Eighteen-year old Kavindu Nadeeshan proved to be a leg Spin sensation in Sri Lanka winning the Under-19 Tri-Series Tournament in West Indies in December 2019. He played a telling role in that triumph by claiming a  tally of 18 wickets in the series. Having bowled outstandingly throughout in taking Sri Lanka to the final, Kavindu chipped in with 3 vital wickets in the final when Sri Lanka defeated a strong England outfit by a comprehensive 77 runs on December 21 in Antigua.

Kavindu Nadeeshan’s wicket taking exploits has raised much expectations with Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) looking to tap potential young spin talent to strengthen the mainstream national team in that department where especially good leg spinners are hard to come by.

The youngster’s next tilt will be in the Under-19 World Cup to be held in South Africa which commences on January 17. At a time when quality spinners are far and few, the emergence of Nadeeshan is indeed a buoying factor for Sri Lankan cricket. He is regarded as Sri Lanka’s best age group Spinner. He has also represented the Sri Lanka Under-19 against Pakistan in June 2019 and Bangladesh in September 2019. Born on August 30, 2001 it was Nadeeshan’s wicket taking talent at school and age group level for Kandy that influenced his selection to the Sri Lanka Under-19 Team and he remains a potential candidate for the future.

By Srian Obeyesekere

-The opinions expressed here are the views of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of Sri Lanka Cricket-