Fourth year player, all rounder, middle order bat and right arm medium pace bowler who opens the attack and Sri Lanka under 19 cricketer of St. Anthony’s College, Wattala Korale Kankanamge Avishka Tharindu Chandima passed the magical 1000 run mark this season and the only Anthonian to achieve this rare feat. Earlier Asiri Vageesha achieved this milestone in the division two. Avishka who is captaining for the last two years is having a another year to play for his Alma Mater and he will set a record for his school by captaining the first eleven team for three successive years.
This season Wattala Anthonians participated in 11 matches and they don’t have a Big match and won two outright five on first innings and lost four on first innings. Avishka scored 1014 runs this season with two centuries and four fifties at a healthy average of 78.0 with the top score of 350 runs against Lumbini Vidyalaya which consisted of 56 fours and three over and faced 285 balls and was associated in a a fourth wicket partnership of 110 runs with his deputy Kaveesha Dulanjana who contributed 41 runs, During his epic knock he set a record by scoring 429 runs in a division one inter school match and in the second innings he was unbeaten on 79 runs. Also he surpassed the prevcious highest score for his school set by Charith Disanayake in 2017/18 with 202 runs. During his career he has scored 2830 runs and claimed 47 wickets.
He comemced his schooling at St. Anthonys and in 2009 he joined the School Cricket Academy under Joe Sawaremuthupulle and got selected for the under 13 and his two coaches were Messers Chanaka and Sampath. Same year captaining the team Antonians were the division one runners up to Richmond and he notched up two centuries against Gurukula and S. Thomas Mt. Lavinia under Sunil Fernando. Playing in the under 15 he captained in both years and scored five centuries and captained the Western Province, North Team in the Prima Cup and earned the Best Batsmans Award. In the same year he toured Malaysia with the under 15 Sri Lanka Schools Team and Sri Lanka won the Championship by beating South Africa. In the finals he won the Man of the Match Award by scoring 76 runs. Also he was in the final 15 for the England Tour.
In the first year of under 17 leading the side he scored 453 runs with three centuries and in the second year he notched up 652 runs and scored 3 centuries in division one tournament and became the highest run getter for the tournament.
His first year in the first eleven was 2016/17 and scored 460 runs and in the second year he scored 640 runs with two centuries and in his third year he got 888 runs with three centuries and finally this season he scored 1014 runs with two centuries and the top score was 350 runs against Lumbini Vidyalaya. His present coaches are Safraz Farook and Harshana de Silva and in time to time Lahiru Thivankara, Pushpakumara Maduwapperuma and Fazy Annis have coached him.
He represented the Sri Lanka under 19 team in the One Dayer in 2018 and 2019 against Bangladesh and Pakistan respectively and played against Australia and in the Asia Cup and finally toured Bangladesh last year for three one dayers. Also prior to that tour he played against the Mercantile Services Eleven.
He is well supported by Shiyam Impett Manager of D. S. C. Company India in numerous ways. He owes his success to his parents both served in Sri Lanka Air Force as an Airman who played volley ball and an Airwoman who represented the country in netball and volleyball at the Air Force. Also he was guided by His Principal Rev. Fr. Marl Fernando and the Prefect of Games and Master in Charge of cricket Rev. Fr. Nuwan Perera and the Old Boys Association.
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