OTD: Sri Lanka’s left-arm bowler Dunith Wellalage was born today in 2003

The young Sri Lankan spin all-rounder, Dunith Wellalage has turned 21 today. In a very short span of time, Wellalage has made a name for himself. The 21-year-old burst onto the scene when he was made the captain of the U-19 squad for the 2022 Under-19 World Cup in the West Indies. The slow left-arm orthodox emerged as the leading wicket-taker of the tournament with 17 wickets to his name in just 6 innings. 

With a brilliant campaign in the Under-19 World Cup, he gave a glimpse of his abilities. His performances in domestic cricket prominently established him in the discussions for the national team spot. Finally, he was given an opportunity to represent Sri Lanka in June 2022 as he played his first One-Day international match against Australia at the Pallekele. The youngster did not have to wait much for his test debut and played his maiden test match the very next month against Pakistan at Galle. Though the all-rounder has not been able to cement his place in the test team, he has consistently featured in the ODI team which reflects the trust of the team management in the youngster in the limited overs format. 

“The Next Big Thing”

The Colombo-born cricketer is touted as the next star of Sri Lankan cricket. After the departure of stalwarts like Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene, and Muttiah Muralitharan, Sri Lankan fans have yearned for a big face in Sri Lankan cricket who can be the star attraction for the island nation. A lot of pundits and fans regard Dunith Wellalage as someone who can be the poster boy of Sri Lankan cricket and the talented youngster has lived up to the expectations so far. His performances in domestic cricket are commendable and in a brief international career, he has looked class apart on multiple occasions. The die-hard Sri Lankan cricket fans would hope that the youngster continues his growth story and evolves into a match-winner.