Stokesley has recently signed in-form Suminda Lakshan for its 2020 North Yorkshire and South Durham Cricket League campaign.

On song

Lakshan signed with the ECB Premier League outfit a few days prior to the Major Emerging Players Tournament and, he’s celebrated by producing some incredible performances.

In the Tournament opener, Lakshan starred for the Air Force against Panadura SC, hammering a century (108) before taking figures of 5-47.

Yesterday, the leg-spin bowling all-rounder was the stand-out against Saracens SC taking the impressive figures of 7-86 before playing a lone hand with the bat scoring 78.

Suminda batting for Sri Lanka Air Force during the 2018/19 Premier Tournament

Domestic cricket success

In domestic cricket, Lakshan plays for Sri Lanka Air Force Sports Club in Tier B of Sri Lanka’s domestic competition.

He really hit his straps last summer (2018/19). With the bat, he finished fifth on the Tier B first-class run charts – behind CricX stars Damith Perera (792), Thimira Jayasinghe (633), Sachin Jayawardena (577) and Geeth Kumara (551). His tally of 537 runs at 53.70 included two brilliant centuries – namely 120 v Kurunegala Youth and 153 against KTC.

With the ball, Lakshan took 19 wickets at 34.21 with his leg-spin to finish second on SL Air Force’s wicket charts to fellow CricX pro and UK league legend, Umega Chathuranga.

In his last three matches of the first-class season, he scored 120 (v Kurunegala Youth), 50* (v Police) and 153, 89 (v KTC), plus figures of 5-89 against the latter.

In white-ball cricket, Lakshan also finished inside the top 10 wicket-takers in the Premier Limited Overs Tournament (13 wickets at 16.07), sitting narrowly behind the likes of international bowlers Wanindu de Silva (18), Sachithra Senanayake (17), Asitha Madusanka Fernando (15), Malinda Pushpakumara (15) and alongside fellow CricX stars Eranga Rathnayake and Dhammika Prasad (13).

Lakshan is clearly a player for the future who is eager to make a big impact in the NYSD for Stokesley in what will be his maiden UK stint in 2020.