The England Women’s Under-19 cricket team is set to embark on a tour of Sri Lanka in March-April 2024, where they will compete in a Tri-Series against the host nation and Australia. The series will feature T20 and 50-over formats, with further details on dates and venues to be confirmed later. A significant highlight of the series is the inclusion of Amuruthaa Surenkumar, a Tamil woman of Sri Lankan descent from Jaffna, in the England squad. This announcement marks a historic moment, as Amrutha is the first woman from Jaffna to be selected for an international women’s cricket team. Her father, Surenkumar, is a former cricketer from St. John’s, renowned for his record-breaking individual score of 145 runs in the Jaffna Big Match against Jaffna Central College.
In 2021, at the young age of 14, Amuruthaa achieved a remarkable feat by becoming the youngest player ever selected for an academy squad in the new regional women’s cricket competition. This competition involved eight teams from across England. Amuruthaa was chosen from a pool of 100 nominated players to join the inaugural Sunrisers Academy. This academy is part of a hub representing nine counties throughout London, the East, and the MCC, catering to players up to 19. Her selection into this prestigious academy was a significant milestone in her cricketing journey, paving the way for her current achievement as the first woman from Jaffna to be selected for an international women’s cricket team.
