Only a few more days away from determining the fate of Observer-Mobitel Most Popular Schoolboy Cricketer and Most Popular Schoolgirl Cricketer for 2022.
The 44th Observer SLT Mobitel School Cricketer of the Year 2022 is organized by Sri Lanka’s flagship English newspaper Sunday Observer and sponsored by the country’s national mobile service provider Sri Lanka Telecom Mobitel.
The voting for the 44th Observer-Mobitel Most Popular Schoolboy Cricketer and Most Popular Schoolgirl Cricketer closed last weekend and the announcement of the new title holders will be made on Sunday.
There has been a tremendous contest for the most popular contests, especially in the last three months. Even though the contest was affected by the Covid-19 pandemic in the last two years, it quickly picked up momentum once it recommenced this year.
Seven former Sri Lanka cricket captains, who had enjoyed exemplary careers at school level, have commended the exemplary role played by the Observer-Mobitel Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year contest during the past 44 years.
They shared the common view that the Mega Show has made a priceless contribution to promote school cricket and recognize milestone achievements of schoolboy cricketers, even at a time there had not been any official inter-school tournaments.
While paying a glowing tributes to the Observer-Mobitel School Cricketers of the Year ceremony and the Sunday Observer, they said that the first award they had won as schoolboy cricketers had been a great source of encouragement.
Former Sri Lanka captain turned Chief ICC Match Referee, Ranjan Madugalle rated his early days as a schoolboy cricketer at Royal as the best moments in his career as a cricketer.
Madugalle in a recent interview, said that he was honoured and privileged to become the first-ever recipient of the Observer Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year Award some four decades ago, although he had “never thought of individual glory”.
He complemented the Sunday Observer and Lake House for understanding the need to recognize the outstanding performances of schoolboy cricketers during an era which did not have any inter-school tournament structure or an award show to inspire schoolboy cricketers.
“We didn’t even know that there was such an award on offer. We played our traditional friendly matches to enjoy the game and not for competition or personal glory. But it was great to feel that your hard work as a schoolboy cricketer is appreciated at the end of the season. It was a great inspiration and a satisfaction to feel that your performances are recognized. It is not merely for individual glory but your performances as a team. It was great for the Sunday Observer to recognize the achievements of school teams and their players”, said the first-ever recipient of the prestigious award.
Sri Lanka’s World Cup-winning captain Arjuna Ranatunga, who had won the Observer Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year award twice in 1980 and 1982 when he was playing for Ananda College, still considers that as the most memorable moments in his early cricketing career.
Despite going places and winning many other awards at higher levels subsequently, Ranatunga strongly feels that an award won at Observer Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year event remains the most memorable moment in any cricketer’s life.
“Winning the Observer Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year Award twice remains the most cherished moment in my life. Those titles had given me tremendous inspiration and confidence when I made my Test debut in 1982 as a schoolboy cricketer at Ananda”, he said.
Ex-Sri Lanka captain and former ICC Match Referee Roshan Mahanama, the winner of the Observer Schoolboy Cricketer award in 1983 and 1984 feels that it was a great feeling to be rewarded with the prestigious title.
“Becoming the best schoolboy cricketer is an honor for the hard work during the season and was a great encouragement. I was privileged to fulfill one of my dreams. Winning the Observer Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year twice was indeed a memorable one. It was my stepping stone as an emerging cricketer. Becoming the best schoolboy cricketer made me more focused and determined, to work harder to reach greater heights as a national player” says Mahanama.
Sanath Jayasuriya, who was adjudged the Most Valuable Player of the series when Sri Lanka won the ICC World Cup in 1996, is another Sri Lanka captain to emerge through the Observer Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year contest. As his school St. Servatius’ College, Matara was rated as an outstation team, he was not considered under the all-island category for the top award. Nevertheless, Jayasuriya’s dashing form in the 1987/88 season won him the Observer Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year (Outstation) in 1988.
“Winning that prestigious title was the best thing that had happened in my early cricketing career. It was an immense joy when I was playing for St. Servatius. Winning the title gave a tremendous boost, confidence and inspiration. Schoolboy cricketers must be motivated to progress to the next level”, Jayasuriya said.
Ex-Sri Lanka captain Marvan Atapattu, who had the honor of holding aloft that glittering Observer Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year award in 1990, considers the rare honor he had was a “certification or a guarantee” and a prediction that he would win a place in the national team.
“As a schoolboy cricketer playing for Ananda, I had been performing well, scoring constantly as a top order batsman. Hence, many considered me as a future national prospect even at that time. Although I too felt that I had a good chance of making it to the national team, there was no guarantee.
Hence almost all previous Observer Schoolboy Cricketers had represented Sri Lanka with distinction. I too thought that I am closer to that goal. When I won the title, it gave me the guarantee that I could join that select band”, said Atapattu who had later served as Sri Lanka national coach.
Former Sri Lanka captain Hashan Tillakaratne said the Sunday Observer has done yeoman service to promote school cricket for nearly a century. “It was a fine gesture by Lake House to start an awards ceremony of this nature at a time when there was no official inter-school cricket tournament for first XI cricket. We only had friendly two-day matches.
Rewarding schoolboy cricketers for 44 years is no easy task. It has been a great source of encouragement for schoolboy cricketers and we all had eagerly looked forward to this during our school career”, Tillakaratne said.
Sri Lanka captain Dinesh Chandimal too admits that the Observer-Mobitel Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year title he won in 2009 as Ananda captain opened a new chapter in his life with greater courage and confidence. Chandimal led his team Ananda to 13 outright victories in the 2008/09 season.
In fact, he led Ananda from front with a lavish contribution with his willow, a staggering 1,580 runs in his final season. He was appointed vice captain of the Sri Lanka Under-19 team during the same year.
He was just 19 years old when he scored his maiden first-class century against New Zealand in August 2009 while representing the Sri Lanka Cricket Development XI in a three-day practice match. He established a record against the Australian schoolboy team by accounting for eight victims behind the stumps.
In the year 2007, he scored 143 against the Indian Schools side and in the limited-over matches against the England Schools team Chandimal struck a fine century (112) and a half-century (65).
Sri Lanka’s national mobile service provider, Sri Lanka Telecom Mobitel continues to provide that ‘smart connection’ to the Observer Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year contest. Under the directions of the Chairman of the Sri Lanka Telecom and SLT Mobitel Rohan Fernando, the SLT Mobitel has made a lavish contribution towards the success of the event during the past decade.
Thanks to the longstanding association of the Sri Lanka Schools Cricket Association (SLSCA), the Sri Lanka Cricket Umpires and Scorers Association and Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), headed by Shammi Silva, the Observer-Mobitel Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year contest has gone from strength to strength.
Sri Lanka’s inter-school cricket structure is considered one of the best, if not the best and well-organised one in the world. Over the years, it has been the feeder pool to the national team. Many school cricket officials and youth coaches world over have hailed Sri Lanka’s well-knit school cricket structure which has five different age groups under three divisions for each age group.
Despite the island-wide participation, there has not been an organized inter-school cricket tournament for Under-19 until 90s. All they had until then were friendly matches, some over a century.
There was hardly any recognition for the milestone achievements of schoolboy cricketers. Lack of an organized inter-school tournament deprived young schoolboys of their due recognition. Even the Sri Lanka Schools Cricket Association (SLSCA) first had only a limited over knock out tournament at Under-19 level, on completion of the first XI matches and traditional big matches.
Sri Lanka’s flagship English newspaper – the Sunday Observer, and its publisher Lake House understood the need to recognize the talents of the country’s schoolboy cricketers and inspire them to continue their careers at club level. It is with those great goals in mind that the Sunday Observer commenced the Observer Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year contest way back in 1978/79. That proved to be a resounding success and the event ultimately turned out to be the most looked forward to event in the school cricket calendar.