Lumbini College has been a revelation lately in the Sri Lanka schools cricket circuit. This 2015/16 season, they have only one target in mind: to be the best team in the island.
Bit of History
Just over two decades ago, Lumbini College were competing in the division three tournament but they entered division one before the start of the new millennium. They first stepped into the lime-light when they won the division one league title, recording seven outright victories and emerged joint champions in the limited overs tournament during the 2001/02 season under the captaincy of Sandun Senanayake.
In the past, Lumbini have produced excellent players in the caliber of Ranil Dhammika, Malinda Pushpakumara and Maduka Liyanapathiranage who have represented the Sri Lanka under 19s and Sri Lanka A team. Last season, they finished as the 3rd best team in the entire nation under Tharushan Iddamalgoda’s captaincy. They were also named the Best Team of 2014/15 in the Western Province.
Season so far
Persistent rain disrupted many games for Lumbini during the latter parts of 2015. They also had a rather disappointing start to their season when they were outplayed by Mahanama College but they managed come back to annihilate Moratu Vidyalaya by an innings and 10 runs. In all the other games, Lumbini managed to bag first-innings points.
Key Players
One of the most experienced players in the squad, Mohommad Akram will lead the Lumbini outfit this season. Incidentally he is representing Lumbini College first XI cricket for the 6th consecutive year. The charismatic right-handed middle-order batsman is a treat to watch when he is in full flow. Akram also has a good head on his shoulders, a quality that will be important to Lumbini’s chances of success this season.
By far the best batsman in the side, Thanuka Dabare will be main man to watch out for. The left-handed opener represented the Sri Lanka under 19s in the home series against Pakistan last year but unfortunately he missed out on the World Cup touring party to Bangladesh. Experienced Chamath Fernando will open the batting for Lumbini alongside Thanuka.
Left-arm spinner Devinda Thillakarathne has been in phenomenal form this season and has been their go to bowler. He had a fruitful season last year bagging over 75 wickets.
Vice-captain Janith Dias is also a key component of the Lumbini set up. He adds great value to the side with his all-round abilities. He is a reliable batsman and a handy wicket-taking left-arm spinner.
Ravindu Sanjeewa is a stylish top-order batsman who likes to graft and build innings during critical moments, which could prove to be a big bonus to Lumbini’s plans.
New & Young Players
Wicket-keeper batsman Dushan Fernando is an exciting prospect for Lumbini in the years to come while players such as Isuru Sampath and fast-bowler Randima Lakshan have the capability to be match-winners. Left-arm spinner Kanishka Maduwantha scripted the win over Moratu Vidyalaya a few months ago when his left-arm spin brought him a match bag of 11 wickets.
Coaching Staff
Renowned coach, Dinesh Weerasinghe will once again shepherd the Lumbini College team. He has been a loyal servant of Lumbini Cricket since 1992 and under it is under his guidance that Lumbini has become successful in the recent past. He has molded a strong unit of players with the ability to close out games.
Young Yomal Sanjeewa will be the assistant coach while Malith De Silva will be responsible for the conditioning of the team. D.M.S Dissanayake will once again render his services as the Master in Charge of the team.
Final Say
Even though they do not own a ground, Lumbini College uses the Colts and BRC grounds free of charge due to the rules and regulations of Colombo Municipality Council. They will have an uphill task of qualifying for the knock-out stage but if they do, they are pretty confident of going all the way this season. Lumbini will be a bigger threat to all the teams during the shorter formats of the game.
