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.

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.

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.