Dunith Wellalage
SLAbout Dunith Wellalage
Dunith Wellalage is a Sri Lankan cricketer who plays as a bowling all-rounder, having the attributes of a left-handed batter and a left-arm orthodox spinner.
Born in Colombo, Dunith comes from a cricketing background as his father Suranga Wellalage once used to play for the Prince of Wales team as a wicketkeeper-batter.
Dunith's talent was first recognized during his school cricket days in Sri Lanka. He captained his school team and performed exceptionally, showcasing his bowling and batting skills. These early performances paved the way for his selection in age-group cricket and eventually, the national team.
After his impressive performance for Saint Sebastian's College, he received a place in the U-15 side. He led his school team to the finals in 2015 and 2016, ending up as the best bowler of the tournament in both years.
In 2017, he joined Saint Joseph's College. There, his batting excelled. After finishing as the highest wicket-taker for his team with 72 dismissals in 2017-18, he bettered his batting numbers in the next season, amassing 700 runs in 15 matches.
In 2019, Dunith made his first-class and List-A debuts for the Lankan Cricket Club.
He captained Sri Lanka U-19 in the World Cup 2020. He was the top wicket-taker in the competition with 17 scalps, which included two fifers. He was also the highest scorer for his team with 264 runs, including a century.
In June 2022, Wellalage debuted in ODI cricket in the series against Australia, where again he became the highest wicket-taker among both the teams. He bagged nine wickets in the series.
In the next month, he made his Test debut against Pakistan.
In the Asia Cup 2023, Dunith claimed a five-wicket haul against India as he shot down a star-studded batting line-up. His victims included the likes of Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul and Hardik Pandya. He also scored 42 runs in the game and was named Player of the Match despite Sri Lanka's loss.
The southpaw played three matches in the ODI World Cup 2023 but failed to make any impact at all.
Dunith is still young and has a bright future ahead of him. He is considered a valuable asset to the Sri Lankan team and is expected to play a significant role in their future successes.
(As of February 2024)
Dunith Wellalage Recent Form
Batting
Bowling
Dunith Wellalage Career Stats
Batting
| Format | Mat | Inn | R | 100s | 50s | HS | SR | Avg | Fours | Sixes | Duck |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ODI | 34 | 27 | 453 | 0 | 1 | 67 | 84.20 | 21.57 | 36 | 12 | 0 |
| T20I | 15 | 10 | 93 | 0 | 0 | 29 | 102.20 | 18.60 | 9 | 2 | 1 |
| Test | 1 | 2 | 29 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 61.70 | 14.50 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| CPL | 2 | 1 | 39 | 0 | 0 | 39 | 121.88 | 39.00 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| BPL | 5 | 2 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 200.00 | 14.00 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| ABU DHABI | 4 | 3 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 133.33 | 8.00 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| PSL | 1 | 1 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 83.33 | 20.00 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| WC ODI | 3 | 3 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 66.67 | 4.00 | 1 | 0 | -- |
Bowling
| Format | Mat | Inn | W | Econ | Avg | Best | 3W | 5W | SR | Maiden |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ODI | 34 | 33 | 41 | 5.10 | 31.10 | 5/27 | 2 | 2 | 36.56 | 0 |
| T20I | 15 | 15 | 17 | 7.46 | 25.24 | 3/9 | 3 | 0 | 20.29 | 0 |
| Test | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2.69 | 0.00 | 0/18 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 0 |
| CPL | 2 | 2 | 4 | 6.88 | 13.75 | 3/35 | 1 | 0 | 12.00 | 0 |
| BPL | 5 | 5 | 4 | 6.89 | 32.75 | 3/26 | 1 | 0 | 28.50 | 0 |
| ABU DHABI | 4 | 3 | 2 | 12.33 | 18.50 | 1/11 | 0 | 0 | 9.00 | 0 |
| PSL | 1 | 1 | 0 | 10.00 | 0.00 | 0/40 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 0 |
| WC ODI | 3 | 3 | 2 | 6.68 | 98.00 | 1-53 | 0 | 0 | 88.00 | 0 |