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Full name Merenna Koralage Don Ishara Amerasinghe
Born March 5, 1978, Colombo
Current age 30 years 124 days
Major teams Sri Lanka,Burgher Recreation Club,Colts Cricket Club,Nondescripts Cricket Club,Wayamba
Batting style Right-hand bat
Bowling style Right-arm fast-medium
Batting and fielding averages
Mat
Inns
NO
Runs
HS
Ave
BF
SR
100
50
4s
6s
Ct
St
Tests
1
2
2
0
0*
-
25
0.00
0
0
0
0
0
0
ODIs
8
4
4
6
5*
-
9
66.66
0
0
1
0
1
0
First-class
88
93
48
296
46
6.57
0
0
26
0
List A
63
19
14
34
5*
6.80
0
0
9
0
Twenty20
4
2
2
4
2*
-
8
50.00
0
0
0
0
1
0
Bowling averages
Mat
Inns
Balls
Runs
Wkts
BBI
BBM
Ave
Econ
SR
4w
5w
10
Tests
1
2
150
105
1
1/62
1/105
105.00
4.20
150.0
0
0
0
ODIs
8
8
426
363
9
3/44
3/44
40.33
5.11
47.3
0
0
0
First-class
88
10572
5176
233
5/12
22.21
2.93
45.3
7
1
List A
63
2474
1779
68
4/23
4/23
26.16
4.31
36.3
2
0
0
Twenty20
4
4
78
83
2
1/14
1/14
41.50
6.38
39.0
0
0
0
Career statistics
Only Test
West Indies v Sri Lanka at Port of Spain, Apr 3-6, 2008 scorecard
Test statistics
ODI debut
Pakistan v Sri Lanka at Abu Dhabi, May 18, 2007 scorecard
Last ODI
West Indies v Sri Lanka at Port of Spain, Apr 10, 2008 scorecard
ODI statistics
First-class debut
1997/98
Last First-class
West Indies v Sri Lanka at Port of Spain, Apr 3-6, 2008 scorecard
List A debut
1998/99
Last List A
West Indies v Sri Lanka at Port of Spain, Apr 10, 2008 scorecard
Twenty20 debut
Colts Cricket Club v Badureliya Sports Club at Colombo (Bloomfield), Oct 22, 2005 scorecard
Last Twenty20
Burgher Recreation Club v Colts Cricket Club at Colombo (Bloomfield), Mar 2, 2007 scorecard
Profile
Ishara Amerasinghe is the second fastest bowler in the country after Lasith Malinga, according to fast-bowling coach Champaka Ramanayake. His selection to Australia in early 2008 came as no surprise because the national selectors were looking for a suitable replacement for the injured Dilhara Fernando and some variety in the fast-bowling line up, someone who could make the batsmen hurry their
strokes on the pacy pitches. The six-foot tall Amerasinghe, with his high-arm action and ability to regularly bowl at 140 kph, fitted the role perfectly. At 29, it would seem a late age for a fast bowler, but Amerasinghe has been around for some time, having first toured England with the Sri Lankam team in 2002. He was kept waiting for another five years - partly owing to a back injury sustained during that tour - before making his ODI debut against Pakistan in Abu Dhabi after the 2007 World Cup.
He has been a regular member of the Sri Lanka A squad since 1999, the season in which he performed outstandingly well, taking 58 wickets from 12 matches in the Premier League for Colombo Colts. That performance opened a window of opportunities for him to tour South Africa, with the A team, and then England. Ramanayake admits that Amerasinghe has the pace to unsettle batsmen but lacked the accuracy during his early days. Some hard work at the nets with Ramanayake and ' team coach Chandika Hathurusingha, two individuals who have been instrumental in shaping his career in recent years, resulted in an improved line and length. He can be a potent force if conditions suit him.
Amerasinghe's affiliation to cricket came at the age of eight. Even before he played for a school first XI he had shown his potential at division II club cricket, representing Colombo CC. He was spotted by Jayantha Seneviratne, a former Sri Lanka cricketer and presently a national selector, who encouraged him to come to Nalanda College and in his only season he took 68 wickets from 11 matches. He joined Burgher RC from where he kept on switching clubs, moving to Colombo Colts, Nondescript CC, Galle CC and back to Colts where he is currently settled, reaping the benefit of bowling
alongside Chaminda Vaas. Sa'adi Thawfeeq January 2008
