Danushka Gunathilaka

An attacking left-handed batsman from the Island nation, Danushka Gunathilaka, can turn the game on its head when on-song. The breakthrough moment in his career came against India during the Champions Trophy of 2017 where the southpaw anchored the highest chase in the history of the tournament.

Born in Panadura, Gunathilaka represented Sri Lanka during the 2010 U19 World Cup. However, the classy left-hander was drafted in the A-side to tour New Zealand after impressing in domestic cricket. After playing his part Down Under, the national selectors picked Gunathilaka for the ODI squad against West Indies, later that year. 

The attacking opener played an aggressive hand in the New Year’s Eve ODI against New Zealand, where he played his first game at the international level. It was followed up with a T20I debut in 2016 and a Test debut against India in 2017. Gunathilaka played a useful role during the CT17 where he wasn’t initially picked to represent Sri Lanka in England. 

Moreover, the talented Panadura-born has had his fair share of controversies too. He has been sacked by Sri Lanka Cricket on various occasions, including breach of the 'Player Code of Conduct', showing unprofessional & lacking integrity, and other disciplinary charges. 

Despite being irregular in the Test squad, the selectors have backed Gunathilaka in the shorter formats. Gunathilaka proved himself throughout, including a 116 off 111 balls against Zimbabwe and 134-ball 133 against hosts Pakistan, following up. Apart from being a stylish top-order bat, the Lankan is also been an occasional off-break bowler as well.

During the 2021 white-ball series against England, Gunathilaka had to return back home after breaching bio-bubble regulations in quarantine. He was later handed a one-year ban by SLC, along with Kusal Mendis and Niroshan Dickwella.

With the Lankan Lions struggling at the highest level for some time now, it was expected that a senior pro such as Gunathilaka would shoulder greater responsibility. However, the board will now have to look at other options to replace a talented opener such as Gunathika. 

(As of July 2021)