The 44th ‘Observer SLT-Mobitel School Cricketers of the Year’ event will be held at the BMICH at 5.15 p.m. today. The chief guest will be legendary cricketer Aravinda de Silva.The guests of honour will be Transport, Highways and Mass Media Minister Dr. Bandula Gunawardena and Sports Minister Roshan Ranasinghe. Today’s awards ceremony will have entertainment items by leading vocalists Dinesh Gamage, Jacqualine Hettiarachchi and Roy Jackson. There will be many dance acts by the Chandana Wickremasinghe Dance Troupe in the 150-minute show handled by Funtime of Imran Saibo.
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It is less than three weeks to go for the 44th Observer SLT Mobitel School Cricketers of the Year grand finale. The stage has been set for the Mega Show grand finale which will be held at the BMICH in Colombo on December 15. Ananda College, Colombo – a household name in Sri Lanka school cricket, has dominated the Observer SLT Mobitel School Cricketers of the Year series for the past 44 years. Out of 43 previous Observer SLT Mobitel Schoolboy Cricketers of the Year titles, nine have been won by Ananda, including two doubles by Anandians Arjuna Ranatunga and Thilan Samaraweera.
The much looked forward to 44th edition of the Observer SLT Mobitel School Cricketers of the Year mega show will be held at the BMICH on December 15. Nearly 800 schoolchildren from all parts of the country, including the Northern and Eastern Provinces, will gather at the country’s biggest conference hall to see the nation’s next generation cricketers being honoured. The cream of the most outstaying schoolboy and schoolgirl cricketers in the recently concluded 2021/2022 season will be honoured for their hard work during a strenuous season.
Two former Observer Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year – Ranjan Madugalle and Kumar Dharmasena have been picked by the International Cricket Council (ICC) as match officials for today’s ICC T20 World Cup final between England and Pakistan in Melbourne. ICC Chief Match Referee Madugalle, who stepped out of school as the Observer Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year in the inaugural year 1979, will function as the ICC Match Referee in the T20 World Cup final to be played at the MCG. Dharmasena, the Observer Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year in 1989, has been picked by the ICC as one of the two on-field umpires for the 12-nation final. This is the record sixth time he is officiating in a World Cup final.
The cream of Sri Lanka’s school cricketers who have been outstanding in the recently concluded 2021-2022 have now been shortlisted to share the top awards at the Observer SLT Mobitel School Cricketers of the Year grand finale to be held mid next month. These names were picked at the special selection committee meeting held at the Galadari Hotel last Wednesday. Top ranking officials of the Sri Lanka Schools Cricket Association (SLSCA) and the national umpires association took part in the meeting. Pawan Pathiraja of Trinity College, Kandy, Dunith Wellalage of St. Joseph’s College and Shevon Daniel, also from St. Joseph’s have been shortlisted for the Observer SLT Mobitel Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year 2022.
Sri Lanka’s undisputed school cricket awards ceremony – the Observer SLT Mobitel School Cricketers of the Year will hold its 44th selection committee meeting in Colombo on Wednesday (November 2). All arrangements have been finalised to conduct the grand selection committee meeting to be held at the Galadari Hotel on Wednesday. The 16-member selection committee, comprising top officials of the Sri Lanka Schools Cricket Association (SLSCA), Sri Lanka Umpires and Scorers Association and its Central and Southern Province Associations will meet to select the 54 award winners, including the 44th Observer SLT Mobitel Schoolboy Cricketer of Year and the Schoolgirl Cricketer of Year.
Sri Lanka’s top order batsman Kusal Mendis, the Observer SLT Mobitel Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year in 2013, has shown early form scoring two blistering half centuries in the qualifying round matches of the ICC World Cup T20 tournament now being played in Australia. Having lost the opening qualifying round match to Namibia by 55 runs, Sri Lanka had to win their other two qualifying round matches against the UAE and the Netherlands if they were to advance to the Super 12 final round. Sri Lanka then beat UAE by 79 runs. Batting first, Sri Lanka a modest 152 for 8 in 20 overs but that too was handsome enough as UAE was bowled out for 73 runs in 17.1 overs.
The much looked forward to 44th Observer SLT Mobitel School Cricketers of the Year 2022 will be held in mid-December. Negotiations are going on with the Sri Lanka Schools Cricket Association (SLSCA) and umpires associations with the final selection committee meeting to be held next month. Once the final section is done, the grand awards presentation will take place at the 44th Observer SLT Mobitel School Cricketers of the Year 2022 in December.
Five former Observer SLT Mobitel Schoolboy Cricketers of the Year will be seen in action during the forthcoming T20 World Cup tournament which starts in Australia next week. Out of the five Sri Lankans in action, three will be playing for the national T20 team while the other two will be on duty as ICC officials. Bhanuka Rajapakse (2010 and 2011 winner), Kusal Mendis (2013 winner) and Charith Asalanka (2016 and 2016 winner) will be the Sri Lanka T20 players in action while the other two award-winning ICC officials will be the chief Match Referee Ranjan Madugalle (1979 winner) and ICC Elite Panel umpire Kumara Dharmasena (1989 winner).