He thought it will be just another ordinary day on the field. But it
turned out to be completely different from that as the Uyanwatte
Stadium in Matara became the venue to a most rare achievement by a
schoolboy cricketer this season. Left-arm seamer Harsha Maduranga
Rajapaksa of Rahula College Matara had just turned seventeen when he
produced arguably the most destructive spell of fast bowling in the
history of First XI school cricket.
Last week the eldest son of a private bus driver turned a new leaf in the history of under-19 cricket when he captured all ten wickets while guiding his team to an innings victory over Devapathiraja MV Rathgama. His performance was even more significant considering the fact that he accomplished his task during a sensational spell of 9.3 overs and in the process claiming four wickets in consecutive deliveries during an eventful fifth over.
It was back in 2004 that the previous ten wicket haul was recorded in a First XI fixture when left-arm spinner Sohan Boralessa of St. Peter’s College performed a similar role against Wesley College at Campbell Park. In addition Sri Lanka Schools Cricket Association (SLSCA) statistician and veteran scorer Anura Ratnayake confirmed that Lionel Fernando of St. Benedict’s College also captured all ten wickets during the 1957 season.
Even then for Harsha Rajapaksa it was just another day at office as he prepared to spearhead the team’s bowling attack not knowing the fact that it will change his entire destiny. “I am very proud of this achievement and I think this is my finest moment in school cricket as a fast bowler” said the former schoolboy of Thelijjawela Royal and Thelijjawela Central College Matara.
“The ground conditions no doubt were conducive for swing bowling with a strong wind blowing and I fully exploited the conditions to my advantage while bowling from wicket to wicket.”Rajapaksa of course went into this match under some kind of pressure as he had failed to live up to the expectations having picked up just three wickets from the opening two fixtures against Veluwana MV and Maliyadeva College Kurunegala.
“This is only my third match of the current season and I am very satisfied with the early form as I am hoping to reach the one hundred wicket barrier before the Big Match”. Rajapaksa however came into the side as an all rounder and had the distinction of completing two centuries against St. Peter’s College and St. Aloysius College Galle in the ongoing inter-school under-17 tournament.
He had a passion for the game from his early days and showed signs of turning out to be an outstanding cricketer while representing the Thelijjawela Royal College team in the under-13 and under-15 tournaments. He then moved to Thelijjawela Central College with the help of a scholarship and further enhanced his capabilities under the supervision of senior coach Tharindu Jeevantha.
But his career took a dramatic turn around when he joined Rahula College Matara in 2009 from where he went on to represent the First XI team as a dynamic all rounder. No doubt his school cricket career was at crossroads at this stage because there were few other options as well where he could have chosen to represent a more elite school in Colombo. But due to financial constrain he decided to stay in his home town and concentrate on improving his game under the guidance of coaches Indunil Liyanage and Ariyathilake.
After a lot of hard work on the field now he is just beginning to produce the desired results with a great season ahead of him. In fact his present coach Ariyathilake believes that the secret behind his success is his accuracy and the reverse swing which he uses so cleverly against the top-order batsmen. Not surprisingly during his record breaking effort five of his dismissals were bowled and there were four leg before decisions in addition to one caught behind.
As a result Devapathiraja MV were skittle out for a mere 23 runs in their first innings from 19.3 overs and Harsha Rajapaksa went on to pick up three more wickets in the second innings and complete a memorable outing.
Last week the eldest son of a private bus driver turned a new leaf in the history of under-19 cricket when he captured all ten wickets while guiding his team to an innings victory over Devapathiraja MV Rathgama. His performance was even more significant considering the fact that he accomplished his task during a sensational spell of 9.3 overs and in the process claiming four wickets in consecutive deliveries during an eventful fifth over.
It was back in 2004 that the previous ten wicket haul was recorded in a First XI fixture when left-arm spinner Sohan Boralessa of St. Peter’s College performed a similar role against Wesley College at Campbell Park. In addition Sri Lanka Schools Cricket Association (SLSCA) statistician and veteran scorer Anura Ratnayake confirmed that Lionel Fernando of St. Benedict’s College also captured all ten wickets during the 1957 season.
Even then for Harsha Rajapaksa it was just another day at office as he prepared to spearhead the team’s bowling attack not knowing the fact that it will change his entire destiny. “I am very proud of this achievement and I think this is my finest moment in school cricket as a fast bowler” said the former schoolboy of Thelijjawela Royal and Thelijjawela Central College Matara.
“The ground conditions no doubt were conducive for swing bowling with a strong wind blowing and I fully exploited the conditions to my advantage while bowling from wicket to wicket.”Rajapaksa of course went into this match under some kind of pressure as he had failed to live up to the expectations having picked up just three wickets from the opening two fixtures against Veluwana MV and Maliyadeva College Kurunegala.
“This is only my third match of the current season and I am very satisfied with the early form as I am hoping to reach the one hundred wicket barrier before the Big Match”. Rajapaksa however came into the side as an all rounder and had the distinction of completing two centuries against St. Peter’s College and St. Aloysius College Galle in the ongoing inter-school under-17 tournament.
He had a passion for the game from his early days and showed signs of turning out to be an outstanding cricketer while representing the Thelijjawela Royal College team in the under-13 and under-15 tournaments. He then moved to Thelijjawela Central College with the help of a scholarship and further enhanced his capabilities under the supervision of senior coach Tharindu Jeevantha.
But his career took a dramatic turn around when he joined Rahula College Matara in 2009 from where he went on to represent the First XI team as a dynamic all rounder. No doubt his school cricket career was at crossroads at this stage because there were few other options as well where he could have chosen to represent a more elite school in Colombo. But due to financial constrain he decided to stay in his home town and concentrate on improving his game under the guidance of coaches Indunil Liyanage and Ariyathilake.
After a lot of hard work on the field now he is just beginning to produce the desired results with a great season ahead of him. In fact his present coach Ariyathilake believes that the secret behind his success is his accuracy and the reverse swing which he uses so cleverly against the top-order batsmen. Not surprisingly during his record breaking effort five of his dismissals were bowled and there were four leg before decisions in addition to one caught behind.
As a result Devapathiraja MV were skittle out for a mere 23 runs in their first innings from 19.3 overs and Harsha Rajapaksa went on to pick up three more wickets in the second innings and complete a memorable outing.
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