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Tuesday Dec 24, 2024
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By Madushka Balasuriya
With Sri Lanka’s poor run of form in white-ball cricket fresh in the minds of everyone in attendance, Asela Gunaratne’s four-trophy haul at Sri Lanka Cricket’s Annual Cricket Awards provided a timely reminder of the calibre of talent that has been sidelined in recent months.
Prior to sustaining a thumb fracture in July, Gunaratne had been one of Sri Lanka’s most in-form batsman scoring 455 runs in Tests at an average of 56.87, 472 runs at 36.30 in ODIs, and 181 runs 30.83 in T20Is. His slow medium deliveries - especially in white-ball cricket, where he has picked up 23 wickets in 28 matches - also brought considerable balance to the side.
As such Gunaratne was named the best batsman in T20Is for the period under consideration, from June 2016 to June 2017, and the best allrounder in both T20Is and ODIs. Gunaratne also claimed the country’s Most Promising Cricketer award.
Wicketkeeper-batsman Niroshan Dickwella, who has fast become a mainstay in the national side, was named the Emerging Cricketer of the Year after scoring 1,603 runs in 37 matches in 2017,
It was Rangana Herath though that picked up the night’s biggest award, the Cricketer of the Year gong, while also, unsurprisingly, being named Test bowler of the year. The judging period saw the veteran left-arm spinner play 10 Tests and pick up 73 wickets at an average of 18.68. Herath’s spinning partner in crime, Dilruwan Perera, was named Test allrounder of the year, after taking 37 wickets at 37.94 and scoring 531 runs at 29.50 in 11 Tests, during the same period.
In ODIs, pace spearhead Suranga Lakmal was named bowler of the year with 28 wickets in 22 matches at 35.91, while Kusal Mendis capped off a fine freshman year with the award for best batsman. Mendis, who debuted during last year’s tour of England, has been part of an inconsistent batting unit but has nevertheless managed to amass 1156 runs at 32.11 in 40 games for his country.
The awards night threw up some forgotten faces too, with Dhananjaya de Silva picking up the award for best Test batsman and Lasith Malinga being named best T20I bowler.
De Silva had debuted and top-scored in Sri Lanka’s series win last year over Australia before underwhelming tours against South Africa and Bangladesh saw him dropped from for a one-off Test against Zimbabwe.
He was drafted back in for Sri Lanka’s second Test versus India but was then quickly shifted to the ‘A’ team, where he has since impressed. De Silva’s brief but fruitful Test career has seen him score 726 runs at 38.21, including two 100s and two 50s, in 10 Tests.
Malinga, meanwhile, was dropped ahead of the start of the ODI series against Pakistan due to a lack of form, but a look at his T20I performances since returning from injury earlier this year - 12 wickets in six matches at 16.50 apiece - indicates, that while he may not be as consistent, he can still be an asset in the shortest format of the game.
On the women’s side Chamari Atapattu cemented a record-breaking year as she was named Women’s Cricketer of the Year, and also took home the award for best batswoman in both ODIs and T20Is. Atapattu provided one of the highlights of the Women’s World Cup when she smashed an unbeaten 143-ball 178 against Australia earlier this year, which eventually led to her becoming the first Sri Lankan woman to sign with a franchise-based T20 league. Women’s ODI Captain Inoka Ranaweera meanwhile was named Women’s Bowler of the Year, while Sugandika Kumari took home the award for T20Is.
In the domestic awards, recent national team debutants Chilaw Marians CC’s Malinda Pushpakumara and Colts CC’s Sadeera Samarawickrama were named best bowler and batsman respectively. Slow left-arm spinner Pushpakumara picked up 77 wickets in nine first-class matches at 13/79 in the 2016/2017 season, while right-hand bat Samarawickrama scored 1,016 runs at 59.76 in the same period.
Sri Lanka Ports Authority’s Wanindu Hasaranga, who made his ODI debut against Zimbabwe earlier this year, was rewarded for a blistering start to his first-class career as he was named the most promising domestic cricketer. The fiery 20-year-old has played just 15 first-class matches but has already scored 877 runs at 41.76, while his right-arm leg spin has seen him scalp 16 wickets at 26 runs apiece.
The Colombo Cricket Club’s Ron Chandragupta, who scored 837 runs at 59.79 and has also impressed with the Sri Lanka ‘A’ team, was named the emerging domestic player of the year. NCC’s Chathuranga de Silva, who recently earned a national recall for the T20I series against Pakistan, was named Best Allrounder.
The Guest of Honour at the ceremony was former Indian World Cup winning captain Kapil Dev, while several other former cricketers were also in attendance to hand out awards.
