Two leading Buddhist institutions of the country Ananda College and Nalanda College will meet each other for the 85th occasion in the ‘Battle of the Maroons’ annual school cricket encounter on April 4th and 5th at the R. Premadasa Stadium, Khettarama.
This 85th traditional clash between these two schools will be played for the Sujeewa Kamalsooriya Trophy. Ananda will have the slight edge over Nalanda but another competitive game of ‘Big’ match cricket will surely be displayed.
History of the Encounter
The Battle of the Maroons was first played in 1924 between these two brother schools. Ananda have won on 14 occasions while Nalanda have won 6 matches while the rest have ended in stalemates. Nalanda and Ananda have produced the bulk of the country’s national and Test cricketers such as Bandula Warnapura, the first ‘Test’ cricket captain of Sri Lanka and the World Cup winning captain Arjuna Ranatunga, elegant batsman Marvan Atapattu and the present T20 captain Dinesh Chandimal from Ananda and Mahela Jayawardene from Nalanda are all proud products from the respective schools.
Ananda’s last win in this encounter was in 2003 under Damindu Kularatne while Nalanda has not been able to achieve a win for six decades. Their last win was way back in 1953 under W.W. Silva. Former Sri Lanka left-arm leg-spinner Yohan Gunasekera (8 for 32) of Nalanda holds the record for the best bowling figures while Nalandian Shantha Kaolavitigoda has the highest individual batting record 149*. Former Sri Lankan cricketer and current ICC match referee Roshan Mahanama also scored an unbeaten 146 for Nalanda and Thilina Kandamby’ 144 remains the top scorer for Ananda in the big match series.
Underachieved ‘Ananda’
Anandians led by tall and lanky Thamalaka Athulathmudali have played 16 matches and remain unbeaten with three outright wins against Wesley College, Maliyadeva College and Dharmasoka College Ambalangoda. Left handed middle order batsman Kushil Perera is the deputy of the side. Wicketkeeper Pasindu Isira remains the most consistent batsman of the side, scoring over 850 runs inclusive of three centuries. Sri Lanka under 19 player Sahan Arachchige who has three tons under his belt for a score of over 700 runs will be a treat to watch when he is batting at his best. Opening batsman Lakkana Jayasekara who has been scoring freely recently will be expected to give a sound start along with his captain.
In the bowling department, left-arm spinner Isuru Gunasekera has been the pick of the Ananda bowlers as he has taken over 90 wickets with the best figures of 7 for 40 against Wesley. The second slow left-armer Sandaken Pathirana has been supporting Gunasekera very well and has taken 49 wickets for the 2013/14 season. New ball will be shared by Sahan Arachchige and Tharana Ravindu with Kasun Perera backing them up. All-rounder Sammu Ashan will be a vital cog in the Ananda lineup with his canny off spin bowling and hard hitting in the middle order as he has scored over 500 runs with 2 quick-fire centuries and has taken close to 35 wickets.
Potential ‘Nalanda’ outfit
Nalanda College has only managed one outright win which came against St Sebastian’s College, Moratuwa. Nalanda failed to win or draw against De Mazenod College, Kandana, Trinity College and Mahinda College. Hard hitting opening batsman Woshantha Silva will lead Nalanda. Skipper Silva lead the batting charts with over 600 runs which includes a hundred and three half centuries. Vice-Captain Pramud Hettiwatta is one of the most talented all-rounders this season as he has managed to score over 500 runs and has taken over 50 wickets. Young batsmen in Senura Amarasinghe and Avishka De Silva strengthen the Nalanda batting as they have scored over 550 & 600 runs respectively.
Opening bowler and middle order batsman Malinga Amarasinghe have scored over 550 runs and have accounted for 30 wickets. Anuththara Madawa is another destructive opening fast bowler with extra pace being his key to success. Leg spinner Kavinda Bandara will partner up with Pramud Hettiwatta to trouble the Ananda batsman with their effective spin bowling. Lahiru Wijeratne will also provide backup with ball for Nalanda college.
Prediction
Last year’s Battle of the Maroons ended without a decision due to an unsporting behavior by supporters of both schools. This has been the reason for the change of venue from SSC where they played for a quite a long period to the R. Premadasa Stadium. Will the change of venue help either side to notch up a win as Nalanda will be hoping to break the 60 year old winless hoodoo while Ananda would want to repeat 2003’s performance but another draw is likely as both team are evenly matched.
Ananda College squad:
Thamalka Athulathmudali (Captain), Kushil Perera (Vice Captain), Lakkana Jayasekera , Pasindu Ishara, Sahan Arachchige, Dasun Wijesinghe, Nisal Francisco, Sammu Ashan, Tharana Ravindu, Isuru Gunasekera, Sandaken Pathirana, Senal Koralage , Dileepa Jayalath, Nipuna De Silva, Danuka Jayaratne, Kavishka Anjula, Kasun Perera.
Nalanda College squad:
Woshantha De Silva (Captain), Pramud Hettiwatte (Vice Captain), Senura Amarasinghe, Lahiru Wijeratne, Isuru Samarasinghe, Malinga Amarasingjhe, Avishka De Silva, Dilan Samaraweera, Anuthara Madawa , Ruchita Perera, Dasun Seneviratne, Dilan Dilpriya, Kavindu Bandara, Ravin Dassanayake, Thilina Ratnasena, Kanishka Nirmal, Aroshan Nipun.
