Cricket was Sabes Rasanayagan’s closest connection to home. Now, he’s set to become a young ambassador for the sport overseas.
Growing up in Jaffna, at the northern tip of Sri Lanka, Mr. Rasanayagan was resourceful in his efforts to play – he carved his own cricket bat from a tree branch, reluctant to ask his parents to buy him a 2,000-rupee (about $15) bat. He and his friends couldn’t find cricket balls and used cheap tennis balls instead. The days of playing rudimentary cricket came to a tragic end for Mr. Rasanayagan when the 2004 tsunami claimed the lives of his mother and little brother. Mr. Rasanayagan, his father and older brother moved to Brampton, Ont., but the transition wasn’t easy. Mr. Rasanayagan didn’t speak English and says he got teased by his new schoolmates. He spent a lot of time alone watching cricket highlights on television and the Internet. Then, he stumbled upon a newly opened cricket pitch in his own city. Today, Mr. Rasanayagan, 17, has won seven trophies and 12 medals from games at his cricket academy. And he has just won a scholarship to compete in England and visit the famous Lord’s cricket ground, often known as the “home of cricket” in London.
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