Full name Balapuwaduge Ajantha Winslo MendisBorn March 11, 1985, Moratuwa
Current age 24 years
Major teams Sri Lanka, Kolkata Knight Riders, Sri Lanka Army, Wayamba
Batting style Right-hand bat
Bowling style Right-arm offbreak, Legbreak
Although classified as a right-arm, slow-medium bowler, Ajantha Mendis is a spinner who bowls a mixture of googlies, offbreaks, top-spinners, flippers and legbreaks. Batsmen have been confounded by the variety of deliveries he has up his sleeve and are at a loss to figure out what his stock delivery is. Mendis was a prolific wicket-taker for Sri Lanka Army in the 2007-08 season and had taken 46 wickets at an average of 10.56 and strike-rate of 31 from six matches. His performances did not go unnoticed for Mendis was called up to the Sri Lanka squad for the tour of West Indies in April 2008. After impressing on debut in the Caribbean, Mendis only grew in stature - in particular, because of his 'carrom ball', which he releases with an unusual snap of his fingers. In a short span Mendis has flummoxed some international batsmen who've played spin pretty well in their careers. Just ask the Indians, who were clueless against him in the Asia Cup final, where Mendis netted 6 for 13 in his eighth one-day international. His 17 wickets in the tournament duly earned him the Man-of-the-Series award and soon after earned a call-up to the Test squad to face India at home. What a series it was: the best returns for a bowler in a three match-debut series, beating Alec Bedser's record by two. Mendis started by becoming the first Sri Lankan to take eight wickets on Test debut, and finished with 26 wickets, bamboozling India with unpredictability, killer efficiency and numbing accuracy, to be named Man of the Series.
Full name Angelo Davis MathewsBorn June 2, 1987, Colombo
Current age 22 years
Major teams Sri Lanka, Basnahira North, Colts Cricket Club, Kolkata Knight Riders, Sri Lanka A, Sri Lanka Under-19s
Batting style Right-hand bat
Bowling style Right-arm fast-medium
Mathews made his debut for Sri Lanka Under-19s when he was just 16 years old, against Pakistan in 2003. He is an outstanding allrounder, capable of batting anywhere in the top order and also delivers lively medium pace. A fixture in the youth side since his debut, he was handed the captaincy for the 2005 tour of England. The highlight on that tour was an unbeaten 123 in the third Test which wasnot enough to stave of defeat. During the U-19 triangular series involving Bangladesh and England towards the end of 2005, Mathews produced a series impressive, mature innings with the bat. An unbeaten 70 set up a win against England and he followed that with 97 not out, in a defeat, against Bangladesh. After a quiet debut first-class season, in 2007-08, he made big strides with 696 runs at 58 and carried his good form in to Sri Lanka A's tour of South Africa. His performances there won the praise of the coach, Chandika Hathurusingha, who identified him as one for the future. He made it to the national side for the tour of Zimbabwe in 2008.
Full name Chamara Kantha KapugederaBorn February 24, 1987, Kandy
Current age 22 years
Major teams Sri Lanka, Chennai Super Kings, Colombo Cricket Club, Kandurata, Sri Lanka A
Nickname Kapu
Playing role Opening batsman
Batting style Right-hand bat
Bowling style Right-arm medium
Chamara Kapugedera, a naturally aggressive right-hander, was one of the few genuinely exciting batsmen the selectors unearthed from Sri Lanka's Under-19 set-up. From the age of 11, when he first turned out for Dharmaraja College in Kandy, Kapugedera has hardly wasted an opportunity to push himself up the ladder. He has captained all the junior school sides from the U-13 to the first XI. Following a prolific 2003-04 season, where he scored over 1000 runs, he was picked for the U-19 tour to Pakistan the following year and excelled with a stunning knock of 131 in a one-dayer against the world champions. It was an innings which he rated as one of his best although he batted equally well for 70 in his first game for Sri Lanka A against the strong New Zealand A team in 2005. The selectors, desperate to unearth new talent, eventually gambled on an early promotion and fast-tracked him into the national squad after several glowing reports from development coaches. Kapugedera's father, also a former Dharmaraja cricketer, provided early coaching and all the encouragement he needed to develop. David Karunaratne (his first coach) and Sumithra Warnakulasuriya (his U-19 coach) also played important roles in shaping Kapugedera's career. He was first picked in the national squad against India in November but pulled out of the tour with an injury. However, he made his ODI debut, aged just 18, against Australia in Perth in 2006, immediately impressing with his composure. Considered a possible opener in one-day cricket, he scored a maiden fifty against Pakistan in March 2006 and followed that with his first Test fifty against England, at Trent Bridge, as Sri Lanka squared the series having started with a golden duck at Lord's. He's in the process of cementing his place in the one-day squad, scoring a handful of half-centuries since the CB Series in Australia in 2007-08.
Full name Lindamlilage Prageeth Chamara SilvaBorn December 14, 1979, Panadura
Current age 30 years 54 days
Major teams Sri Lanka, Basnahira South, Bloomfield Cricket and Athletic Club, Deccan Chargers, Panadura Sports Club, Sebastianites Cricket and Athletic Club, Sinhalese Sports Club
Batting style Right-hand bat
Bowling style Legbreak
Chamara Silva first arrived on the scene as a slightly-built 19-year-old in 1999, a beneficiary of the youth policy adopted by Sidath Wettimuny, the chairman of the selectors at the time. He began with a promising 54 on his ODI debut against Australia. His mannerisms while batting - particularly bow-legged stance and the flamboyant cover drives - immediately attracted comparisons with the great Aravinda de Silva. But despite being prodigiously talented, he failed to nail down a regular place during tours to Sharjah (1999), Zimbabwe (1999), Pakistan (2000) and England (2002). After the England tour he dropped out of the selectors' radar and returned to domestic cricket where he captained Panadura Cricket Club. Over the next four years he was a prolific run-scorer, especially after a move to Sebastianites for the 2004-05 season. Eventually he caught the eye of Tom Moody, who could not understand why he was not in the national squad. A quick promotion back into the Sri Lanka A team followed and after a successful tour to India he won a long overdue international recall. Still just 27, he was a surprise selection for the New Zealand tour and was handed his maiden cap in the first Test at Christchurch. It was an inauspicious start as he bagged a pair and Sri Lanka lost by five wickets. Sri Lanka's team management, however, kept faith for the second Test in Wellington and he rewarded them handsomely, scoring 61 in the first innings and a magnificent unbeaten 152 in the second. His maiden one-day century followed in India, just three weeks before the World Cup.
Full name Uda Walawwe Mahim Bandaralage Chanaka Asanga WelegedaraBorn March 20, 1981, Matale
Current age 28 years
Major teams Sri Lanka, Moors Sports Club, Sri Lanka A, Wayamba
Batting style Right-hand bat
Bowling style Left-arm fast-medium
Welegedera was a late starter to cricket. He learnt to play the game for St. Thomas' College in Matale at the age of 17, but he made rapid progress performing in provincial matches. When he came to Colombo he was selected as one of 15 probables by Daryl Foster, the Australian fast bowling coach, for the Sri Lanka Pace Academy headed by former Sri Lanka fast bowler Rumesh Ratnayake in 2000. Soon afterwards he was sent to the MRF Pace Academy in Chennai to further develop his skills. Playing for Moors SC since 2002 he bowled his club to the Premier league title in 2002-03 capturing 34 wickets (avg. 24.14) in 13 matches. But his career-best performance came the following season when he took a match haul of nine wickets against Colombo Cricket Club to steer Moors to a comprehensive ten-wicket win. He took the majority of his wickets bowling inswing and trapping the batsmen leg before. Welegedera toured Sharjah with the Sri Lanka Academy side and took seven wickets against UAE, which earned him selection for Sri Lanka A. But he suffered an ankle injury and had to be operated in Australia. The injury kept him out of cricket for 1 ½ years, but his Test debut finally arrived against England, in Galle, during the 2007-08 series. He impressed with a strong action and brisk pace, marking him out as an ideal successor to Chaminda Vaas.
Full name Chinthaka Umesh JayasingheBorn May 19, 1978, Kalutara
Current age 31 years
Major teams Sri Lanka, Bloomfield Cricket and Athletic Club, Burgher Recreation Club, Chilaw Marians Cricket Club, Kandurata, Nondescripts Cricket Club
Also known as Chintha
Batting style Right-hand bat
Bowling style Right-arm medium
The 22-year-old Chintaka Jayasinghe is a forthright and positive all-rounder. He hits the ball hard, bowls useful medium pace and could well break into the national one-day squad in the near future. He was educated at Dharmapala Vidyalaya in Pannipitiya. Perhaps his greatest cricketing moment to date was when he scored twin hundreds against Royal College, Colombo in 1995/96. His name first appeared on the national scene when the selectors included him in the U19 team that toured Malaysia and Singapore in 1994 and England in 1995. He also played for the Sri Lankan 'A' team that toured India in 1998 and played against Zimbabwe 'A' in their 2000 tour of Sri Lanka. He now plays his club cricket for BRC
Full name Kariyawasam Tirana Gamage Dammika PrasadBorn May 30, 1983, Ragama
Current age 26 years
Major teams Sri Lanka, Basnahira North, De Mazenod College, Sinhalese Sports Club, Sri Lanka A, Sri Lanka Schools XI
Batting style Right-hand bat
Bowling style Right-arm fast-medium
A promising career with the national team looked certain when Dammika Prasad took two wickets in as many balls in his first over of his ODI debut against Bangladesh in 2006. He went on to play two more matches before his career was cut short by a back injury which kept him out of the game for six months. Having recovered, he was selected for the Sri Lanka A tour to England in 2007 where he hoped to perform well and regain his place in the national team. What may have helped him in this quest was his ability to bowl at the death in ODIs, having worked hard to develop subtle variations including a good yorker. Consistent performances on the domestic front earned him a first Test cap against India in August 2008 as Sri Lanka sought to add pace to their attack. He did not disappoint, taking five wickets in the match, including the wicket of India's best batsman, Virender Sehwag, in both innings.
Interestingly, Prasad started his cricket at De Mazenod College, Kandana, as a No.3 batsman. He played in this position till he reached 17 when he was forced to switch over to bowling fast because the school could not find anyone suitable to bowl with the new ball. He was selected for the Under-19 World Cup in 2002 and his performance paid off when he won a six-month scholarship to play in England. Prasad's best bowling effort was in the now-defunct provincial tournament when he took six wickets for 25 (match bag ten wickets) for Southern Province against Uva Province at the Galle International Stadium in 2004.
Full name Congenige Randhi Dilhara FernandoBorn July 19, 1979, Colombo
Current age 30 years
Major teams Sri Lanka, Asia XI, Mumbai Indians, Sinhalese Sports Club, Worcestershire
Batting style Right-hand bat
Bowling style Right-arm fast-medium
When Fernando burst onto the international scene, young and raw, he soon inspired hope that he would be the long-term replacement for Chaminda Vaas as the cutting edge of the pace attack. He has natural pace - six months after his debut he was timed at 91.9 mph in Durban - hits the pitch hard and moves the ball off the seam. During the early years he paid for his inconsistent line and length, but then worked hard with Rumesh Ratnayake in the Fast Bowling Unit and became more reliable. He also learnt the art of reverse swing and developed a well-disguised slower ball. His career, though, has been plagued with injury. He suffered his second stress fracture of the back in 12 months in January 2004 and missed the entire home series against Australia. However, he has now been slowly nursed back to full fitness and after playing for Sri Lanka A in New Zealand, he has won his place back in the squad. He struggled to hold down a regular spot, especially in the Test team, and was again struck by injury in 2005. However, he fought his way back for the one-day leg of the tour of England and, although he is having to look over his shoulder at the young seamers, has forced off the attention of Nuwan Zoysa for a place in the 2007 World Cup squad. But he remains a wild card that can either win or lose a match in one spell. Worcestershire thought of him as a winner, however, when they signed him for the final few weeks of their Championship campaign in 2008.
Full name Kaushalya WeeraratneBorn January 29, 1981, Gampola
Current age 29 years
Major teams Sri Lanka, Bloomfield Cricket and Athletic Club, Colts Cricket Club, Kandurata, Nondescripts Cricket Club, Ragama Cricket Club
Batting style Left-hand bat
Bowling style Right-arm medium-fast
A right-arm medium-pacer whose stock delivery is the out-swinger Kaushalya Weeraratne was earmarked early as an allrounder for the future. His bowling was stronger than his batting during the initial stages but he had the ability to hit the ball cleanly. He was an integral part of Sri Lanka's Under-19 World Cup squad in 2000 and his 12 wickets at an average of 13 apiece help fast track his progress to the senior team. Weeraratne made his ODI debut in the Asia Cup in 2000. However, poor form and injury resulted in Weeraratne failing to cement his place in the team and he spent nearly five years on the sidelines after his 11th ODI in 2003. He forced himself back into reckoning after successfully remodeling his action and scored a blistering half-century off 12 balls, which was the fastest fifty in one-day cricket, during a domestic match in 2005. He received a call up to the national squad for the tour of the West Indies and the Asia Cup in 2008
Full name Kumar Chokshanada SangakkaraBorn October 27, 1977, Matale
Current age 32 years
Major teams Sri Lanka, Asia XI, Central Province, Colombo District Cricket Association, ICC World XI, Kandurata, Kings XI Punjab, Marylebone Cricket Club, Nondescripts Cricket Club, Warwickshire
Batting style Left-hand bat
Bowling style Right-arm offbreak Fielding position Wicketkeeper
Within months of breaking into the side at 22, Kumar Sangakkara became one of Sri Lanka's most influential players: a highly talented left-handed strokemaker, a slick wicketkeeper, a sharp-eyed strategist and an even sharper-tongued sledger, capable of riling even the most unflappable characters.
His arrival was relatively unexpected, for his domestic performances were relatively modest, but the selectors' judgement was immediately justified as he starred in his first tournament, the Singer Series 2000 against South Africa and Pakistan, as a wicketkeeper-cum-batsman. During the early days his wicketkeeping could be ragged at times, but his effortless batting oozed class from the start. He possesses the grace of David Gower but the attitude of an Australian. His approach is naturally aggressive and his greatest weakness is a capacity to over-react when the adrenaline really starts to pump. At the outset he was happier on the back foot but a fierce work ethic and a deep interest in the theory of batsmanship helped him round off his game, and he is now as comfortable driving through the covers as cutting behind point.
His arrival was bad news for the popular Romesh Kaluwitharana, who soon lost his place in both forms of the game, although he made intermittent comebacks as the selectors worried about overburdening Sangakkara. His arrival also helped solve the long-term search for a No. 3 batsman to fill the void left since the retirement of Asanka Gurusinha. The exhausting dual responsibility of batting at No. 3 and keeping wicket is the source of widespread debate and the selectors relieved him of the gloves in one-day cricket after the 2003 World Cup. The change increased his productivity as a batsman but left the team unbalanced and he was handed back the wicketkeeping duties during Australia's tour in 2003-04. Unlike before, this time the extra burden had no effect on his batting. For a time the selectors indicated a desire for him to concentrate on his batting in Test cricket, but the rapid improvement of his keeping means that he was handed back the gloves to give the team balance.
A charismatic personality and an astute thinker - he is training to be a lawyer between tours - Sangakarra is tipped as a potential future captain. He was rewarded for his consistent performances with a spot in the ICC World XI for the Super Series one-day matches in October 2005, but was surprisingly overlooked for the Test squad. However, his form has remained superbly consistent for Sri Lanka and he reached new heights in July 2006 when he added a world record 624 for the third wicket, against South Africa at Colombo, and his share was 287. He followed that with back-to-back centuries on tour in New Zealand, twin unbeaten double-centuries against Bangladesh, and a glorious 192 in defeat against Australia, to confirm his standing among the best wicketkeeper-batsmen of all time. He then anchored Sri Lanka's victorious 2008 Asia Cup campaign with three centuries. Perhaps his most exemplary innings under pressure was the 59 off 133 balls in the tri-series final in Mirpur in 2009 to help Sri Lanka break out of jail at 6 for 5.
Full name Hettige Don Rumesh Lahiru ThirimanneBorn September 8, 1989, Moratuwa
Current age 20 years
Major teams Sri Lanka, Basnahira South, Ragama Cricket Club, Sri Lanka A, Sri Lanka Under-19s
Batting style Left-hand bat
Bowling style Right-arm medium-fast
Lahiru Thirimanne is considered by many to be among best young all-round batsmen in the country, and he won a place in the national side for the tri-nation series in Bangladesh in January 2010. His reputation as a finisher helped in his selection.
In his first full season with Ragama CC (2009-10), Thirimanne accumulated 709 runs (avg. 59.08) from eight matches, scoring two hundreds and five fifties. He was also a member of the Sri Lanka Under-19 team which played in the 2008 World Cup in Malaysia. He graduated to the Academy team, after which he toured New Zealand and also scored a century against Pakistan in a three-day game.
Full name Separamadu Lasith MalingaBorn August 28, 1983, Galle
Current age 26 years
Major teams Sri Lanka, BCCSL Academy XI, Galle Cricket Club, Kent, Mumbai Indians, Nondescripts Cricket Club, Ruhuna
Also known as Separamadu Lasith Malinga Swarnajith
Batting style Right-hand bat
Bowling style Right-arm fast
Already, he is rated the fastest bowler in Sri Lanka. His first performance in Sri Lankan colours was also impressive - he took 6 for 90 against a Northern Territory Chief Minister's XI. That paved the way for his inclusion in the Test team, and he acquitted himself quite well too, dismissing Darren Lehmann and Adam Gilchrist in the same over. During an impressive tour of New Zealand in April 2005 his low-slung action resulted in the New Zealand batsmen asking the umpire to change the colour of their trousers as the ball was getting lost. He is developing into Sri Lanka's key pace-bowling wicket-taker, especially as Chaminda Vaas continues to lose pace. Although he remains quite erratic and has a propensity to bowl no-balls, heis a genuine strike bowler, with both new ball and old, and one has the out-and-out pace to trouble the best batsmen on his day. His development as an all-round bowler was confirmed when he was the leading wicket-taker in the one-day series against England. He continued to impress in the Champions Trophy and on tour in New Zealand - where his yorkers made many batsmen hop around.
He established himself as a regular in the playing XI after an impressive World Cup in 2007, with 18 wickets at 15.77 from eight matches as Sri Lanka made it to the final. One of the moments of the tournament was Malinga's four in four against South Africa - the first time a bowler had taken four wickets off successive deliveries in international cricket. However, Malinga was largely ineffective during Sri Lanka's two Tests in Australia and the subsequent home series against England.
Full name Denagamage Proboth Mahela de Silva JayawardeneBorn May 27, 1977, Colombo
Current age 32 years
Major teams Sri Lanka, Asia XI, Asia XI, Kings XI Punjab, Sinhalese Sports Club, Wayamba
Batting style Right-hand bat
Bowling style Right-arm medium
A fine technician with an excellent temperament, Jayawardene's exciting arrival in 1997 heralded the start of a new era for Sri Lanka's middle order. His career reached new heights in 2006 when he was named captain, led a 5-0 one-day whitewash over England and then scored a Sri Lankan record 374 against South Africa at the SSC in Colombo. He added 624 for the third wicket with Kumar Sangakkara - a first-class record.
Jayawardene is the best batsman the island had produced since Sanath Jayasuriya (the man whose record Jayawardene took with his 374) and his rich talent fuelled towering expectations. Perhaps mindful of his first Test, when he went out to bat against India at Colombo in 1997 with the scoreboard reading 790 for 4, he soon developed an appetite for big scores. His 66 then was followed by a masterful 167 on a Galle minefield versus New Zealand in his fourth match. A marathon 242 against India followed in his seventh Test. However, after a prolific purple patch from 2000 to early-2002, his form became more patchy. His declining productivity in the one-day game was particularly alarming, although that was partly explained by his shuffling up and down the order. He suffered a run drought during the 2003 World Cup and was dropped immediately after. However, he soon regained his confidence and benefited from a stable batting position at No. 4 after the retirement of Aravinda de Silva. A good Test series against England was followed by a high-scoring run in 2004. He was appointed vice-captain of the one-day side for the second time in his career in 2003 and was named by the selectors as the heir to the captaincy after Marvan Atapattu's current tenure.
Jayawardene was given a chance to show what he brought to the captaincy when Atapattu was hit by back problems and he was named captain for the 2006 tour of England. He produced a stunning double of 61 and 119 at Lord's as Sri Lanka pulled off an amazing rearguard to save the match. The best, though, was still to come. After his 374 he struggled a little and fell into a slump, but as class players do he emerged in grand style and enjoyed a prolific series against England in December 2007.
His one-day captaincy reached a high when Sri Lanka made it to the final of the 2007 World Cup, slumped in the following months with inconsistent results and soared again after defeating India to claim the Asia Cup and the home Test series against the same team the following year.
In February 2009, he announced his resignation as captain following the 4-1 defeat in the home ODIs against India, saying the time was right for fresh leadership to take over.
Off the field he has won great admiration for his huge personal contribution to the HOPE cancer project.
Full name Mahela Lakmal UdawatteBorn July 19, 1986, Colombo
Current age 23 years
Major teams Sri Lanka, Ananda College, Chilaw Marians Cricket Club, Sri Lanka A, Sri Lanka Academy XI, Wayamba
Playing role Batsman
Batting style Left-hand bat
Bowling style Right-arm offbreak
A prolific run-getter for Ananda College, Mahela Udawatte's talents as a top-order batsman were not immediately recognised when he was overlooked for the Sri Lankan Under-19 team in 2003 despite scoring more than 1000 runs for his school that season. He got his break after he joined Chilaw Marians SC straight after school. Promoted to open the batting - he had batted at No. 3 at school - he reeled off three hundreds in five matches in the 2004-05 U-23 tournament, and was rewarded with a place in the Development Squad. He soon made it into the A team for the tour to England in 2007 after top-scoring for his club in the Premier final against SSC in 2005-06, making 67 out of 172 against an attack which included Dilhara Fernando and Nuwan Zoysa. A powerful and attacking batsman who likes to take on the quick bowlers, Udawatte is seen as a future prospect for the Sri Lanka one-day side, perhaps as a replacement for Sanath Jayasuriya. Rated highly by experts in Sri Lanka, including Mahela Jayawardene, Udawatte earned a call-up to the national squad for the tour of West Indies in 2008.
Born December 31, 1979, KalutaraCurrent age 30 years
Major teams Sri Lanka, Basnahira South, Galle Cricket Club, Gloucestershire, Kalutara Town Club, Nondescripts Cricket Club, Ragama Cricket Club, Tamil Union Cricket and Athletic Club
Batting style Right-hand bat
Bowling style Legbreak
Malinga Bandara was earmarked from an early age as a legspinner of great potential. On the basis of his school performances he was selected for the Under-19 tour to India in 1997, the Under-19 World Cup in South Africa, and the Sri Lanka A tour to England in 1999. In between, he made his Test debut against New Zealand in 1998-99 but looked all at sea in a disappointing display and did not come into consideration after that. But a match haul of 11 for 126 against England A in March 2005 confirmed his growing confidence and also helped attract the attention of Gloucestershire as they looked for a replacement for Upul Chandana. Bandara, like Chandana, is also a useful lower order batsman. He hasn't been able to nail a permanent place in the one-day set-up but has provided valuable support for Muttiah Muralitharan. It is his all-round versatility which won him a World Cup place for the Caribbean ahead of Chandana. He played just one game and has since struggled to find a place in the line-up. He was, however, named in the probables for the Champions Trophy.
Full name Muthumudalige PushpakumaraBorn September 26, 1981, Colombo
Current age 28 years
Major teams Sri Lanka, Ananda College, Basnahira North, BCCSL Academy XI, Colombo District Cricket Association, Colts Cricket Club, John Keells Group, Sri Lanka A, Sri Lanka Board President's XI, Sri Lanka Board Under-23s XI, Sri Lanka Board XI, Sri Lanka Cricket President's XI, Sri Lanka Emerging Team, Sri Lanka Under-19s, Tamil Union Cricket and Athletic Club
Playing role All-rounder Batting style Left-hand bat
Bowling style Right-arm offbreak Height 5 ft 9 in
Education Ananda College, Colombo
Full name Muttiah MuralitharanBorn April 17, 1972, Kandy
Current age 37 years
Major teams Sri Lanka, Asia XI, Chennai Super Kings, ICC World XI, Kandurata, Kent, Lancashire, Tamil Union Cricket and Athletic Club
Also known as Muttiah Muralidaran
Batting style Right-hand bat
Bowling style Right-arm offbreak Height 5 ft 7 in
Education St Anthony's College, Kandy
Averaging nearly six wickets per Test, Muttiah Muralitharan is one of the most successful bowlers in the game, the greatest player in Sri Lanka's history, and without doubt the most controversial cricketer of the modern age. Muralitharan's rise from humble beginnings, being the Tamil son of a hill-country confectioner, to the top of the wicket-takers' list in Test cricket has divided the cricket world in the past decade because of his weird bent-arm bowling action.
He bowls marathon spells, yet is forever on the attack. From a loose-limbed, open-chested action, his chief weapons are the big-spinning offbreak and two versions of the top-spinner, one of which goes straight on and the other, which has now been labelled his doosra, which spins in the opposite direction to his stock ball. His newest variation is a version of Shane Warne's slider, which is flicked out the side of his hand and rushes onto batsmen like a flipper. His super-flexible wrist makes him especially potent and guarantees him turn on any surface.
His career has been beset with controversy from the start. Suspicions about his action were whispered soon after his debut against the Australians in 1993 and then aired freely after he was called for throwing while touring Australia in 1995-96, first in the Boxing Day Test at Melbourne by Darrel Hair and later in the one-day series that followed. He was cleared by the ICC after biomechanical analysis at the University of Western Australia and at the University of Hong Kong in 1996. They concluded that his action created the 'optical illusion of throwing'.
But the controversy did not die away. He was called again on the 1998-99 tour to Australia, this time by Ross Emerson. Muralitharan was sent for further tests in Perth and England and was cleared again. However, the perfection of his doosra prompted further suspicion and at the end of a prolific three-match home series against Australia in March 2004 he was reported by ICC match referee Chris Broad. More high-tech tests followed, and ultimately forced the ICC to seriously look into the entire issue of throwing in international cricket, which revealed that many bowlers bend their arms during delivery, and that Murali might have been made an unfair victim. On the field, Murali continued to pile on the wickets, overtaking Courtney Walsh's 519-wicket world record to become the highest wicket-taker in Test history in May 2004.
It is unlikely that Muralitharan's career will ever be controversy-free, a fact that he now accepts. But the rapid progress of technology and sports science in the past decade has undoubtedly salvaged his reputation. He continues to pick up wickets by the bucket load, although many large hauls have come against the two weakest nations - Zimbabwe and Bangladesh. However, he saves his most stunning efforts for the big boys, such as his duel with the Australians in 2004 and his eight-wicket haul at Trent Bridge in 2006 which produced a famous series-levelling win against England.
Muralitharan picked up 23 wickets in the 2007 World Cup, though Sri Lanka were unable to repeat their 1996 final win against Australia. Muralitharan next featured in the home Test series against Bangladesh when, with the last of his 26 wickets, he became the second player to 700 Test wickets. He duly passed Warne's Test record of 708 wickets against England in December 2007, fittingly on his home ground in Kandy. He achieved the grand double of being the highest wicket-taker in ODIs as well when he went past Wasim Akram's record of 502 wickets in 2009.
Full name Warushavithana Upul TharangaBorn February 2, 1985, Balapitiya
Current age 25 years
Major teams Sri Lanka, Asia XI, Nondescripts Cricket Club, Ruhuna, Singha Sports Club, Sri Lanka Board XI
Batting style Left-hand bat
Fielding position Occasional wicketkeeper
Upul Tharanga's call-up to the national one-day squad in July 2005 brightened a year marred by the Asian tsunami, which washed away his family home in Ambalangoda, a fishing town on the west coast. From an early age he was tipped for the big time, playing Premier League cricket for Singha CC at the age of 15 and passing seamlessly and successfully through the Sri Lanka under-15, under-17 and under-19 development squads. He first really caught the eye during the under-19 World Cup in 2004 when he cracked 117 against South Africa and then 61 in 42 balls against India in the next game. Then, after a successful tour with the under-19 team to Pakistan, during which he scored half-centuries in each of the two Tests and two one-day matches, the Sri Lankan board sent him to play league cricket in Essex, where he starred for Loughton Cricket Club. He soon graduated to the A team and after accomplished performances against West Indies A earlier he was selected for the national squad a week later. However, it was on the 2006 tour of England that he really began to develop, especially in the one-day game, with an outstanding century at Lord's in the first match of Sri Lanka's 5-0 whitewash. Back-to-back centuries followed in the Champions Trophy and he was formed a destructive partnership with Sanath Jayasuriya without having to compromise his natural flair. He is also a skillful wicketkeeper.
Full name Hewasandatchige Asiri Prasanna Wishvanath JayawardeneBorn October 9, 1979, Colombo
Current age 30 years 120 days
Major teams Sri Lanka, Basnahira South, Bloomfield Cricket and Athletic Club, Colombo Cricket Club, Nondescripts Cricket Club, Sebastianites Cricket and Athletic Club, Sinhalese Sports Club
Batting style Right-hand bat
Fielding position Wicketkeeper
Prasanna Jayawardene looked set for a long career after touring England as a 19-year-old in 1998, but had been marginalised since the rocket-fuelled arrival of Kumar Sangakkara in 2000. Waiting on the sidelines, in fact, had already been a feature of Jayawardene's career. He made his Test debut against Pakistan at Kandy in June 2000, but was confined to the dressing-room throughout, as Sri Lanka batted over the first three days before rain washed out play on the last two. The resurgence of Romesh Kaluwitharana threatened to push Jayawardene further down the pecking order, but his batting has steadily improved in the intervening years, and with the Sri Lankan selectors voicing their concerns about overburdening Sangakkara, Jayawardene was recalled to the Test squad for the tour of Zimbabwe in April 2004. However, it wasn't until the tour of New Zealand in 2006-07 when he established himself in the Test side, allowing Sangakkara to play as a specialist batsman. Jayawardene started making better contributions with the bat, scoring his maiden century, against Bangladesh. Though Sangakkara remains the first choice keeper in limited overs cricket, Jayawardene was given a chance to reclaim his spot when named in the Champions Trophy probables.
Full name Herath Mudiyanselage Rangana Keerthi Bandara HerathBorn March 19, 1978, Kurunegala
Current age 31 years
Major teams Sri Lanka, Kurunegala Youth Cricket Club, Moors Sports Club, Sri Lanka A, Surrey, Wayamba
Batting style Left-hand bat
Bowling style Slow left-arm orthodox
Rangana Herath shot to prominence against Australia in 1999 with a 'mystery' ball. An orthodox left-arm spinner who broke into the side after an impressive A tour to England, he deceived the Australians in the first few matches with a delivery that darted the other way. After that series he has hovered on the fringes of the Test squad for a while, regularly playing for the A team, before being recalled for the third Test against Australia in Colombo. He didn't get a game on the tour to Australia, but in Pakistan in 2004-05, he showed plenty of signs of his talent - bowling slowly through the air, getting it to flight, grip and turn, he took 11 wickets in two Tests. He was recalled to the Test squad for the tour of West Indies after nearly three years in the wilderness.He did little of note till the first Test against Pakistan in Galle in July 2009, turning in a Man-of-the-Match performance to hand Sri Lanka an improbable win. He is fast shaping into a potent partner for Muttiah Muralitharan
Full name Sanath Teran JayasuriyaBorn June 30, 1969, Matara
Current age 40 years
Major teams Sri Lanka, Asia XI, Asia XI, Bloomfield Cricket and Athletic Club, Colombo Cricket Club, Dolphins,
Batting style Left-hand bat
Bowling style Slow left-arm orthodox
One of the world's most uncompromising strikers of the ball, Jayasuriya found belated fame as a pinch-hitter at the 1996 World Cup, and then demonstrated that he was also capable of massive scoring in Tests, eventually becoming Sri Lanka's highest Test run-scorer. He remains dizzily dangerous, especially on the subcontinent's slower, less bouncy surfaces. Short in stature and powerfully built, he cuts and pulls with awesome power, and his brutal bat-wielding is at odds with his shy, gentle nature. Wised-up opponents have learned to set traps in the gully and at third man to stem the flow of runs, but on song he can be virtually unstoppable, capable of scoring freely on both sides of the wicket.
Jayasuriya is also an extremely effective and canny left-arm spinner, especially in one-day internationals where his stock leg-stump darts are mixed up with clever variations in pace. Jayasuriya served commendably as Sri Lanka's captain for a successful tenure after the sacking of Arjuna Ranatunga in 1999. His leadership style was consensual in comparison to the Napoleon approach adopted by Ranatunga, and he soon built a happy and unified team. The huge responsibility of leading the team, though, started to show and by the 2003 World Cup, after a myriad of off-field controversies, it was clear that he had become a reluctant captain. He eventually resigned in April 2003.
Having stepped down, his position in the side was more vigorously debated and a one-day slump prompted several pundits to call time on his career. But Jayasuriya was far from finished, and he bounced back in 2004 with his most prolific year in Test cricket since 1997. The year included a blazing second-innings century against Australia at Kandy that nearly levelled the series and a marathon double-hundred against Pakistan at Faisalabad. Twin centuries followed during the Asia Cup 2004 and his form was impressive enough for Somerset to sign him up for a season of County Cricket in 2005. And in the Indian Oil Cup in 2005, Jayasuriya became only the fourth batsman to get to 10,000 runs in one-day cricket.
He retired in 2006, only to almost immediately retract his decision. After behind-the-scenes machinations which hinted at internal power struggles between board and coach, he was shoehorned into the squad for the Test series in England but did not play. He bounced back in typical form, however, in the one-day series that followed, showing he has a few more miles left on the clock.
At the age of 38, Jayasuriya scored 467 runs during the 2007 World Cup in the West Indies and was the oldest player in the World Twenty20 that followed in South Africa. He called time on his Test career during the first Test against England in Kandy in 2007-08, and bowed out with a cracking 78 in his final innings. His one-day career was all but over when he was omitted for the ODIs in the West Indies in 2008. However, a stirring performance in the IPL - finishing the third-highest run-getter with 514 runs - prompted his country's sports minister to intervene in his selection for the Asia Cup. He ultimately shaped Sri Lanka's title victory with a blistering hundred under pressure. In January 2009, during the first ODI against India, he became the second man to cross 13,000 ODI runs, and at 39 years and 212 days the oldest man to score an ODI century
Full name Hewa Kaluhalamullage Suraj Randiv KaluhalamullaBorn January 30, 1985, Matara
Current age 25 years
Major teams Sri Lanka, Bloomfield Cricket and Athletic Club, Kandurata, Matara Sports Club, Nondescripts Cricket Club, Rahula College, Sinhalese Sports Club, Sri Lanka A, Sri Lanka Under-15s, Sri Lanka Under-19s
Also known as Suraj Mohamed
Batting style Right-hand bat Bowling style Right-arm offbreak
Suraj Mohamed is another in the line of Sri Lankan spinners. He is now recognised as a good offspinner, but Suraj began his career as a right-arm fast bowler at junior level. When his school found that they had no spinner in their Under-15 side, the coach requested him to switch over to bowling offbreaks. Starting as a part-time bowler, he was soon picking up wickets on a regular basis and started representing Matara SC while still at school. Twenty-three wickets in four matches in the U-23 tournament in 2003-04 did not go unnoticed by Marvan Atapattu and Mahela Jayawardene, who brought him over to SSC. He benefited immensely in the presence of Atapattu and Jayawardene, learning how to bowl under pressure and to different fields. He insists, though, that the doosra is best left to Muttiah Muralitharan to perfect. "I will stick to my offbreaks and topspinners." He picked up 55 first-class wickets in 2005-06 but fell away in the next three seasons. However, he struck form again in 2008-09, taking 43 wickets and an injury to Murali before the Galle Test against Pakistan led to a national call-up.
Full name Ranasinghe Arachchige Suranga LakmalBorn March 10, 1987, Matara
Current age 22 years
Major teams Sri Lanka, Basnahira South, Matara Sports Club, Sri Lanka A, Tamil Union Cricket and Athletic Club
Batting style Right-hand bat
Bowling style Right-arm medium-fast
Full name Nishad Tharanga ParanavitanaBorn April 15, 1982, Kegalle
Current age 27 years
Major teams Sri Lanka, Kandurata, Sinhalese Sports Club, Sri Lanka A
Batting style Left-hand bat
Bowling style Right-arm offbreak
Tharanga Paranavitana is a tall, upright opening batsman who came into prominence during the Emerging Team Trophy in Sri Lanka in 2003. A run of consistent scores on the domestic scene followed, but it was Paranavitana's career-best 236 off 392 balls that helped Sinhalese SC clinch the 2007-08 Premier League Tier A title which furthered his opportunities at the international level. He made three hundreds during SSC's successful campaign and finished as the leading run-getter for the season with 893 runs at 74.41, and followed up with a century and two half-centuries in the unofficial Tests that Sri Lanka A played in South Africa. Named after that tour by coach Chandika Hathurusingha as a future prospect for Sri Lanka, Paranavitana earned a maiden Test cap in Pakistan in early 2009.
Full name Magina Thilan Thushara MirandoBorn March 1, 1981, Balapitiya
Current age 28 years
Major teams Sri Lanka, Chennai Super Kings, Colts Cricket Club, Kandurata, Nondescripts Cricket Club, Singha Sports Club, Sinhalese Sports Club, Sri Lanka A
Batting style Left-hand bat
Bowling style Left-arm fast-medium
Thushara is one of new fast bowling prospects to emerge in the last two years. From the coastal town of Balapitiya, he made his first-class debut in 1998-99. After a few years of steady improvement, including a spell in the BCCSL's Fast Bowling Unit, he caught the eye of the selectors and was included for Sri Lanka's tour of South Africa in 2002. He made his Test debut against West Indies in 2003, but failed to make the Test or ODI squad for the England tour later in the year. No rabbit with the bat, he is a hard-hitting striker of the ball and has two first-class half-centuries to his name. He played an important role in Kandurata ending as Inter-provincial limited-overs joint champs in 2008, finishing as the leading wicket-taker in the tournament with 11 wickets. That earned him a recall to the Test squad for the tour of West Indies and he impressed with eight wickets in two Tests. He was later included in the 30-man probables for the Champions Trophy.
Full name Sahan Hewa Thilina KandambyBorn June 4, 1982, Colombo
Current age 27 years
Major teams Sri Lanka, Basnahira North, Bloomfield Cricket and Athletic Club, Central Province, Sinhalese Sports Club, Sri Lanka A
Batting style Left-hand bat
Bowling style Legbreak
Kandamby is a cricketer who has not fulfilled the promise he showed as a schoolboy at Ananda College, one of the country's leading Buddhist institutions. He holds the highest individual score of 144 in the traditional match against Nalanda made in 1999. The following year was his best, aggregating 940 runs from 12 matches and was selected captain of the Sri Lanka Under-19 side to tour Australia where he won the Man-of-the-Series award with some sterling contributions. Graduating to the Sri Lanka A side, he toured India and hit five half-centuries which saw him being selected for the Sri Lanka team's tour to New Zealand. He was picked for Sri Lanka's tour to Zimbabwe in 2004 but a lack of consistency meant he was dropped after just four ODI appearances.
He is the first to admit that he did not completely grab the opportunities that came his way. In an attempt to win back his place, he took over the captaincy of Bloomfield in 2004 and thrice scored ninety in the Premier league. In 2005-06, he won the Premier limited overs Man-of-the-Tournament award. The retirement of Russell Arnold after the 2007 World Cup opened up a spot for him but he had to wait more than a year for a recall. He returned to Zimbabwe and scored a crucial 40 in a low-scoring game to set up the victory, and that set in motion an exceptional run of form for Kandamby that saw him break into the Test squad for Sri Lanka's tour of India in late 2009.
Full name Narangoda Liyanaarachchilage Thissara Chirantha PereraBorn April 3, 1989, Colombo
Current age 20 years
Major teams Sri Lanka, Colts Cricket Club, Sri Lanka A, Sri Lanka Under-19s, Wayamba
Playing role All-rounder
Batting style Left-hand bat
Bowling style Right-arm medium-fast Height 6 ft 1 in
Education St. Joseph's College, Maradana
An attacking batting allrounder, Thissara Perera began his career primarily as a bowler, opening the bowling for the Under-19s. He turned in noteworthy performances in the tri-nation tournament in Sri Lanka in July 2007 and in the youth Test against India in Colombo the following month. Those performances earned him a call-up to the U-19 squad for the World Cup in Malaysia in 2008. He received his maiden national call-up during Sri Lanka's tour of India in 2009 as an emergency replacement for Angelo Mathews. His aggressive batting in an ODI against India in Mirpur helped Sri Lanka pull off a win in a pressure situation. It quickly led to an IPL contract when he was bought by Chennai Super Kings for $50,000. His ambition is to remain associated with the game by taking up coaching.
Full name Thilan Thusara SamaraweeraBorn September 22, 1976, Colombo
Current age 33 years
Major teams Sri Lanka, Colts Cricket Club, Kandurata, Sinhalese Sports Club, Sri Lanka A
Batting style Right-hand bat
Bowling style Right-arm offbreak
As an offspinner, Thilan Samaraweera lived in the shadow of Muttiah Muralitharan during the early days, only sporadically playing in one-day matches. But since scoring a Test century on debut against India in August 2001, an innings that helped Sri Lanka to a 2-1 series win, he has carved out a reputation as a specialist Test batsman. However, he will also be remembered as a player who took a bullet during the Lahore terror attack on the Sri Lanka team bus early in 2009.
An adhesive and well-organised player, he took a particular liking to his home ground, the SSC in Colombo, where he scored three centuries in his first six Tests. With the departure of Aravinda de Silva and Hashan Tillakaratne from the side, he has cemented his place in the middle order, where his patient and no-risks approach provides a useful counterpoint to his more flamboyant colleagues. Samaraweera has also impressed while leading the A team. Opportunities in the one-day team have been limited and he has been branded a Test specialist by the selectors.
His steady off-spin is rarely used now, although he has a developing reputation as a partnership-breaker and clearly has the talent to become a more-than-useful support bowler. Inconsistent performances through 2006 resulted in him being dropped after the tour of England. He announced his comeback on the tour of West Indies which followed, making a century and a fifty. He had a successful 2008 in Tests, averaging 72.75 in six matches. and2009 began in the same vein, as he scored a double-century in the first Test against Pakistan in Karachi and followed that up with a another in the first innings in Lahore. However, everything came to a shuddering halt when he was the most seriously injured player from the terror attack that hit the Sri Lanka team in Lahore. A bullet lodged in his leg, but thankfully the damage wasn't career-ending.
Full name Tillakaratne Mudiyanselage DilshanBorn October 14, 1976, Kalutara
Current age 33 years
Major teams Sri Lanka, Asia XI, Basnahira South, Bloomfield Cricket and Athletic Club, Delhi Daredevils, Kalutara Town Club, Northern Districts, Sebastianites Cricket and Athletic Club, Singha Sports Club
Also known as Tuwan Mohamad Dilshan
Batting style Right-hand bat Bowling style Right-arm offbreak
Fielding position Wicketkeeper
Tillakaratne Dilshan burst onto to the international scene with an unbeaten 163 against Zimbabwe in his first series during November 1999. Technically sound, comfortable against fast bowling, possessed of quick feet, strong wrists and natural timing, Dilshan has talent in abundance. But the bright start to his career was followed by a frustrating 15 months when he was shovelled up and down the order, and in and out of the side. After a lean series against England in 2001 he was dumped until a one-day and Test return in 2003. He came back mentally stronger and determined to play his own natural aggressive game. The approach was immediately successful with a string of good scores against England and Australia in 2003 and 2004. He has continued to be a steady influence in the middle order of the Test side with good years in 2005 (average 56.50 after nine Tests) and 2007 (average 60 after four Tests). He has also been an important member of the one-day team with his aggressive batting in the middle order complemented by his electric fielding, especially at backward point, and underrated off spin. These all-round skills ensured he was signed by the Delhi Daredevils for the inaugural IPL in 2008. He was, however, dropped from the ODI side in September 2008 after a relatively lean run that saw his 2008 average slip to 25.87 in 21 matches. When he returned in early 2009 he was promoted to open in the one-dayers, a move that could be the making of him, and he produced sparkling form in all forms of the game. And, during the 2009 ICC World Twenty20, he created the game's latest invention with an astonishing flick-shot over his head which became the talk of the cricket world. Though Sri Lanka finished runners-up in the tournament, Dilshan deservedly picked up the Player-of-the-Series award after amassing 317 runs at an average of 52.83.
Full name Warushavithana Upul TharangaBorn February 2, 1985, Balapitiya
Current age 25 years
Major teams Sri Lanka, Asia XI, Nondescripts Cricket Club, Ruhuna, Singha Sports Club, Sri Lanka Board XI
Batting style Left-hand bat
Fielding position Occasional wicketkeeper
Upul Tharanga's call-up to the national one-day squad in July 2005 brightened a year marred by the Asian tsunami, which washed away his family home in Ambalangoda, a fishing town on the west coast. From an early age he was tipped for the big time, playing Premier League cricket for Singha CC at the age of 15 and passing seamlessly and successfully through the Sri Lanka under-15, under-17 and under-19 development squads. He first really caught the eye during the under-19 World Cup in 2004 when he cracked 117 against South Africa and then 61 in 42 balls against India in the next game. Then, after a successful tour with the under-19 team to Pakistan, during which he scored half-centuries in each of the two Tests and two one-day matches, the Sri Lankan board sent him to play league cricket in Essex, where he starred for Loughton Cricket Club. He soon graduated to the A team and after accomplished performances against West Indies A earlier he was selected for the national squad a week later. However, it was on the 2006 tour of England that he really began to develop, especially in the one-day game, with an outstanding century at Lord's in the first match of Sri Lanka's 5-0 whitewash. Back-to-back centuries followed in the Champions Trophy and he was formed a destructive partnership with Sanath Jayasuriya without having to compromise his natural flair. He is also a skillful wicketkeeper.
