Pasindu Menaka shines in Under 19 Youth League
Pasindu Menaka
Maliyadeva College Kurunegala left handed opener Pasindu Menaka Jayawansa has fared well during the Under 19 Sri Lanka Youth League Cricket tournament which concluded at Kandy recently. This tournament was conducted by Sri Lanka Cricket in limited overs format and the team Kandy clinched the prestigious title by defeating Colombo North by six wickets in the final.
In the Sri Lanka Cricket under 19 Inter District Tournament which was the first phase of this Youth league Pasindu Menaka aggregated 388 runs for Kurunegala Zone II from five games with an Bradmansqure average of 97.00 with one century and two fifties.
His scores were 74 n.o vs Polonnaruwa, 193 vs Matale, 31 vs Kurunegala Zone I, 53 vs Puttalam, 37 vs Jaffna.
During this tournament Menaka posted his career best knock of 193 against Matale District in only 126 balls with six towering sixes and 25 fours and ended as the leading run getter at the end of district tournament. He was well ahead of others in the final run getters list and his 193 against Matale was also the highest individual score of the tournament. In all Menaka hit 11 sixes and 46 fours during the tournament and his striking rate was 119.02.
After that he was selected to play for North Western Province in the Inter Provincial Under 19 Youth League which was held in Anuradhapura and he hit further 73 runs in two matches. His scores were 36 vs North Central Province and 37 vs Northern Province.
Menaka represented team Dambulla in the Under 19 Sri Lanka Youth League Tournament and again showed his class by scoring 128 runs (avg 64.00) with 78 against Galle as his highest. In other matches his scores were 24 vs Colombo South, 26 n.o vs Kandy.
In all he aggregated 589 runs in 10 innings (2 not out) with one century and three fifties during the Youth League and recorded a healthy average of 73.62.
During the 2022/23 inter school under 19 Cricket season he scored 599 runs for his alma mater with a superb 155 (219 balls) against St Anthony’s College Katugastota as his best. His other notable contributions were 46 & 86 vs Dharmaraja College Kandy, 32 vs Dharmasoka College Ambalangoda , 34 vs Mahinda College Galle and 67 & 21 vs St Sebastian’s College Moratuwa.
Menaka showed his potential from his teenage years and represented Maliyadeva College from junior level before graduating to the senior team in the 2021/22 season and a very bright future ahead of him.