Michael Roberts
Pic by Ron Gaunt of Sportzpix
This essay is premature. So, too, is Akila Dananjaya alias Mahamarakkala Kurukulasooriya Patabendige Akila Dananjaya Perera. He is so “unripe” and little known that I could not locate him in http://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/SL.html … where one’s recce journey is confused by the presence of umpteen Pereras and one KAK Dananjaya as well as one RKGD Dananjaya or Rankoth Gedara Krishan Dinidu Dananjaya.
The story goes that he cropped up as a net bowler for the Sri Lankan players somewhere [WHERE precisely?]; and that he so impressed Mahela Jayewardene that he asked the selectors to include him in the Squad of 30 listed for the forthcoming T20 tournament.
In brief, here was an 18-year old lad who had not played for a club at any professional level pitchforked upwards into the highest ranks in one hell of a trampoline scoop. It is a tale of rags to riches that outdoes the magical story of one Lasith Malinga, whose performance at the nets in Galle so frightened and impressed Marvan Atapattu and Mahela that they promoted his rapid rise into the A team and then the First Fifteen touring Australia.
Akila Dananjaya’s sudden emergence in this manner raised hackles in sports writer circles. He is now making these good men eat their doubts. His performance for Wayamba United in the matches thus far have been excellent. T 20 is a lottery and many bowlers who return super-figures on one day are taken to the cleaners the next day. Though Sohail Tanvir has cut a swathe through some sides, he too had one bad day. Not so MKPAD Perera thus far: 0 for 24 vs Uthuru Rudras; 2 for 20 vs Uva; 2 for 16 vs Basnahira Dundee; and 3 for 18 vs Nagenahira. In the result his overall figures up to this point are 4 matches, 16 overs, 77 runs, 7 wkts at an average of 11.00 and E/R of 4.81 and S/R of 13.7. Continue reading →
