By Roy Denish.
Sri Lanka Under-19 selections unite Latheendra Akash and Vigneswaran Akash, two young cricketers from opposite ends of the island.
Sri Lanka Under-19 cricket has produced a remarkable north-south story, as two young players with the same name earned national recognition.
Latheendra Akash and Vigneswaran Akash come from opposite ends of Sri Lanka. However, their cricket journeys have now met on the national stage through selection for the Under-19 India Tour of Sri Lanka.
According to the Foundation of Goodness, both players received the Marylebone Cricket Club scholarship. The foundation has highlighted their commitment, discipline and rise through the sport. Their stories appear on www.unconditionalcompassion.org.
Sri Lanka Under-19 Path From The South
Latheendra Akash, a student of Hikkaduwa Sri Sumangala Central College, began playing cricket at the age of 15.
He briefly stepped away from the game to focus on his ordinary level examinations. Later, he returned under the guidance of head coach Lakmal Dissanayake.
Latheendra then progressed to the Under-17 Super Provincial Team. There, national coaches challenged him to lift his bowling speed from 128 km/h to 135 km/h.
He also attended a talent identification camp organised by the United Arab Emirates-based Karwan Cricket Club. During that camp, he bowled in front of Sri Lankan cricket great Chaminda Vaas.
That exposure helped Latheendra secure his first selection to the national under-19 team.
Vigneswaran Akash Rises From The North
Vigneswaran Akash, from the north, found cricket through the Foundation of Goodness North Tokyo Cement Cricket Camps.
After three years of training, national selectors picked him for the Sri Lanka Under-19 squad three years ago.
Following the Under-19 Cricket World Cup, Vigneswaran joined St. Joseph’s College in Colombo. He later became player of the match in the school’s annual rivalry game against St. Peter’s College after taking 10 wickets.
National Selection Brings Two Stories Together
Both players have now been named in the four-day squad for the upcoming series against India.
Vigneswaran also earned selection to the one-day squad, adding another milestone to a journey that began in the north and now continues on the national stage.
