Nuwan Kulasekara

Nuwan Kulasekara, a former Sri Lanka cricketer who was one of the most successful fast-bowlers for the Island nation. The pacer played the game at the highest level for 14 years to represent his nation in 21 Tests, 184 ODIs, and 58 T20Is to scalp 313 international wickets. The right-arm medium-fast was best known for his ability to swing the new ball both ways with accuracy. 

He debuted on the international stage in 2003 against England in an ODI clash but had to wait for three years or so to become a regular feature. Meanwhile, the pacer made his Test debut against New Zealand Down Under. The following year, Kulasekara played a vital knock in the Lord’s Test that helped his team save the game and the pacer earned the reputation of a responsible lower-order batter. 

By 2008, Kulasekara became a world-beater with the ball in hand. He was the ODI number one bowler after playing a part in Sri Lanka’s successful World Cup campaign of 2007. After the retirement of Chaminda Vaas, he joined hands with Lasith Malinga to become a formidable pair. Kulasekara’s performances at the world stage meant the IPL scouts were after the Sri Lankan and he was bagged for USD 100000 by Chennai Super Kings for the inaugural edition of the league.

The pacer performed sensationally throughout his career but he was at his immense prime when Sri Lanka was having most of the success in the limited-overs formats from 2009 to 2014. The pacer was also part of the winning team during the World T20 of 2014. 

However, the pacer was hit by a tragic car accident in 2016 and followed by some injuries that meant Kulasekara lost his consistency. Soon he retired from the longest format, though the Sri Lankan was an irregular member on the white-ball team till 2018 and then retired from all forms in 2019. 

(As of April 2021)