A tale of two captains: Shah and Hewage interviewed (25 Feb 1998)

Wednesday 25, February 1998

A tale of two captains

by SA'ADI THAWFEEQ

Winning the under-19 World Cup in South Africa has not only promoted the game in England, but also provided an inspiration to younger players to carry on playing the game. This is the view of Owais Shah, the captain of the under 19 world cup champion side, England.

Junior cricket which hardly got publicity or attention from the English public was very much in the news after England beat arch rivals Australia in the tournament.

"We played the best cricket on the tour against Australia. We bowled them out for 148 in about 35 overs, and we knocked the runs of in 29.1 overs, which was basically what we had to do to qualify for the final because of our strike rate," said Shah.

"Once we beat the Aussies, we were in the press quite a lot. The general public took more interest in us because playing Australia was like India meeting Pakistan," said Shah, who joined the England 'A' team in Sri Lanka after his triumph in South Africa.

"Stuff like under 19 World Cups and England 'A' tours are brilliant for young people like me who really stand to benefit. Its a great advantage playing alongside Test players like Adam Hollioake and Mark Ealham. You learn how they approach the game and you take little things off them," he said.

"It's a great experience to play in different countries. In hot conditions which you are not quite used to like in Sri Lanka. The sooner you get used to these conditions the better you will perform whenever you get picked for a big tour to these parts," he said.

Reflecting on England's triumph in the under 19 World Cup, Shah said: "The particular side we had in South Africa on paper looked very strong. Generally it was a case of the team putting on good performances when it really mattered. When we were desperate to do well, we really performed. When we came up against an average opposition, nobody seemed to produce the goods for some reason".

"I am not saying that we didn't do our best against other sides, but for some reason we didn't perform against the non recognised names. When we lost a game everybody in the dressing room was very quiet," he said.

England were down to the wire twice after losing to Bangladesh and later to India. But they came up with brilliant performances against Pakistan and Australia, two of the strongest sides in the competition to qualify for a place in the final on a faster nett run rate. Having beaten New Zealand easily in the first game of the competition, England had no problem encountering them again in the under 19 final.

"We knew how they would play. It was a case of going out there and making sure. What we've been doing in the big games paid off in the end. One particular bowler Charles Heywood bowled very well that day. A couple of other boys came up with some great performances," said Shah.

England came well prepared for the junior World Cup, having arrived in South Africa a month ahead of the competition proper and played the South Africans in two drawn tests and in three one-dayers (2 lost, 1 rained off). Although their one-day form was not good, they were still able to emerge champions.

OWAIS ALAM SHAH, born in Karachi on October 22, 1978, moved with his Pakistani parents to England when he was seven years old. He received his education in England and got signed in the main Middlesex county staff at the age of 15. Although not holding a regular place, Shah has been playing county cricket for four years and toured Zimbabwe with the under 19 team two years ago and with the England 'A' side last year. He captained the England junior team for the first time in South Africa and his ambition is to play for England.

Shah is also studying for a degree in business administration at the university (which would take him about six years to complete) lest he fails to make a career in cricket with England.

He has an English girlfriend with whom he goes out with and spends time off cricket watching films or training at the gym with his mates.

Although brought up in English environment, Shah says: "I am a Muslim I go to the mosque, I pray, I do my fasting and celebrate Eid. I do everything a Muslim does".

Shah, a right-hander, loves batting and it is not surprising that former West Indies captain Viv Richards is his hero. "Viv is one of the best batsmen I've seen. He is a great player, perhaps the best person to watch, because he's brilliant," he said.

"We had a team to win the World Cup" - Hewage

One bad performance was all that was needed for Sri Lanka to be knocked out of the final of the under 19 World Cup competition in South Africa.

That match against New Zealand which Sri Lanka lost by 41 runs will live long in the memory of team captain Pradeep Hewage, who considers the loss as the most disappointing moment of his budding cricket career.

"The teams we played against were not good as ours. We had a team that could have gone on to win the final, but for that loss to New Zealand," lamented Hewage.

Sri Lanka bowled New Zealand out for 180 in 49 overs, but were in turn dismissed for 139 off 46.5 overs. That loss in the opening game of the Super League saw Sri Lanka being edged out of the final on a superior nett run rate by New Zealand, who went on to meet England.

"Our batting didn't click to expectations in the game. Overall, we had more potential. Our spinners were very good. Even though the pitches didn't help them, they turned the ball quite a lot and caused problems for opposing batsmen," said Hewage.

What Sri Lanka would have missed badly was Hewage's penetrative bowling. A leg injury prevented him from bowling in the competition. But he duly compensated for it with his batting.

The under 19 world cup, though it was a disappointment for Sri Lanka, was in some ways a personal triumph for Hewage. He was named the Best Batsman of the tournament aggregating 316 runs in six innings for an outstanding average of 105.33.

The right-hander with a solid defence and good technique struck three scores of eighty - 80 (n.o.) v Pakistan, 80 (n.o.) v Zimbabwe and 83 v South Africa - an innings which knocked the host country and favourites out of the final.

He considers his knock against Zimbabwe as the best of the lot. "I consider it my best because when I went in we were two down for one run, chasing 138 to win," said Hewage.

Batting with resolve and discipline, Hewage handled the Zimbabwe attack with technical proficiency and played a superb captain's innings to give his side their first victory in the Super League. Sri Lanka eventually won by four wickets with Hewage returning to a standing ovation scoring his unbeaten 80 off 132 balls with 11 fours.

In their final match of the Super League, Sri Lanka's defeat of South Africa by three wickets was described by one newspaper as "the most sensational and shocking turn of events for the home supporters". The victory knocked the Proteas out of the final, allowing New Zealand to go through on a faster run rate. All three teams, New Zealand, Sri Lanka and South Africa finished on four points each.

For RANDY PRADEEP HEWAGE, born in Colombo on December 7, 1978, captaining the Sri Lanka under 19 World Cup side to South Africa has been the highlight of his career. He first gained national recognition in 1994 when he went to Malaysia for the under 17 World Cup as a right-hand batsman and right-arm fast-medium bowler. Last year he was vice-captain of Sri Lanka in the under 19 home series against India.

A product of St. Benedict's College, Hewage initially caught the eye in 1991, when in his first year with the first eleven side he took 54 wickets and scored over 350 runs, underlying his potential as an all-rounder. His best bowling performance for his alma mater is 8 for 19 agianst St Anthony's College at Katugastota, and his best batting contribution - 148 against D.S. Senanayake at Kotahena. He is in his final year in school having captained the first team in 1996.

Since breaking into the Sara trophy division I club scene in 1994, representing NCC, Hewage's most notable contribution was winning the 'Man of the Match' award in the 1995 Hatna trophy limited overs final against Bloomfield. In a rain reduced 25 overs a side game, which NCC won, Hewage scored 36 runs and captured two wickets.

"I took to the game because of my brother Russell. He encouraged me a lot," said Hewage. Russell Hewage also played Sara trophy cricket for NCC before migrating to New Zealand to pursue his studies.

The youngest in a family of two sisters and two brothers, 19-year-old Hewage has set his sights on making the grade and representing his country at the highest level, one day. Quite apart from himself, Hewage also tips some of his under 19 colleagues, like spinners Arshad Junaid, N.S. Rupasinghe and Malinga Bandara, and fast bowler Naren Ratwatte, to make the grade in the near future.

Tom Dep (his under 13 coach), Hemal Mendis and Jayantha Seneviratne have been those behind the scene who have given Hewage the encouragement and put him on the right track to attain success.

Away from cricket, Hewage whose angelic features belies the inner strength of his character, reads a lot of books, "anything I can lay my hands on", watches horror movies and loves slow music. Aravinda de Silva and Wasim Akram are Hewage's favourite cricketers because "they are very good players".

Source :: Daily News (https://www.lanka.net)