da fazobetai： Sri Lanka’s Under 19 cricketers will travel Pakistan on Thursday to play afive-match one-day series starting on November 18
Sa'adi Thawfeeq13-Nov-2001Sri Lanka’s Under 19 cricketers will travel Pakistan on Thursday to play afive-match one-day series starting on November 18.In recent times, Pakistan has been badly hit with all sports tours to thatcountry being cancelled or postponed due to the ongoing war by USA inneighbouring Afghanistan.The national cricket teams of New Zealand and Sri Lanka cancelled tours tothat country and the seven-nation South Asian Federation Games (SAF)scheduled to be held in Islamabad was also postponed.Future cricket tours to that country have been put on hold and Pakistan’scricket and sports future looks bleak whilst the US led war in Afghanistancontinues.The Sri Lanka Under 19 side, by going to Pakistan, will be the first team ofcricketers from a Test-playing country to make a tour there since theUS-Afghan war broke out a month ago.For the Pakistan Cricket Board, getting down the Sri Lanka junior side willbe a shot in the arm to show the rest of the world that cricket can go aheaddespite the war in neighbouring Afghanistan.The tour in all probability may pave the way for resumption of cricket toursto Pakistan. The PCB have been very anxious to get down the Sri Lanka juniorcricketers who will leave for Karachi tomorrow.Prior to taking the team to Pakistan, coach Owen Mottau said the Sri LankaSchools Cricket Association (SLSCA) had written to the parents of each ofthe players and got their consent.Mottau said the 14-member team selected for the tour will form the nucleusof the Sri Lanka Under 19 side for the World Cup in New Zealand next year.All-rounder Dhammika Niroshan of Devananda College, Ambalangoda leads theside. He is the only player with previous experience of touring with a SriLanka Under 19 side having gone to Australia in February.The rest of the squad is new having been selected initially from a pool of50 players and then pruned down to 24 before the final selection.Dharmasoka, Ambalangoda’s left-hand opening bat and wicket-keeper UpulTharanga at 16 years is the youngest member of the team.Sri Lanka Under 19 play their Pakistani counterparts in the first match atKarachi on November 18. This match will be followed by games at Rawalpindi(November 21), Sheikhapura (November 24), and at Lahore (November 26 and27).SRI LANKA UNDER 19 TEAM TO PAKISTAN:Dhammika Niroshan (Captain) (Devananda College, Ambalangoda/RHB/RM)
Jeevan Mendis (S. Thomas College, Mt. Lavinia/LHB/LBG)
Upul Tharanga (Dharmasoka College, Ambalangoda/LHB/WK)
Charith Fernando (De Mazenod College, Kandana/LHB/WK)
Sumalka Perera (St Sebastian’s College, Moratuwa/RHB)
Shan Wijeratne (Prince of Wales, Moratuwa/RHB)
Mevan Dunusinghe (Nalanda College/LHB)
Amila Wettasinghe (Kalutara Vidyalaya, Kalutara/RHB/RM)
Dhammika Prasad (De Mazenod College, Kandana/RFM)
Lafm-ENadulaDE S Wijeyeratne (St Peter’s College)
Faviz Maharoof (Wesley College Colombo/RHB/RM)
Prasad Ranawake (St Anthony’s College, Kandy/RHB/SLA)
NC Komasaru (St Thomas’ College, Matara/SLA)
Lasith Fernando (St Sebastian’s College, Moratuwa/RHB/OB)
Owen Mottau (coach)
Lal Thamel (physio)
Bandula Warnapura (manager)
Rev Brother Anthony Francis (Sri Lanka Schools representative from Maris Stella College, Negombo).