Dunith Wellalage

Dunith Wellalage
Personal information
Full name
Dunith Nethmika Wellalage
Born (2003-01-09) 9 January 2003 (age 21)
Colombo, Sri Lanka
NicknameWella
BattingLeft-handed
BowlingSlow left-arm orthodox
RoleBowling all-rounder
International information
National side
Only Test (cap 162)24 July 2022 v Pakistan
ODI debut (cap 204)14 June 2022 v Australia
Last ODI7 August 2024 v India
T20I debut (cap 109)15 October 2024 v West Indies
Last T20I17 October 2024 v West Indies
Domestic team information
YearsTeam
2018/19–2020Lankan Cricket Club
2022–presentColts Cricket Club
2022–2023Jaffna Kings
2023/24Fortune Barishal
2024Colombo Strikers
2024Barbados Royals
Career statistics
Competition Test ODI T20I FC
Matches 1 25 2 28
Runs scored 29 331 – 866
Batting average 14.50 22.06 – 27.06
100s/50s 0/0 0/1 –/– 0/4
Top score 18 67* – 78*
Balls bowled 78 1,053 48 4,420
Wickets 0 30 3 87
Bowling average – 30.66 15.00 28.55
5 wickets in innings 0 2 0 5
10 wickets in match 0 0 – 0
Best bowling – 5/27 3/9 8/152
Catches/stumpings 2/0 9/0 1/0 17/0
Source: ESPNcricinfo, 17 October 2024

Dunith Nethmika Wellalage (born 9 January 2003) is a professional Sri Lankan cricketer currently plays limited overs cricket for the national side.[1] He made his international debut for the Sri Lanka cricket team in June 2022 to a series against Australia.[2] He was educated at St. Sebastian's College, Moratuwa and St. Joseph's College, Colombo 10.[3]

Domestic and franchise career

Wellalage made his List A debut on 14 December 2019, for Lankan Cricket Club in the 2019–20 Invitation Limited Over Tournament.[4] In July 2022, he was signed by the Jaffna Kings for the third edition of the Lanka Premier League.[5] He was also signed by Fortune Barishal in the tenth edition of Bangladesh Premier League.

International career

In January 2022, he was named as the captain of Sri Lanka's team for the 2022 ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup in the West Indies.[6] In Sri Lanka's opening fixture of the tournament, he took a five-wicket haul,[7] and was named the player of the match.[8] In Sri Lanka's next match of the tournament, he took another five-wicket haul, and was again named the player of the match.[9] In Sri Lanka's Super League playoff semi-final match against South Africa, Wellalage scored 113 runs, with Sri Lanka winning the match by 65 runs.[10] He became the first captain of the Sri Lankan team to score a century in the Under-19 Cricket World Cup.[11] He finished the Under-19 World Cup as the leading wicket-taker, with seventeen dismissals.[12]

In April 2022, Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) named him in the Sri Lanka Emerging Team's squad for their tour to England.[13] On 25 May 2022, during the tour of England, he made his Twenty20 debut, against Surrey.[14] The following month, he was named in the Sri Lanka A squad for their matches against Australia A during Australia's tour of Sri Lanka.[15] Later the same month, he was named in Sri Lanka's One Day International (ODI) squad, also for their series against Australia.[16][17] He made his ODI debut on 14 June 2022, for Sri Lanka against Australia.[18] The following month, he was added to Sri Lanka's Test squad for the second match against Australia.[19]

In July 2022, he was again named in Sri Lanka's Test squad, this time for their home series against Pakistan.[20] He made his Test debut on 24 July 2022, for Sri Lanka against Pakistan.[21]

In March 2023, he was named in both One Day International and Twenty20 International squad for the series against New Zealand.[22] In May 2024, he was named in Sri Lanka’s squad for the 2024 ICC Men's T20 World Cup tournament.[23]

On August 2, 2024 first ODI match against India Dunith scored his maiden ODI half century. He scored unbeaten 67 runs from 65 balls hitting seven boundaries and two sixes. He also took two crucial wickets of Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill while bowling. Finally the match ended as a tie. Due to his performance he won player of the match award.[24] He made his T20I debut on 15 October 2024 against West Indies.

References

  1. ^ "Dunith, who once withdrew from Sri Lanka U19 team for O/L's returns as skipper". Island. Retrieved 15 December 2021.
  2. ^ "Dunith Wellalage". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 14 December 2019.
  3. ^ Waris, Sarah. "Who is Dunith Wellalage, the 20-year-old Sri Lanka left-arm spinner who could take the World Cup by storm?". Wisden.com. Retrieved 25 September 2023.
  4. ^ "Group A, SLC Invitation Limited Over Tournament at Colombo (SSC), Dec 14 2019". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 14 December 2019.
  5. ^ "LPL 2022 draft: Kandy Falcons sign Hasaranga; Rajapaksa to turn out for Dambulla Giants". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 6 July 2022.
  6. ^ "Sri Lanka U19 Team to the World Cup". Cricket Sri Lanka. Retrieved 4 January 2022.
  7. ^ "Sri Lanka U19s start World Cup campaign with a rousing win". The Papare. Retrieved 15 January 2022.
  8. ^ "Bowlers, Wyllie give Australia comprehensive win over West Indies in U-19 World Cup opener". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 15 January 2022.
  9. ^ "Sri Lanka stun Australia after Wellalage heroics". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 18 January 2022.
  10. ^ "Dunith Wellalage century takes Sri Lanka to fifth-place playoffs". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
  11. ^ "Wellalage's record-breaking century helps Sri Lanka brush South Africa aside". The Papare. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
  12. ^ "India win fifth U-19 World Cup title after seamers Raj Bawa, Ravi Kumar prove too hot for England". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 6 February 2022.
  13. ^ "18-member Sri Lanka Emerging Team for England tour finalized". The Papare. Retrieved 27 April 2022.
  14. ^ "The Oval, May 25, 2022, Sri Lanka Cricket Development XI tour of England". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 25 May 2022.
  15. ^ "Sri Lanka 'A' squads announced for Australia 'A' games". The Papare. Retrieved 8 June 2022.
  16. ^ "Rajapaksa recalled to ODI squad for Australia series". CricBuzz. Retrieved 10 June 2022.
  17. ^ "U19 World Cup breakout star called-up in Sri Lanka's squad for Australia ODIs". International Cricket Council. Retrieved 10 June 2022.
  18. ^ "1st ODI (D/N), Pallekele, June 14, 2022, Australia tour of Sri Lanka". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 14 June 2022.
  19. ^ "Maheesh Theekshana and Dunith Wellalage called into Sri Lanka Test squad". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 5 July 2022.
  20. ^ "Sri Lanka name squad for Pakistan Test series". CricBuzz. Retrieved 14 July 2022.
  21. ^ "2nd Test, Galle, July 24 - 28, 2022, Pakistan tour of Sri Lanka". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
  22. ^ "Sri Lanka name squad for limited-overs leg of New Zealand tour". International Cricket Council. Retrieved 22 March 2023.
  23. ^ "Sri Lanka's Squad for ICC Men's T20I World Cup 2024". ScoreWaves. Retrieved 11 June 2024.
  24. ^ "SL vs IND Cricket Scorecard, 1st ODI at Colombo, August 02, 2024". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 3 August 2024.