When Arjuna inspired Marvan

The Observer-Mobitel Schoolboy Cricketer of Year awards have always been a great source of inspiration to thousands of budding cricketers across the country for almost four decades.

This is a classic example on how such cherished moment could inspire even a junior cricketer witnessing the mega show, which has been rewarding Sri Lanka’s schoolboy cricketers since 1979.

Marvan Atapattu was playing junior cricket for Ananda when his school’s first X1 captain Arjuna Ranatunga was adjudged the Observer Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year in 1982. Atapattu happened to witness the show and Ranatunga winning the prestigious award for the second time, after first winning the title in 1980.

“I was a student at Ananda then, playing my junior cricket. I witnessed the Observer Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year awards show in 1982 and saw our school captain at that time Arjuna Ranatunga emerging out of a huge cricket ball, erected on stage, to receive the Observer Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year award. That was a great inspiration to me and I thought that I too could make my family, the team and my school proud if I could win that top award one fine day. The things worked well for me to emulate that feat eight years later,” Atapattu explained his first-hand experience about the mega show.

Exactly eight years later, Atapattu achieved that dream and emulated Ranatunga’s feat. Few months after winning the prestigious Observer Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year award in 1990, Atapattu was selected to make his Test debut for Sri Lanka on November 23 the same year, against India in Chandigarh. He made his ODI debut a month later – on December 1, 1990 against India in Nagpur.

“Almost all those who have won top awards at Observer Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year show have stepped into the national team in next to no time and many of them have established their mark as top national players,” he said.

Attapattu was concerned about the present developments in school cricket, stating that the unnecessary competitiveness has destroyed the standard of Sri Lanka’s school cricket, which was once considered to be the best in the world with a well-knit tournament structure.

He added that the unwarranted competitiveness created by coaches, school authorities and old boys has caused the deteriorating standard of school cricket. “They force cricketers of their school to win matches in all formats. They are not interested in producing quality cricketers who could dish out top class cricket but only insist on winning matches at any cost. That kills the standard of school cricket,” said Atapattu.

He said that most schools now tend to employ young coaches who could press the cricketers to win matches but are not interested in producing quality players who could step into the national team. “During our time, we counted how many former cricketers of our school are in the national team. But it’s not the case anymore,” he said.

Atapattu attributed poor standard of cricket dished out at inter-school matches at present as the main reason for deteriorating spectator interest in school cricket. When asked about the tremendous spectator interest that attracted during his era of school cricket, some two-and-a-half decades ago, Atapattu said there are several other factors, although the main reason for such development is poor standard of school cricket.