Raveen likely to captain Sri Lanka Under 19s in England

by Reemus Fernando

Former Nalanda College skipper Raveen de Silva is likely to captain Sri Lanka Under 19 team which will commence a month long tour in England next week.

De Silva, who was the deputy to Dunith Wellalage at the last Youth World Cup, is the most experienced player in the squad sent for the Sports Ministry approval.

He was a key member of the Nalanda College team that registered a historic victory over arch rivals Ananda at the annual Battle of the Maroons Big Match last month.

De Silva collected a match bag of eight wickets and contributed with a valuable knock of 40 as Nalanda beat Ananda for the first time since 1953. He had fellow Sri Lanka Under 19 player Vinuja Ranpul and current Nalanda skipper Dineth Samaraweera combining well to lead the team to victory at the 92nd Bag Match. He was adjudged the Man of the Match for his contribution.

He also played a vital role for Sri Lanka Under 19s when cricket commenced after a hiatus due to Covid 19 last year.

The Sri Lanka U19s will engage in two Youth Test Matches and three Youth ODIs during their tour. They are expected to reach UK on August 14.

The tour in England will be the final Youth tour for the current Under 19s before a fresh squad is selected targeting the next Youth World Cup.