Upul Chandana
Encyclopedia
Umagiliya Durage Upul Chandana (born May 7, 1972 in Galle
) is a former Sri Lanka
n cricket
er. He was more specifically a leg spin
bowler and was also an outstanding fielder
.
Chandana was considered to be one of the best leg spinners in Sri Lanka. He was also a competent lower-order batsman, having scored a total of seven half-centuries at international level. He had two main variations in his bowling: a leg break
and a googly
.
Upul Chandana started his cricketing carrier as a teenager at Mahinda College
, Galle
.
Despite making his ODI debut in 1994 aged 21, Chandana had to wait for five years to be included in the Test team. It came in the Asian Test Championship
Final in March 1999 against Pakistan. Chandana bowled 47.5 overs in the first innings and finished with 6 for 179.
Over the next few years he made sporadic appearances for Sri Lanka and in 2002 he was named as captain of Sri Lanka A. They played an unofficial Test series against Kenya and Chandana topped both the batting and bowling averages. This helped him work his way back into the side in 2003 and after a match-winning innings against West Indies at Bridgetown
, he became a regular player in the one day team. Chasing 313 for victory, he was promoted up the order to 5 and smashed 89 off just 71 deliveries with 4 sixes.
When Muttiah Muralitharan
withdrew from the 2004 tour to Australia, Chandana came into the Test side as the main spin bowler. Despite being expensive, he took a ten wicket haul in the 2nd Test at Bundaberg Rum Stadium in Cairns.
Chandana has played cricket in England
for Gloucestershire County Cricket Club
and represented Nondescripts
in Sri Lankan domestic cricket.
Chandana retired from international cricket on October 15, 2007 and then joined the Indian Cricket League
, playing for the Kolkata Tigers
and ICL World XI.
Galle
Galle is a city situated on the southwestern tip of Sri Lanka, 119 km from Colombo. Galle is the capital city of Southern Province of Sri Lanka and it lies in Galle District....
) is a former Sri Lanka
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 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 was more specifically a leg spin
Leg spin
Leg spin is a type of spin bowling in the sport of cricket. A leg spinner bowls right-arm with a wrist spin action, causing the ball to spin from right to left in the cricket pitch, at the point of delivery. When the ball bounces, the spin causes the ball to deviate sharply from right to left, that...
bowler and was also an outstanding fielder
Fielding (cricket)
Fielding in the sport of cricket is the action of fielders in collecting the ball after it is struck by the batsman, in such a way as to either limit the number of runs that the batsman scores or get the batsman out by catching the ball in flight or running the batsman out.Cricket fielding position...
.
Chandana was considered to be one of the best leg spinners in Sri Lanka. He was also a competent lower-order batsman, having scored a total of seven half-centuries at international level. He had two main variations in his bowling: a leg break
Leg break
A leg break is a type of delivery in the sport of cricket. A delivery of a right-handed leg spin bowler. Leg breaks are also colloquially known as leggies or wrist spinners, as the wrist is the body part which is primarily used to impart spin on the ball, as opposed to the fingers in the case of...
and a googly
Googly
In cricket, a googly is a type of delivery bowled by a right-arm leg spin bowler. It is occasionally referred to as a Bosie , an eponym in honour of its inventor Bernard Bosanquet.- Explanation :...
.
Upul Chandana started his cricketing carrier as a teenager at Mahinda College
Mahinda College
Mahinda College is a Buddhist boys' school in Galle, Sri Lanka. It is a national school, which provides primary and secondary education. The school was established on March 1, 1892 by the Buddhist Theosophical Society led by Colonel Henry Steel Olcott...
, Galle
Galle
Galle is a city situated on the southwestern tip of Sri Lanka, 119 km from Colombo. Galle is the capital city of Southern Province of Sri Lanka and it lies in Galle District....
.
Despite making his ODI debut in 1994 aged 21, Chandana had to wait for five years to be included in the Test team. It came in the Asian Test Championship
Asian Test Championship
The ACC Asian Test Championship is a professional Test cricket tournament contested between the Test playing nations of Asia: India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. It is not a regular event in the cricketing calendar and has so far been held only twice; in 1998-99 when Pakistan won and in...
Final in March 1999 against Pakistan. Chandana bowled 47.5 overs in the first innings and finished with 6 for 179.
Over the next few years he made sporadic appearances for Sri Lanka and in 2002 he was named as captain of Sri Lanka A. They played an unofficial Test series against Kenya and Chandana topped both the batting and bowling averages. This helped him work his way back into the side in 2003 and after a match-winning innings against West Indies at Bridgetown
Bridgetown
The city of Bridgetown , metropolitan pop 96,578 , is the capital and largest city of the nation of Barbados. Formerly, the Town of Saint Michael, the Greater Bridgetown area is located within the parish of Saint Michael...
, he became a regular player in the one day team. Chasing 313 for victory, he was promoted up the order to 5 and smashed 89 off just 71 deliveries with 4 sixes.
When 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...
withdrew from the 2004 tour to Australia, Chandana came into the Test side as the main spin bowler. Despite being expensive, he took a ten wicket haul in the 2nd Test at Bundaberg Rum Stadium in Cairns.
Chandana has played cricket in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
for Gloucestershire County Cricket Club
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....
and represented Nondescripts
Nondescripts Cricket Club
Nondescripts Cricket Club is a first-class cricket team based in Colombo, Sri Lanka. It was founded in 1888...
in Sri Lankan domestic cricket.
Chandana retired from international cricket on October 15, 2007 and then joined the Indian Cricket League
Indian Cricket League
The Indian Cricket League was a private cricket league funded by Zee Entertainment Enterprises that operated between 2007 and 2009 in India...
, playing for the Kolkata Tigers
Kolkata Tigers
Royal Bengal Tigers was one of the nine teams played in the defunct Indian Cricket League . This team is based in Kolkata, India and its captain is former New Zealand all rounder Craig McMillan.- Players :...
and ICL World XI.