Sri Lanka U19s looking for maiden CWC title
Led by Vimath Dinsara of Royal College, the Sri Lanka Under-19 team took wings to the African continent to test their chances of becoming the ICC Men’s U-19 Cricket World Cup champions, which will be held from January 15 to February 6 in Namibia and Zimbabwe.
Once the team lands in Namibia, where all their Group ‘A’ matches are scheduled to be played, the Sri Lanka youth will play two warm-up matches against South Africa on January 11 and Afghanistan on January 14, before the 16-team extravaganza sets off with a massive card of 41 games up to the final. In the meantime, the Sri Lanka 15-man squad will engage in pre-tournament training sessions in Windhoek, Namibia, under the watchful eyes of Head Coach Chamara Silva, a veteran of the sport who himself was a youth player before hitting the bigger stage.
Royalist Vimath Dinsara leads the side
Rated as a well-balanced unit, the squad includes vast talents across all three departments with skipper Dinsara, his deputy Kavija Gamage, Viran Chamuditha, Dulnith Sigera, Chamika Heenatigala, wicketkeeper/bat Adam Hilmy and Senuja Wekunagoda, who replaced the struggling all-rounder Kithma Vidanapathirana, to bolster the batting lineup. Out of the lot, Gamage, Chamuditha, Sigera and Heenatigala come in handy as useful all-rounders.
Jaffna paceman Kugathas Mathulan makes a comeback to the side after being sidelined due to an injury in the recent youth outings, to share his vast international experience with Jeewahan Sriram, Sethmika Seneviratne and Rasith Nimsara, who retained their slots with their impressive performances at the recent Asia Cup. Adding spice to the mixture will be leg-spinner Vigneshwaran Akash and off-spinner Malintha Silva.
Under the leadership of Dinsara of Royal College, and his deputy Gamage of Kingswood College, the squad includes three players from Trinity College, two each from Mahanama College, St. Servatius College and St. Joseph’s College and a player each from St. John’s College, Jaffna, Lyceum International School, Wattala, Wesley College and St. Sebastian’s College, Moratuwa to complete the 15 members.
Sri Lanka has been drafted into Group ‘A’ alongside Australia, Ireland and Japan, and will play all their group games in Windhoek, Namibia. Their opening game will be against Japan on January 17, followed by the game against Ireland on January 19. The game against Australia on January 23 will complete the group stage, before the competition enters the Super Six stage, where the top teams of each group and the two best sides to follow completing the lineup.
The coaching staff include Chamara Silva as Head Coach, Omesh Wijesiriwardena as Fast Bowling Coach, Dilruwan Perera as Spin Bowling Coach, Gangatharan as Fielding Coach and Ranjith Madurasinghe as the Manager.
Sri Lanka squad for ICC Men’s U-19 World Cup 2026: Vimath Dinsara (Captain – Royal College), Kavija Gamage (Vice Captain – Kingswood College), Dimantha Mahavithana, Adam Hilmy and Sethmika Seneviratne (all Trinity College), Dulnith Sigera and, Chamika Heenatigala (both Mahanama College), Chamarindu Nethsara and Viran Chamuditha (both St. Servatius’ College), Vigneshwaran Akash and Senuja Wekunagoda (both St. Joseph’s College), Kugathas Mathulan (St. John’s College, Jaffna), Rasith Nimsara (Lyceum International School, Wattala), Jeewahan Sriram (Wesley College), Malintha Silva (St. Sebastian’s College, Moratuwa)
Officials: Chamara Silva (Head Coach), Omesh Wijesiriwardena (Fast Bowling Coach), Dilruwan Perera (Spin Bowling Coach), Gangatharan (Fielding Coach), Ranjith Madurasinghe (Manager)