Nugawela Central’s Saranga in Sri Lanka under 19 team

L.B. Dissanayake Senkadagala Sports Corr.

Seventeen year old Saranga Rajaguru of Nugawela Central College brought honour to his alma mater when he was selected to represent Sri Lanka Under 19 cricket team on its forthcoming tour of Australia in preparation for the Under 19 World Cup to be held in New Zealand early next year.

Saranga, a right arm leg spinner who bowls with a lot of variations and a dependable middle order batsman performed creditably in the last inter school cricket season and at under 15 and under 17 levels to catch the eyes of the selectors.

His most notable performance came in the annual big match against Walala A Rathnayake Central College when he captured a match bag of 12 wickets for 120 runs (5 for 55 and 7 for 65), which gave Nugawela Central College its first outright win of the series.

He also gave a sterling performance with the ball by capturing 6 wickets for 4 runs against Nuwara Eliya District representing Kandy District team in the recently concluded inter-district cricket tournament match.

M.A.N. Muzny, Saranga’s coach at Nugawela Central College has put a lot of effort to mould this young cricketer as a national prospect.

Coach Muzny, who represented St. Anthony’s College, Kandy, when it was the best cricket playing school in Sri Lanka, rubbed shoulders with all-time greats like Muttiah Muralitharan and Piyal Wijetunga and learnt his cricket under Sunil Fernando, one of the most respected coaches in Sri Lanka.

Muzny, with his dedication to the game and with his experience in coaching has done a wonderful job for this rural school by producing a national player at under 19 level while most of the big schools in the city failed to do so.

The team selected for the tour of Australia

Chatura Peris (Capt. St. Peter’s), Bhanuka Rajapaksa (V. Capt. Royal), Andri Berenger (St. Peter’s), Udara Jayasundara (Ananda), Rumesh Buddhika (Mahinda), Nipun Karunanayake (Nalanda), Denuwan Rajakaruna (Mahinda), Kithruwan Withanage (Royal), Akshu Fernando (St. Peter’s), Adeesha Nanayakkara (Nalanda), Dhanushka Gunathilaka (Mahanama), Rushan Jaleel (Trinity), Charith Jayampathi (DSS), Lahiru Jayarathn (St. Peter’s), Kasun Madushanka (St. Servatius, Matara), Saranga Rajaguru (Nugawela Central College).