A 15-year-old Sri Lankan boy has created history by being selected for the England deaf cricket team.
Nisal Karunaratne who has been playing the sport competitively for just four years has been picked for the Brentwood School first XI, Essex County Cricket Club youth teams and now the full England Lions development team for the deaf, according to a report in Brentwood Gazzette (http://bit.ly/RgKLPR).
Just last month the off-spinning all rounder, who aspires to be a doctor, made his fourth appearance for the Lions against a Kent second XI and next year he hopes to be picked for a tour to South Africa where they will play against the Proteas' deaf XI.
His hearing is at 75 per cent with aids and 45 per cent without.
"Playing for England was the best moment of my life, I felt like I could achieve anything in the world," he said.
Cricket runs in the family. His father, Chanaka, represented Sri Lanka at under-19 level in the 1980s.
The teenager, who was once speechless while meeting his fast bowling hero Lasith Malinga in Sri Lanka, has already bagged personal best bowling figures of 6-10 and 35 with the bat.
Brentwood School's director of Sport, Ian Wignall, described Nisal making the England Lions deaf team as an "incredible achievement".
"I think he has got the potential to go as far as he wants to go if he continues to work hard. His future is very exciting."