Winning start to U-19 World Cup preparations

Dinura Kalupahana (right) and Sharujan Shanmuganathan carried Sri Lanka to victory with a stand of 76

• Sri Lanka beat West Indies in first U-19 Youth ODI 

By Sa’adi Thawfeeq

Sri Lanka got their U-19 World Cup preparations underway with a winning start when they beat West Indies by six wickets in the first U-19 Youth ODI played at the Rangiri Dambulla International Cricket Stadium yesterday to go one-up in the three-match series.

A brilliant bowling performance by seamers Garuka Sanketh of Lyceum International (5/48) and Dinura Kalupahana of Mahinda College, Galle (3/45) saw West Indies choosing to bat first being dismissed for 223. The touring team were in dire straits at 96-6 in the 24th over, but U-19 test captain Nathan Sealy counter-attacked with a splendid innings of 75 off 82 balls (5 fours, 3 sixes) adding 130 with the tail to see West Indies reach a respectable score.  

Left-arm seamers Nathan Edward and Reon Edwards pushed Sri Lanka onto the back foot with two early wickets sending back both openers for 11. But Ravishan Nethsara from P. de S. Kularatne, Galle and Supun Waduge of Trinity College, Kandy came together in a third wicket stand of 134 before both fell to Nathan Edward.

Nethsara was the first to go giving a catch with his score on 65 scored off 85 balls (7 fours, 1 six). Waduge followed him three runs later for a well compiled 56 off 78 balls (8 fours) when he offered a return catch to the bowler. It was Waduge’s second successive half-century off the West Indies bowling having scored a match-winning 84* for SLC U-19 in the warm-up game played on Friday.

All-rounder Kalupahana (52* off 42 balls, 7 fours, 1 six) and wicket-keeper/bat Sharujan Shanmuganathan (20*) carried Sri Lanka to victory without any further loss, sharing an unbroken partnership of 76 with nearly seven overs to spare.

Waduge, Nethsara, Shanmuganathan and Pulindu Perera made their Youth U-19 ODI debuts for Sri Lanka. The second Youth U-19 ODI will take place at the same venue on Wednesday.

The Sri Lanka U-19 squad named for the three-match Youth U-19 ODI series and the two-match Youth 4-day test series against West Indies is:

Sineth Jayawardena (Royal College, Colombo Captain), Pulindu Perera (Dharmaraja College, Kandy), Supun Waduge (Trinity College, Kandy), Rushanda Gamage (St. Peters College, Colombo), Diniru Abeywickramasinghe (wk, St. Servatius College, Matara), Ravishan Nethsara (P. de S Kularatne, Galle), Hiran Jayasundera (wk, St. Joseph’s College, Colombo), Sarujan Shanmuganathan (wk, St. Benedicts College, Kotahena), Vishwa Lahiru (Sri Sumangala College, Panadura), Vishen Halambage (St. Peters College, Colombo), Malsha Tharupathi (Vice-Captain, Richmond College, Galle), Tharana Wimaladharma (Trinity College, Kandy), Kaveeshan Piyumal (St. Anthony’s College, Katugastota), Vihas Thewmika (Thurstan College, Colombo), Janith Fernando (St. Joseph Vaz, Wennappuwa), Dinura Kalupahana (Mahinda College, Galle), Pathum Malitha (Dharmasoka College, Ambalangoda), Ruvishan Perera (Ananda College, Colombo), Garuka Sanketh (Lyceum International), and Vishwa Rajapaksa (St. Joseph Vaz, Wennappuwa).

Scores: 

• West Indies (U-19): 223 (49.1) (Adrian Weir 32, Stephan Pascal 29, Nathan Sealy 75, Garuka Sanketh 5/48, Dinura Kalupahana 3/45)
• Sri Lanka (U-19): 224-4 (43.1) (Ravishan Nethsara 65, Supun Waduge 56, Dinura Kalupahana 52*, Sharujan Shanmuganathan 20*, Nathan Edward 3/43)

Sri Lanka U-19 seamer Garuka Sanketh rattled the West Indies U-19 batting with five wickets

Nathan Sealy top scored for West Indies U-19 with 75

Sri Lanka U-19 pair Ravishan Nethsara and Supun Waduge added 134 for the third wicket