Ashley Chandrasinghe hits handsome century for Casey South Melbourne on debut
What a dreamy start to Victorian Premier Cricket for young left-hander Ashley Chandrasinghe: a century in his first innings.
South East
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Casey South Melbourne needed a lifter after last week’s lacklustre performance against Monash Tigers.
It came on Saturday, in the fresh face and bold performance of Ashley Chandrasinghe in his First XI debut.
What a dreamy start to Premier Cricket for the 18-year-old.
The left-hander opened the innings and made a superb 144 to lead the Swans to a powerful position against Northcote at Casey Fields.
A week after being skittled for 125, they raised 7-332 after opting to bat.
Chandrasinghe was out in the second last over of the day, having faced 286 deliveries.
There were 15 fours and 1 six for the new boy, who has been with the Swans since 2015-16.
After starting at Berwick Springs juniors, he first came to attention when he was selected in the Victorian Under 12 schoolboys team as a bottom-ager in 2012-13. He also captained the Dandenong District Cricket Association Under 12 Mitchell Shield team.
Since then he has been a “pathways’’ regular for the Southern Pioneers. Two weeks ago he played in the Under 18 Twenty20 Youth Premier League series for the Pioneers and hit 55, 88 not out, 14 not out and 49 not out.
But, with his patience, temperament and technique, he has always been regarded more as an accumulator than a dasher.
Chandrasinghe and Casey South Melbourne skipper Luke Wells (35) put on 59 for the first wicket, a safe start, but at 5-168 the hosts still had much to do, having lost Aaron Fernando (24), Joel Mitchell (1), Michael Wallace (16) and Lachie Sperling (13).
Wicketkeeper Dev Pollock joined the debutant, and they put on 156 for the sixth wicket, just five short of the club record.
Pollock gave a reminder of his ability with the bat, cracking 80 off 103 balls, with 7 fours and 1 six.
The stand took the Swans’ position from handy to handsome.
At the last drinks break Chandrasinghe was on 99 and Pollock on 35.
They got busy from there as the Swans added almost 100 in the final hour.
Casey South Melbourne coach Brian Keogh wasn’t surprised by the debutant’s dazzling entrance.
On Friday Keogh told Leader that Chandrasinghe was a “quality young guy with a strong technique and the ability to make runs on debut’’.
“It was so brilliant,’’ Keogh said this morning.
“We were always going to bring him up for a debut at some stage after Christmas. We thought about the one-day game last week but in the end we decided we’d get him in for a two-day game, at home and in good conditions.
“Yeah, well, did he deliver.
“It was like he’d played 100 games. He was so impressive. His patience, his shot selection, his driving. He played a magnificent backfoot drive when he was about 80. He got to 20 reasonably quickly when he was batting with ‘Wellsy’, then he went a bit slower from 20 to 50, then he went really quickly from 50 to 80, and then he went really quickly from 100 to 140.
“For a kid of 18 playing his first game … without putting pressure on him, who knows how far he could go. He’s got so much upside. He’s still developing his kitbag of shots.’’
Chandrasinghe’s lifelong batting coach and former District cricket great Owen Mottau watched every ball of the innings.
