley Madheve and No. 9 Richard Ngarava to push Zimbabwe over the line after they collapsed while needing less than 50 runs in their chase. It was Mehidy Hasan Miraz who orchestrated a collapse when he picked up his second five-wicket haul in the Test. He took his 200th Test wicket on the way to a ten-for, but it was in vain. Madhevere reverse-swept him to the boundary to get Zimbabwe to their 174-run target.
Openers Brian Bennett and Ben Curran got Zimbabwe off to a rollicking start with a 95-run stand in just 21 overs. Curran, who struck seven fours in his 44 off 75 balls, was out to Mehidy, skying him to mid-off. No. 3 batter Nick Welch fell lbw to Taijul Islam for 10, before Sean Williams misread the bounce against Mehidy in the 31st over. He top-edged a simple catch to Najmul Hossain Shanto at cover for 9. That’s when trouble started, at 127 for 3.
In the next over, Bennett was done in by the spin and was caught by Mushfiqur Rahim at deep mid-on. The big shot he attempted was a risky move against Mehidy in that situation as he was batting well on 54. He struck seven fours and a six in his 81-ball stay.
Taijul next struck when he had Craig Ervine caught behind off a delivery that was sliding down the leg side. Mehidy convinced captain Shanto to take the review, Ultra-Edge showed a spike and Ervine walked off for ten. Mehidy struck first ball next over when he clean bowled Nyasha Mayavo for 1. Zimbabwe were now 145 for 6.
Wellington Masakadza, however, settled Zimbabwe’s nerves with boundaries in consecutive overs from Taijul. He struck a big six down the ground soon after he arrived at the crease, before slamming him past mid-off for a four. But his innings was ended by a Mehidy beauty – pitching on a length around off stump from around the wicket and turning away ever so slightly to bowl him for 12.
After defending his first two balls, Ngarava slammed Mehidy for a boundary over wide mid-on to reduce the target to nine runs. Madhevere hit Taijul for another four off the first ball of the next over. He repeated the dose against Mehidy before sealing the win that would go into Zimbabwe cricket folklore.
The Test win will, however, be most remembered for Muzarabani’s bowling excellence. He has now taken five-wicket hauls in his last three Tests, which has helped him equal Heath Streak’s record for the fastest to 50 Test wickets for Zimbabwe. His match figures of 9 for 122 are the best by a Zimbabwean in Bangladesh. Muzarabani also found great support at the other end with left-arm quick Ngarava, quick Victor Nyauchi and left-arm spinner Masakadza taking the remaining four wickets.
Rain gave Bangladesh a bit of reprieve as the fourth day began 75 minutes late. Zimbabwe, though, attacked from the get-go, taking three wickets in the first 5.3 overs of the morning session. Bangladesh were eventually bowled out for 255, having lost 6 for 62 on the day.
Muzarabani struck with the second ball of the day, dismissing Shanto on the pull. Nyauchi dived forward at fine leg to catch the top edge, ending Shanto’s innings at 60 off 105 balls. Mehidy followed his captain back to the pavilion soon after, edging Muzarabani to gully. Bennett took a simple catch as Muzarabani completed his five-for. Ngrava got into the act from the other end, removing Taijul in the next over.
Hasan Mahmud’s rearguard action – 12 off 58 balls – stemmed the batting collapse. He added 35 runs for the eighth wicket with Jaker Ali, before holing out to mid-off where Muzarabani took an easy catch. Khaled Ahmed gave Ervine a catch next ball, as Masakadza again proved lethal for the Bangladesh tail.
Muzarabani completed Zimbabwe’s dominant morning with Jaker’s wicket, when he top-edged a slog to deep midwicket. Jaker had been farming the strike for the previous hour, before opening up with just one wicket left. He had hit one six among his five boundaries and was eventually out for 58 off 111 balls.
Brief scores:
Zimbabwe 273 in 80.2 overs (Sean Williams 59, Brian Bennett 57, Mehidy hasan Miraz 5-52) and 174 for 7 in 50.1 overs (Brian Bennett 54, Ben Curran 44, Mehidy Hasan Miraz 5-50) beat Bangladesh 191 in 61 overs (Mominul Haque 56, Najmul Hossain Shanto 40; Wellington Masakadza 3-21, Blessing Muzarabani 3-50) and 255in 79.2 overs (Najmul Hossain Shanto 60, Jaker Ali 58, Mominul Haque 47; Blessing Muzarabani 6-72) by three wickets
[Cricinfo]
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