The contest for the Observer-Mobitel Most Popular Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year is turning out to be a keen tussle for supremacy. With the month of March, better known as the big match month among schoolboys, coming to an end, last few weeks of voting for the Observer-Mobitel Most Popular Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year titles, will attract greater attention.

Winning a major title at Observer-Mobitel Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year contest would undoubtedly change the life of any schoolboy cricketer, opening new horizons. Experiencing such glory would bring them closer to winning the Sri Lanka ‘cap’ that would open the big league for them.

For some outstanding schoolboy cricketers, winning a major award at the Mega Show is even more than playing for Sri Lanka. Many past winners have even gone to the extent of becoming Chief ICC Match Referee, ICC Elite Panel Umpires and international coaches.

The latest in that elite Observer-Mobitel Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year family to prove his credentials as a coach of international repute is former Sri Lanka Test batsman and ex-Ananda cap Thilan Samaraweera.

Under the guidance of head coach Chandika Hathurusinghe, Samaraweera has done a tremendous job in sharpening the skills of Bangladesh batsmen who gave a torrid time to Sri Lanka bowlers in the second Test played at Saravanamuttu Stadium.

As the batting consultant of the Bangladesh team, Samaraweera has proved his class. Having lost the first Test at Galle to the hosts by 259 runs, Bangladesh would never have dreamt of winning the second Test.

Perhaps, their only intention would have been an honorable draw at Sara Stadium and stop Sri Lanka from going for a 2-0 clean sweep. But Samaraweera injected that gutty feeling to the Bangladesh batsmen – to believe in them and capitalize on the mistakes of Lankan bowlers. The visitors did just that to register their first ever Test victory over Sri Lanka. Most importantly, that came at a memorable time for Bangladesh – in their 100th Test!

Bangladesh made only 312 all out and 197 all out in the respective innings to lose the first Test. Yet, the visitors bounced back to win the second Test by four wickets and square the two-Test series.

First, the restricted Sri Lanka’s first innings to 338 all out and came out with their best batting performance on tour to make 467 runs. That handsome lead eventually became the deciding factor of the Test series.

Inspired by their performance in the second Test, Bangladesh did well to win the first ODI in Dambulla by a massive margin of 90 runs. Once again, it was the Bangladesh batsmen who gave Lanka a torrid time, scoring a commanding 324 for 5 in 50 overs.

Full credit should go to former Observer Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year winner Samaraweera who was mainly responsible in transforming the Bangladesh batting to a formidable position, along with the support of Hathurusinghe.

Samaraweera has a proven track record as a classy batsman right from his school career at Ananda College, Colombo. His outstanding performances in successive years earned him the Observer Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year titles in 1994 and 1995.

Since the inception of the Observer Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year contest way back in 1979, only six players had won the main title two times each and exactly half of them are Anandians!

Heading that elite brand of cricketers is Sri Lanka’s world cup winning captain Arjuna Ranatunga (1980 and 1982). Beside Samaraweera and Ranatunga, Roshan Mahanama (Nalanda -1983 and

1984), Lahiru Peiris (Ananda – 2004 and 2005), Bhanuka Rajapaksa (Royal – 2010 and 2011) and Charith Asalanka (Richmond – 2015 and 2016) have won the Observer Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year title two times each.

In less than three years after winning the title for the second time, Samaweera made his Sri Lanka debut in the Champions trophy ODI against India in Sharjah on November 6, 1998. Although he did not get an opportunity to bat, he had Indian wicket keeper bat Nayan Mongia (51) as his first ODI scalp.

Samaraweera’s Test debut too had also been against Indian, but on a memorable note. He made a debut Test century in Sri Lanka’s third Test against India at SSC grounds in August/ September 2001. Coming in as No.8 batsman, Samaraweera made 103 not out on his debut, facing 175 balls in 201-minute stay, hitting ten fours.

In fact, Samaraweera was the fourth Sri Lanka batsman to score a century in the home team’s first inning of 610 for 6 declared with Marvan Atapattu (108), Mahela Jayawardene (139) and Hashan Tillakaratne (136 not out) making merry against the Indian bowling.

Despite making his debut, Samaraweera showed class of a seasoned batsman and was associated in an unfinished 194-run partnership for the seventh wicket with Tillakaratne as Sri Lanka emerged victorious by an innings and 77 runs. Samaraweera’s rock-solid batting and tantalizing off spin bowling enabled him to cement his place in the Test team.

Representing Sri Lanka in 81 Tests, Samaraweera had aggregated 5,462 runs with 14 centuries and 30 fifties. In fact, he is among the top Lankan batsmen who had maintained an impressive Test average of 48.76. Although Samaraweera was better known as a Test batsman, he had also represented Sri Lanka in 53 ODIs with a top score of 105 not out.

The 40-year-old had been working with some Australia Test players ahead of their 2016 tour to Sri Lanka, in his brief consulting stint at Australia’s National Cricket Centre in Brisbane. In 2013, he had a successful season with Worcestershire in the English country championship and made a top score of 144 not out against Leicestershire at Leicester on August 28, 2013