10 Facts about Milinda Siriwardana - The Late Bloomer

Milinda Siriwardana is an attacking middle order batsman who has played 2 Tests and 8 ODIs for Sri Lanka. A product of the Sri Lankan Premier League, Siriwardana made his debut at a relatively old age of 29 and has now become somewhat a regular member of the Sri Lankan side. He has proved his worth from time to time with short cameos for the Lankans in limited overs. He is also a handy left-arm spinner which can provide vital wickets in the middle overs. Career wise, he still has a lot to prove as an batting all-rounder and has opportunities too.

1. Birth:

Tisse Appuhamilage Milinda Siriwardana was born on 4th December 1985 in Nagoda, Southern Province.

2. Childhood:

He studied at the Kalutara Vidyalaya National School. It is one of the major schools in Sri Lanka.

3. Domestic cricket:

He made his first-class debut for Sebastianites cricket and Athletic Club in 2005. He has also represented the Sri Lankan A squad.

4. Hopes dashed:

He came close to national recognition when he was included in the 30-member provisional squad for the ICC World Twenty20 in England 2009. However, he was left out of the final 15 squad.

5. County stint:

In 2012, Milinda went to England to become Bury CC’s professional for the 2012 season but his stay was cut short as he was selected to play in the Sri Lanka Premier League.

6. Sri Lanka Premier League:

Siriwardana was bought by Wayamba United in the inaugural edition of Sri Lanka Premier League in 2012.

7. ODI debut:

On 11th July 2015, Milinda made his One Day International (ODI) debut at the Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium in the ODI series against Pakistan.

8. Memorable ODI innings:

He scored his first ODI fifty in the fifth ODI in Pakistan series, where he had an unbeaten partnership of 114 runs with skipper Angelo Mathews. Sri Lanka posted their highest ever ODI total against Pakistan by scoring 368/4 in 50 overs.

9. T20I debut:

He made his Twenty20 International debut for Sri Lanka against Pakistan on 30 July 2015. He was the highest run-scorer for Sri Lanka in that match.

10. Test debut:

Milinda made his Test debut on 14 October 2015, against West Indies at the Galle International Stadium. Before gaining the Test cap, he scored an unbeaten century in the three-day practice match against the same side.

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