Malinga Bandara
Encyclopedia
Herath Mudiyanselage Charitha Malinga Bandara (born 31 December 1979), commonly known as Malinga Bandara, is a Sri Lanka
n Test
and one-day international
cricket
er. He is a right-handed batsman and also bowls legbreaks. 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. A match haul of 11 for 126 against England A in March 2005 confirmed his growing potential 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 has not 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. Bandara made his Test debut against New Zealand
in 1998 but performed poorly and was subsequently dropped. A useful performance against England 'A' in March 2005 (securing match-figures of eleven for 126) resulted in a Test recall in December. He finished the three-Test series against India
with nine wickets at an average of 32.88. Bandara made his ODI debut against New Zealand in January 2006 at Wellington
and was highly successful in the tournament, taking fourteen wickets at an average
of 23.92, a strike rate
of 29.2, and an economy rate of 4.90, bettering his more famous spin twin Muttiah Muralitharan
. He took his best bowling figures of four for 31 against South Africa
in the final VB Series
round robin match at the Bellerive Oval
, Hobart
, on 7 February 2006. This performance ensured Sri Lanka's place in the finals against Australia
.
He was subsequently ignored for Pakistan's tour of Sri Lanka in 2005/2006 and missed out on the test series in England in 2006. In Sri Lankan domestic cricket, Bandara represents Galle Cricket Club
. Having spent the previous two summers at Normandy CC of the Surrey Championship
, turning out in 55 Games for the club, he also played county cricket for English county Gloucestershire
during the 2005 season
, he was so successful with both bat and ball that he was named "Gloucestershire Player of the Season".
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
n Test
Test 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...
and one-day international
One-day cricket
Limited overs cricket, also known as one-day cricket and in a slightly different context as List A cricket, is a version of the sport of cricket in which a match is generally completed in one day, whereas Test and first-class matches can take up to five days to complete...
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. He is a right-handed batsman and also bowls legbreaks. 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. A match haul of 11 for 126 against England A in March 2005 confirmed his growing potential 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 has not 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. Bandara made his Test debut against New Zealand
New Zealand cricket team
The New Zealand cricket team, nicknamed the Black Caps, are the national cricket team representing New Zealand. They played their first in 1930 against England in Christchurch, New Zealand, becoming the fifth country to play Test cricket. It took the team until 1955–56 to win a Test, against the...
in 1998 but performed poorly and was subsequently dropped. A useful performance against England 'A' in March 2005 (securing match-figures of eleven for 126) resulted in a Test recall in December. He finished the three-Test series against India
Indian cricket team
The Indian cricket team is the national cricket team of India. Governed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India , it is a full member of the International Cricket Council with Test and One Day International status....
with nine wickets at an average of 32.88. Bandara made his ODI debut against New Zealand in January 2006 at Wellington
Wellington
Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range...
and was highly successful in the tournament, taking fourteen wickets at an average
Average
In mathematics, an average, or central tendency of a data set is a measure of the "middle" value of the data set. Average is one form of central tendency. Not all central tendencies should be considered definitions of average....
of 23.92, a strike rate
Strike rate
Strike rate refers to two different statistics in the sport of cricket. Batting strike rate is a measure of how frequently a batsman achieves the primary goal of batting, namely scoring runs. Bowling strike rate is a measure of how frequently a bowler achieves the primary goal of bowling, namely...
of 29.2, and an economy rate of 4.90, bettering his more famous spin twin Muttiah Muralitharan
Muttiah Muralitharan
Muttiah Muralitharan , often referred to as Murali, is a former Sri Lankan cricketer who was rated the greatest Test match bowler ever by Wisden Cricketers' Almanack in 2002...
. He took his best bowling figures of four for 31 against South Africa
South African cricket team
The South African national cricket team represent South Africa in international cricket. They are administrated by Cricket South Africa.South Africa is a full member of the International Cricket Council, also known as ICC, with Test and One Day International, or ODI, status...
in the final VB Series
VB Series
The Australian Tri-Series refers to the one day international cricket tournament held between 1979-80 and 2007-08 between the home side and two touring teams, in the height of the Australian cricket season, i.e. during the summer months of December, January and February. Between 1979–80 and 1995–96...
round robin match at the Bellerive Oval
Bellerive Oval
Bellerive Oval, also known as its sponsored name Blundstone Arena, is primarily a cricket and Australian Rules Football ground located in Bellerive, City of Clarence, on the eastern shore of Hobart, Tasmania, Australia...
, Hobart
Hobart
Hobart is the state capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Founded in 1804 as a penal colony,Hobart is Australia's second oldest capital city after Sydney. In 2009, the city had a greater area population of approximately 212,019. A resident of Hobart is known as...
, on 7 February 2006. This performance ensured Sri Lanka's place in the finals against Australia
Australian cricket team
The Australian cricket team is the national cricket team of Australia. It is the joint oldest team in Test cricket, having played in the first Test match in 1877...
.
He was subsequently ignored for Pakistan's tour of Sri Lanka in 2005/2006 and missed out on the test series in England in 2006. In Sri Lankan domestic cricket, Bandara represents Galle Cricket Club
Galle Cricket Club
Galle Cricket Club is a first-class cricket team based in Galle, Sri Lanka. They play their home games at Galle International Stadium, which was reconstructed after the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.-Notable players:Sports...
. Having spent the previous two summers at Normandy CC of the Surrey Championship
Surrey Championship
The Surrey Championship is a cricket organisation in Surrey running 6 divisions for 1st & 2nd XI cricket, 3 for 3rd XI and 1 for 4th XI. It is a designated ECB Premier League.-History:...
, turning out in 55 Games for the club, he also played county cricket for English county Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire County Cricket Club
Gloucestershire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the historic county of Gloucestershire. Its limited overs team is called the Gloucestershire Gladiators....
during the 2005 season
Season
A season is a division of the year, marked by changes in weather, ecology, and hours of daylight.Seasons result from the yearly revolution of the Earth around the Sun and the tilt of the Earth's axis relative to the plane of revolution...
, he was so successful with both bat and ball that he was named "Gloucestershire Player of the Season".