By JARROD POTTER
AN EIGHT-WICKET haul in a trial match all but secured spinning all-rounder Dulnath Hendawitharana a spot in the Cricket Victoria/School Sport Victoria under-15 team.
It was hard to keep the 14-year-old leg-spinner out of a trial match earlier this year as Hendawitharana snaffled up eight scalps and caught the selectors’ attention.
“One of my cricket highlights was probably when I took eight-for in one of the trial games for the Victorian squad to get into the team,” Hendawitharana said.
“My first wicket was my best wicket – just pitched on leg stump and hit the top of off.
“It feels good to make the team – not many of my previous family members have played before, so I’m pretty stoked about it.”
Hendawitharana, from Dandenong North, was thrilled with the chance to spin for his state and chip in from the lower order.
“I love to bat mostly, but I’ve been picked as a bowler – I’m a leg-spinner,” Hendawitharana said.
“I like being an all-rounder because if you have a bad day with the bat you can always make it up with the ball and keep going.
“I just started bowling when I was young and it came out well and my coach just told me to go with it so I stuck with it.”
He’s no bunny down the tail end though, as the versatile right-hander loves to slog the red leather like Kumar Sangakkara or David Warner and tick off boundary after boundary.
He also plays junior cricket for Noble Park and seniors for Hawthorn-Monash University in Victorian Premier Cricket after making a VPC fourths debut at 12-years-of-age with Prahran.
Hendawitharana could see green-and-gold colours with a stellar outing at the tournament, as the best cricketers from the School Sport Australia 15-and-under Cricket Championships will form a Cricket Australia XI to take part in the Under-17 National Championships in September.
Hendawitharana wanted to thank his coach Saliya Ahangama for his support.
The Victorians head off next week for the championships, held from 13-19 June in Darwin.
