A different lesson

The ICC Under-19 World Cup brings together the world's elite youth cricketers and watching them on television it is easy to forget how young they are and that they are on an educational quest -- not just about cricket but about life in general. One such opportunity presented itself for the Sri Lankan youths in Dhaka, in the form of a brief appearance to meet a group of differently-abled students from the Parents Forum for Differently Able (PFDA) Vocational Training Centre at hotel Le Meridian yesterday.

The event was organised by International Labour Organisation (ILO), which was represented by senior communications officer Steve Needham, in order to persuade similar organisations to band together in an effort to raise awareness and eventually decrease the number of differently-abled children who are unable to find work.

They were in relaxed mood away from the serious business of their World Cup campaign, no doubt buoyed by the two wins that took them through to the quarterfinals. The entire squad were enthralled from start to finish by the lives of these children. There were no communication problems as the children of the foundation were fluent in English, as well as being gifted in their own separate ways.

The programme began at 10 am and lasted over an hour; media presence was relatively light and that was perhaps why the Lankan youngsters were able to open up so much despite sporadic and mostly futile calls from their management to curb their enthusiasm. During the seminar, the head of the PFDA Sajida Rahman Danny told the stories of each and every child, which the U-19 squad listened to eagerly, they also enjoyed a musical performance from two members of the group. Near the end the team took it upon themselves to have a chat with the children, followed by a brief photo shoot which was sprinkled with the inevitable selfies between the players and the children.

When captain Charith Asalanka was asked how the team were feeling before tomorrow's big game against fellow last-eight qualifiers Pakistan, he replied, “Well, it's a vital game, but it's just a game, that's how my friends and I see it. So we will take it as such.”

One wonders if such a philosophical view existed before their visit or whether it came about because of the different perspective that the cricketers were exposed to. Either way, the event left the impression that both groups of youngsters benefited from the experience.