Ashley Chandrasinghe will look to play a few more of his signature pull shots as he represents School Sports Victoria/Cricket Victoria at the under-12 state championships in the Barossa Valley, South Australia from 8-16 December. 88633 Picture: JARROD POTTER
By JARROD POTTER
FROM a pool of over 1000 hopeful cricketers, Ashley Chandrasinghe was chosen to represent Victoria in the Under-12s State Cricket Championships in South Australia in December.
Chandrasinghe, 10, who plays for Berwick Springs Cricket Club, has already ticked off some impressive achievements on his wish-list including captaining a Dandenong District Cricket Association (DDCA) junior interleague team at only eight years old.
He takes a level-headed and calm approach to his batting – as a left-hander he compares himself to Mike Hussey as ‘not a very big hitter’ instead to work the ball around and get the runs without much risk.
The next weapon in Chandrasinghe’s armoury is his leg spin – with not many youngsters taking up the art making him a valuable batting all-rounder for any side that selects him.
I’m a leg spinner and left hand batsman – I just feel more comfortable batting,” Chandrasinghe said. “I bowl just as a normal leg spinner, but I just enjoy batting more.”
That calmness at the crease and on the field gave the DDCA a good reason to not only select him in the interleague team, but to also announce him as its captain – at only eight years old.
“We had and the team was selected on the last trial,” Chandrasinghe said. “I got a call from the coach saying that I was captain and when we got presented our caps and clothes, with the other players.
“It was surprising (being named captain) as not a lot make it in to the team and because I’m so young as well.”
His hopes for the future are as high as the sport will allow – Chandrasinghe wants to win an Allan Border Medal (Australian cricket’s version of the Brownlow Medal) and make the Australian team, but in the meantime he’d be happy to make the Victorian team at an older age and the Hatch cricket under-14s squad.
Chandrasinghe said he wanted to thank his family, all of his coaches throughout his time playing and God for helping him make it this far with his cricket and hopefully a lot further too.
