Immensely talented Avishka Tharindu one to watch out for
Every schoolboy cricketer’s ambition is to reach the pinnacle and represent the national team, and one young star who could fulfill that ambition is Avishka Tharindu of St.anthony’s College Wattala.
Tharindu,who began his school cricket career in the 2009 in the Under 13 age group,ended the recent Covid-19 shortened Under 19 inter-school cricket season with over 1000 runs.
Tharindu,in the process,had the honour of making the highest score by a schoolboy cricketer when he made a mammoth 350 runs against Lumbini MV which came off just 285 balls,which included 56 boundaries and three sixes. This record was short-lived however,as it was surpassed by Navod Paranavithana of Mahinda Galle who slammed 409 runs one month later.
Tharindu in all ended the season accumulating 1014 runs which comprised a top score of 350,another ton of 181 against Devapathiraja MMV Rathgama
and four half centuries against Gurukula MV (80),St.sylvester’s (62 n.o.),maliyadeva (88) and Lumbini MV (79 n.o.).he showed his prowess as a young cricketer when he slammed two centuries when he led the side in 2014.
Tharindu thereafter led the Under 15 side for two seasons in 2015 and 2016 and also went on to lead the Western Province North team in the Prima Champion Cup Under 15 tournament,being adjudged the best batsman.
Tharindu represented the Under 17 team for two years leading the side in 2018 and completed the tournament having made 652 runs inclusive of three centuries to suppress his 453 runs made in the previous season.
Before breaking the 1000runs for a season mark,tharindu showed steady improvement having made 460 runs in the 2016/17 season followed by 640 runs with two centuries in the next season and 888 runs in his third season which included three centuries.
In the year 2016 he made his first overseas tour when he represented the Sri Lanka Under 15 team to Malaysia in which the Sri Lankans emerged champions and Tharindu was adjudged the man of the final.
Tharindu later on represented the Sri Lanka Under 19 national team for two years in 2018 and 2019 and played against Bangladesh,australia and Pakistan when they toured the island in 2018.In 2019 he was a member of the Sri Lanka Under 19 Asia Cup team and toured Bangladesh in the same year.but he was unfortunate to miss out on selection for the ICC U19 World Cup tournament.