Full Name

Uda Walawwe Mahim Bandaralage Chanaka Asanga Welegedara

Born

March 20, 1981, Matale

Age

42y 365d

Batting Style

Right hand Bat

Bowling Style

Left arm Fast medium

Playing Role

Bowler

Welegedara was a late starter to cricket. He learnt to play the game for St. Thomas' College in Matale at the age of 17, but he made rapid progress performing in provincial matches. When he came to Colombo he was selected as one of 15 probables by Daryl Foster, the Australian fast bowling coach, for the Sri Lanka Pace Academy headed by former Sri Lanka fast bowler Rumesh Ratnayake in 2000. Soon afterwards he was sent to the MRF Pace Academy in Chennai to further develop his skills. Playing for Moors SC since 2002 he bowled his club to the Premier league title in 2002-03 capturing 34 wickets (avg. 24.14) in 13 matches. But his career-best performance came the following season when he took a match haul of nine wickets against Colombo Cricket Club to steer Moors to a comprehensive ten-wicket win. He took the majority of his wickets bowling inswing and trapping the batsmen leg before. Welegedera toured Sharjah with the Sri Lanka Academy side and took seven wickets against UAE, which earned him selection for Sri Lanka A. But he suffered an ankle injury and had to be operated in Australia. The injury kept him out of cricket for 1 ½ years, but his Test debut finally arrived against England, in Galle, during the 2007-08 series.

Often looked to as the leader of the pace attack, after it became apparent that Lasith Malinga would not return to Tests, Welegedara has had a mixed time at the top level. He improved considerably throughout 2011, and then turned in his best performance for Sri Lanka at the end of the year, as he took 5 wickets for 52 in the first innings in Durban, to help set up Sri Lanka's maiden Test win in South Africa.

He has since been plagued by various injuries, and his absences have seen others make claims for the pace spearhead role in the past year.
Sa'adi Thawfeeq and ESPNcricinfo staff July 2008

Chanaka Welegedara Career Stats

Bowling

FormatMatInnsBallsRunsWktsBBIBBMAveEconSR4w5w10w
Tests213537992273555/526/10641.323.5869.0220
ODIs109457433155/665/6628.865.6830.4010
T20Is22366111/211/2161.0010.1636.0000
FC116-1623995653125/34-30.653.5352.02081
List A86-370630131215/165/1624.904.8730.6330
T20s3838799867584/24/214.946.5113.7100

Batting & Fielding

FormatMatInnsNORunsHSAveBFSR100s50s4s6sCtSt
Tests21306218489.0842351.530030450
ODIs103242*4.00944.44000020
T20Is21122*-366.66000000
FC1161444910617611.16240444.1301--310
List A86402010918*5.4525942.0800--200
T20s3815106012*12.0050120.00003370
Uda Walawwe Mahim Bandaralage Chanaka Asanga Welegedara

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Test
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Recent Matches of Chanaka Welegedara

Photos of Chanaka Welegedara

Chanaka Welegedara and Dhammika Prasad chair Mahela Jayawardene around the outfield
Chanaka Welegedara catches a ball during a practice session in Galle
Chanaka Welegedara leaves the field with a suspected hamstring injury
Chanaka Welegedara leaves the field after suffering a hamstring injury
Chanaka Welegedara bowls to Shane Watson
Chanaka Welegedara is congratulated for taking a wicket