Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) on Monday (29th November) handed over contracts for the 20 players of the Under 21 Women’s Development squad, which was recently formed in a bid to strengthen the pool of talent for future international commitments.
The handing over ceremony took place at the SLC Headquarters with the participation of Mr. Ravin Wickramaratne, Vice President of Sri Lanka Cricket, Mr. Ashley De Silva, CEO of Sri Lanka Cricket, Mr. Chinthaka Edirimanne, Head of Domestic Cricket Operations of Sri Lanka Cricket, Mrs. Apsari Tillakaratne, Convener, Women’s Cricket of Sri Lanka Cricket, and the member of the National Selection Committee Thilaka Gunaratne.
‘’Today is a special day for the 20 players present here, as the day marks your entry to the national cricket pathway. The unique point of this squad is that we have players from places such as Jaffna, Badulla, and Polonnaruwa, etc. This is a very good development, in terms of women’s cricket,’’ said Mr. Ravin Wickramaratne, Vice President, Sri Lanka Cricket.
‘’We selected the best 20 players out of a talent screening done among 120 players, and this is a great opportunity for you’ll to capitalize and launch an international cricketing career. However, you need to work hard to get to your goal,’’ he further added.
The welcome address was delivered by Mrs. Apsari Tillakaratne, Convener of Women’s Cricket of Sri Lanka Cricket, who explained that women’s cricket is shaping up well on the global stage, and these efforts are part of SLC’s plans to build Sri Lanka’s place in women’s cricket.
The newly formed squad is currently undergoing a 3-month special training program, covering skill development and fitness training, under the watchful eyes of the SLC’s District and Provincial Coaches.
Once the players complete the 3-month training program, they will be further assessed and inducted into Sri Lanka Cricket’s Women’s District and Provincial Teams to play in the SLC organized annual tournaments, which is expected to be played in March / April 2022.
The girls were contracted by the SLC for the respective 3 month period (01st November to 31st January 2022) as a measure of providing financial assistance for them.
Photo Captions:
Picture 1: L2R: Mr Chinthaka Edirimanne, Head of Domestic Cricket Operations of Sri Lanka Cricket, Mr. Ashley De Silva, CEO of Sri Lanka Cricket, Mr. Ravin Wickramaratne, Vice President of Sri Lanka Cricket, Mrs. Apsari Tillakaratne, Convenor of Sri Lanka Women’s Cricket.
