Chanaka Welegedara
Encyclopedia
Uda Walawwe Mahim Bandaralage Chanaka Asanka Welegedara, more commonly referred to as Chanaka Welegedara, (born March 20, 1981, Matale
), is a Sri Lankan international cricket
er. A left-arm fast bowler by trade, he has a healthy bowling average
in both first-class
and List A cricket, in the mid-to-low 20s. He has made appearances for Moors Sports Club
and North Central Province
's cricket club, and was called up for the Sri Lanka A
squad for the match against Bangladesh during Sri Lanka's 2007 tour.
debut in the third test against England at Galle
. Welagedara was selected in Sri Lanka's test squad for their 2008 tour of the West Indies, but had to wait until November 2009 for his second Test appearance, which came against India, and he would go on to play all three Tests in the series. His first Test wicket was England's Paul Collingwood
.
He was included in Sri Lanka's One Day International squad to play against India in December 2009, making his debut on 15 December in Rajkot, and in a match where 825 runs were scored in 100 overs, he returned figures of 2/63 from his ten overs, claiming the wickets of Virender Sehwag
and Virat Kohli
. He also claimed a five wicket haul against India.
He was the first Test cricketer to boast six initials to his name.
Matale
Matale is a town in the hill country of Sri Lanka, from Colombo and from Kandy. It is an area steeped in history and village living. The mayor of Matale is Hilmy Careem, as of May, 2006....
), is a Sri Lankan international cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
er. A left-arm fast bowler by trade, he has a healthy bowling average
Bowling average
Bowling average is a statistic measuring the performance of bowlers in the sport of cricket.A bowler's bowling average is defined as the total number of runs conceded by the bowlers divided by the number of wickets taken by the bowler, so the lower the average the better. It is similar to earned...
in both first-class
First-class cricket
First-class cricket is a class of cricket that consists of matches of three or more days' scheduled duration, that are between two sides of eleven players and are officially adjudged first-class by virtue of the standard of the competing teams...
and List A cricket, in the mid-to-low 20s. He has made appearances for Moors Sports Club
Moors Sports Club
-Team Records:* Playing Record : Played : 181 Won : 37 Lost : 39 Drawn : 105* Highest team total - 622 vs SLAF, Colombo , 2003–04* Best innings bowling figures - HMRKB Herath 8/43 vs PSC, Colombo 2003–04...
and North Central Province
North Central Province, Sri Lanka
North Central Province is a province of Sri Lanka. Its capital is Anuradhapura. The province is not densely populated with a weak economy, as the land tends to be dry tropical woodlands.-History:...
's cricket club, and was called up for the Sri Lanka A
Sri Lanka A cricket team
The Sri Lanka A cricket team is a national cricket team representing Sri Lanka. It is the 'second-tier' of international Sri Lankan cricket, below the full Sri Lanka national cricket team. Matches played by Sri Lanka A are not considered to be Test matches or One Day Internationals, instead...
squad for the match against Bangladesh during Sri Lanka's 2007 tour.
International career
On 18 December 2007, he made his Test matchTest cricket
Test cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council , with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days...
debut in the third test against England at Galle
Galle International Stadium
Galle International Stadium is a cricket stadium in Galle, Sri Lanka, situated near the Galle fort and fringed on two sides by the Indian Ocean. It is considered to be one of the most picturesque cricket grounds in the world...
. Welagedara was selected in Sri Lanka's test squad for their 2008 tour of the West Indies, but had to wait until November 2009 for his second Test appearance, which came against India, and he would go on to play all three Tests in the series. His first Test wicket was England's Paul Collingwood
Paul Collingwood
Paul David Collingwood MBE is an English cricketer. He has been a regular member of the England Test side, was captain of the One Day International team 2007–2008. He is also vice-captain of his county, Durham County Cricket Club. Collingwood is a batting all-rounder, whose batting...
.
He was included in Sri Lanka's One Day International squad to play against India in December 2009, making his debut on 15 December in Rajkot, and in a match where 825 runs were scored in 100 overs, he returned figures of 2/63 from his ten overs, claiming the wickets of Virender Sehwag
Virender Sehwag
Virender Sehwag , affectionately known as Viru, the Nawab of Najafgarh, or the Zen master of modern cricket, is one of the leading batsmen in the Indian cricket team. Sehwag is an aggressive right-handed opening batsman and a part-time right-arm off-spin bowler...
and Virat Kohli
Virat Kohli
Virat Kohli ,born 5 November 1988 in Delhi) is an Indian international cricketer. He is a middle order batsman, who can also open the batting. He can also bowl right arm medium pace. Kohli was the captain of the victorious Indian team at the 2008 U/19 Cricket World Cup held in Malaysia...
. He also claimed a five wicket haul against India.
He was the first Test cricketer to boast six initials to his name.