Milinda Siriwardana has been rated as a handy all-rounder since his childhood, and certainly lived up to the expectations when he made his debut against Pakistan in 2015. He is known for his attacking style of play and former Sri Lankan keeper Romesh Kaluwitharana played a big role in transforming the all-rounder into an impact player. The Nagoda-born made his First-Class debut for Sebastianites and Athletic Club in 2005 and has been a consistent part of Sri Lankan A squad.

He was a part of the 30-member provisional squad for the 2009 ICC World T20 in England, but was denied a spot in the final 15-member squad. Milinda's wish finally came true when he was named in the ODI squad against Pakistan at home. Although Sri Lanka lost that series, one has to understand that the home team were in a re-building phase following the departure of Sangakkara and Jayawardene. The southpaw smashed a 26-ball 52 in the final ODI of the series and ended Pakistan's innings by claiming the wicket of Rahat Ali. His innings also proved to crucial in Sri Lanka recording their highest ever ODI total against Pakistan.

Siriwardana also made his T20I debut following the ODI series (against Pakistan in 2015) and ensured his strike rate never dropped under 100. He developed a trait to play aggressive cricket from school days and since then it has been his area of strength. If he can keep up his consistency, he might and should get a long run in all three formats of the game.

The handy all-rounder made his Test debut in the same year where he enjoyed a string of excellent performances with bat and ball against West Indies in October 2015. After a mediocre 2016 World T20, Milinda had to cope with injury concerns which eventually saw a dip his form. However, the all-rounder is often cited as the "Man-with-the-golden-arm," by the former Sri Lankan greats.


By Raju Peethala