THE VICTORIOUS NORTH AND EAST YOUNG CRICKETERS MADE HISTORY AT KILINOCHCHI – THE EMERGING DESTINATION FOR INTERNATIONAL CRICKET
July 5, 2013
The T20 over Cricket Match held between Sri Lanka’s Northern and Eastern Province Combined Team Vs Melbourne’s Ferntree Gully District Cricket Association & Australian Hellenic Federation Combined Cricket Team made history due to several reasons. Having won the toss, the Sri Lanka North-East combined team opted to bat first. The young Sri Lankan combined cricket Team were all surprised but jubilant from the beginning of the game since it was a novel experience thus a golden opportunity for them to tests their talents in front of the home crowd. The young Sri Lankans build steady partnerships throughout the batting innings having scored 174 for six wickets completing the inning. Master A.L Nadeeshan representing Sri Lankan side hit a record half a century which certainly led to lay the foundation to victory over visiting young Australian combined Team who could only score 104 runs for being all out at the 19 over due to superb bowling skills of Yong Sri Lankans. It was a good game of cricket and team spirit was at the edge. The falling of wickets one by one due to very well executed bowling order; the excellent fielding and batting were all indications to say without any doubts the Young Cricketers from North and East proved their professionalism in game of Cricket, their dedication to the game and devotion to win is highly admirable.
The Kilinochchi Central College play ground was packed with people from all corners of the district who came to see the Cricket match. The enthusiastic school children of Kilinochchi were much benefited during the event since 84 of them received brand new push bicycles, a worth donation organized by the Foundation of Goodness with the generous contribution by world famous cricketer Mr. Kumar Sangakkara. The North- East combined cricket team members were also given with a push bicycle making it a total of 100 numbers.
It was a historic and a victorious moment not only for the young Cricketers from North and East of Sri Lanka but an honour bestowed on all the courageous People of North and East due to number of reasons. This single event stand testimony, though having had to go through many hardships in life and almost losing all future dreams about a better future due to Terrorism and Violence, the enduring desire, unmatched courage and the mental robustness of the people of Sri Lanka to meet the challenges in life with a positive attitude of mind and their ability to be victorious at the end. It is also an indication to affirm that normalcy and peace has reached Sri Lanka and people in the North and East are at last fortunate enough and privileged to join the mainstream society thus to live with dignity and pride. The victory over visiting young Australian Cricket Team is so significant that it led to inspire, encourage and to establish new hopes and dreams in the hearts and minds of many thousands of youths in Kilinochchi who were most enthusiastically watching the game. It was an unbelievable moment for the parents in Kilinochchi who had to live in fear for many decades that their children being abducted by the terrorist to fill the ranks amongst terrorist. These unfortunate parents who had to witness that their children being trained to carry arms could do better by playing a game of cricket. The transformation taking place today in Kilinochchi and particularly in the North and East in unbelievable, unparallel and should go in to records as the most successful post conflict scenario in the contemporary world. It is all possible due to imbedded and time tested qualities in our society, courage and determination of our people to preserve the humanity against all odds. Living a life surrounded by hardships and less facilities the youth from North and East of Sri Lanaka proved the quality of resilience and the ability to win against many odds needs praises of all peace loving citizen of this country.
It was also a moment of joy and happiness for all the Military Troops in KIlinochchi who witness the glorious event, which reminded them that their untold sacrifices and hard work is finally paying the due prize. It was the Military Troops, who did the impossible to rescue the people in Kilinochchi and elsewhere from the clutches of Terrorists and now continued to do so silently all what is possible to help rebuild the life and society in North and East of Sri Lanka. It was the Military Troops in Kilinochchi who organized the colorful Cricket Match under the leadership of Kilinochchi Security Force Commander Major General Udaya Perera with the sincere assistance of Foundation of Goodness led by Mr. Kusil Gunasekara, the foundation who made it all possible to invite the combined Australian Cricket team from Melbourne’s Ferntree Gully District Cricket Association & Australian Hellenic Federation to play a game of Cricket in Kilinochchi.
The event paved the way for the people of Kilinochchi to believe that they could reach higher levels even the International level be it Cricket or otherwise and that there are many good opportunities in a main stream society. The event also send a strong message to the extremist elements, local and international that youths in North and East are better-off without ethnic tensions, racial hatred and conflict and they are much concerned and privileged to live in a peaceful society. Depriving the rights of children is the most heinous crime humans could commit against humanity since destroying the childhood permanently endangers the future prosperity of a society. Therefore extremist’s elements should understand before spreading communal hatred, idea of separation and disharmony what they are about or willing to sacrifice.
The North and East combined Cricket team is the next best example after Sri Lankan National Cricket Team to tell the world how best we could achieve National Consensuses and Harmony through sports. Both the team represents all ethnicities in Sri Lanka is a point to note.
It is a bounded responsibility to express our deep appreciations and admirations to the youths from Melbourne’s Ferntree Gully District Cricket Association & Australian Hellenic Federation Combined Cricket Team and to their families for taking the burden to come all the way to Kilinochchi. Their presence in Kilinochchi was an inspiration to all the courageous people in Kilinochchi which brought recognition and pride to the society. It gives a very clear indication to the world that Kilinochchi is open to all be it local or International thus safe and secure.
The successful completion of the T20 Cricket Match in Kilinochchi, the 1st ever International sport event to take place, led to fuel new hopes among the general public in Kilinochchi is a landmark achievement. All these were made possible by the Troops deployed under the excellent leadership of Major General Udaya Perera who goes in to minute details to deliver unparallel results. The event was so colorful which attracted the attention of visiting Australians and the local population. There is no doubt that the event led to a paradigm shift in the minds of the visiting Australians. Surely they may have realized it was not the Kilinochchi some used to talk about and the ground preparation for the Cricket Match received many excellent commendations from both the visiting Australian Team and family Members and Mr. Kusil Gunasekra. He went on records to state “Never Seen such preparations during local Cricket Match may be except during the game of cricket between leading schools i.e. Royal College Vs St Thomas’s, Ananda Vs Nalanda etc. so I admire the support rendered by all under Security Force Kilinochchi”.
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