PINT batsman Mariyatharsha Shanthakumar smashes back to back centuries

A PINT batsman has proven his talent after smashing out consecutive centuries for his club. See all the best batters and bowlers from the 2023 Darwin cricket season.

They say all good things come in threes, and that’s been the case with successive hard-hitting centuries in Darwin cricket.

Three players have achieved the impressive feat of hitting back-to-back centuries across the grades in the 2023 season.

Sri Lankan-born PINT batter Mariyatharsha Shanthakumar, who came to Darwin eight years ago, stroked two consecutive hundreds for the club in the Sunday Division 1 competition.

Darwin’s Leon Danicic and Tracy Village’s Waseem Akram also achieved the same feat during the same month in July

Shanthakumar stroked an even 100 off 72 balls against Nightcliff on July 9 at Nightcliff Oval, in a match his side won by six wickets bowling the Tigers out for 148 runs.

Then, the following Sunday, he hit a 42-ball 108 against Darwin at Kahlin Oval, once again playing a pivotal role in a winning innings beating the Eagles by 95 runs.

Mariyatharsha Shanthakumar made consecutive hundreds for PINT in July. Picture: PINT Cricket Club.

He said his second innings against the Eagles was his personal favourite, cutting loose in the final 10 overs of the game.

And he made sure they knew who had done the damage hitting a six off the final ball of the innings off a Jack Page delivery.

Shanthakumar said he enjoyed playing for PINT, in what he deemed difficult cricket conditions due to the heat.

“It’s very challenging to play cricket in Darwin, especially in the hot weather,” he said.

“I’ve been playing for PINT for the last two years and I enjoy playing with them.”

He recently made his third hundred for the season, an incredible 134 off 90s balls in PINT’s total score of 231 against Waratah on August 13.

Darwin batter stands out with bat in hand

Darwin cricket has witnessed a rarity you might only see once or twice in a season, with not one but two batters making consecutive hundreds in just over a week.

Darwin batter Leon Danicic smoked an unbeaten 128 off just 126 balls against Waratah at Wulagi Oval on July 29, as the Eagles posted 1/254 in C Grade.

It came less than a week after hitting 143 not out the previous weekend in the Sunday division 1 competition against the University Thunders at Kahlin Oval.

And the feat was achieved the same day Tracy Village’s Waseem Akram hit his second successive century of the weekend, 129 off just 83 balls against University Tigers, in the same competition at Wanguri Oval.

Akram had made a relatively sedate 107 off 138 balls the previous day against the University Chargers at Tracy Village Oval in B Grade.

Darwin batter Leon Danicic smoked an unbeaten 128 off just 126 balls against Waratah.

Danicic said the first triple-figure innings was his debut century, after benefiting from a stroke of fortune after nicking a ball through slips while still in single digits.

“I guess it doesn’t rain, it pours,” he said.

Danicic, who has recently returned to the Territory after a stint in Melbourne, said he and teammate Shishir Ramakrishna had a pre-game ice bath before the first century against the Tahs.

“(It) isn’t a regular activity (for me), might be something in that,” he said.

“Mainly it’s due to the great coaching minds we have down at the club.

“If anyone’s looking to play cricket in Darwin or looking for a club change, look no further than the Darwin Cricket Club.

“Best place in the Territory to play cricket, hands down, with a fortress for a home ground, great people and culture.”

Tracy Village batsman Waseem Akram hits consecutive hundreds

Tracy Village’s Waseem Akram has had a standout couple of weeks in the Darwin & Districts Cricket Competition, but unlike his legendary near-namesake, his talents are more with the bat than ball.

The 33-year-old Pakistan product has dominated with the bat, hitting consecutive hundreds in Darwin cricket for the second time in four years.

The father-of-three hit 107 off 138 balls for the Villagers against the University Chargers at Tracy Village Oval in B Grade on July 22.

Then, the following day, he blasted 129 off just 83 balls — including 12 fours and seven sixes — against the University Chargers at Wanguri Oval in the division 1 Sunday competition.

However, it’s not the first time Akram has achieved the feat, scoring consecutive hundreds in the UK and during Darwin’s Asia Cup four years ago.

In 2019, Akram hit 119 not out from 59 balls for the Pakistani Eagles, his second in a row at the Asia Cup competition.

Akram grew up in a small village in Pakistan, playing cricket in the streets, before his game took him to the UK where he played for York in the Yorkshire Premier League North, achieving a high score of 180 during his time in the country.

Waseem Akram has played cricket for Tracy Village for over seven years. Picture: Supplied

He would later arrive in Darwin in 2014 to complete a master’s degree and has flourished through the game of cricket.

“I wish I had more words to explain the relationship and love with this sport,” Akram said, after joining Tracy Village more than seven years ago.

“I wasn’t able to score in the early matches (this season) but from the last three weeks I have been able to score some runs and I hope I can continue playing like this.”

He said he loved the Darwin lifestyle and the locals were “very accepting”, with his talent at cricket winning him plenty of respect and creating many friendships.

Districts opener Corey Hunter stars with big ton

New Southern Districts opener Corey Hunter is planning to use a strong season in Darwin to win himself back a state contract at home in Queensland and catch a few fish in the process.

Hunter, who played a Premier Grade game for Waratah in 2021, is a key cog in Crocs coach Tony Judd’s new look squad, which has added some familiar faces in recent weeks in premiership players Corey Kelly and Brodie Symons.

However, it was the other Corey in Queenslander Hunter who did the business for the reigning champs on Saturday against Darwin at Kahlin Oval, making an even 100 as he converted one of his many starts in Premier Grade.

Alongside fellow opener Dylan Mullen (41), the pair gave Districts a great launching pad as they compiled 9/247 declared, exposing the Eagles to a nasty five-over spell, leaving them 2/21.

Hunter, a keen fisho and cabinet maker who is also playing in the Strike League, lost his state contract two years ago and is keen to win it back.

He was also drawn up north by the weather and what he sees as superior pitches to those in the Sunshine State.

Corey Hunter playing for Southern Districts against Darwin in the 2023 season. Picture: NT Cricket

“My game’s definitely improving, just adjusting to conditions up here,” Hunter said.

“A lot more spin would be the biggest thing I would say, by a country mile.

“We’ve got a great group down there at Southern Districts, who all get along.

“I didn’t hit them as well as I would have liked to (against Darwin) but it felt good to spend a lot of time in the middle.”

The Crocs have had an up and down season, with Judd adding the likes of Josh Kann – who Hunter has played with and against in QLD – Tom Jackson, Reiley Mark and Jackson Isakka but still sit third on the Premier Grade ladder.

After losing the likes of Sam Kerber, Xavier Crone and Tom O’Connell from last season’s class, the Crocs have regained some bowling firepower in Kelly and Symons in recent rounds.

“They’re a point of difference for us because they’ve got the extra pace,” he said of Kelly and Symons.

“Our bowling’s been fine, it’s just the batters not getting the runs they have in the past.”

However, Hunter is convinced the wickets are not as flat as previous seasons, calling them “a bit more spicy” in 2023.