5 Players with long names in professional cricket

The cricketers from Sri Lanka are known to have long names as most of their cricketers have at least three initials in their name. Some of their legendary cricketers have even more than three. The likes of Chaminda Vaas and Rangana Herath contain as many as five initials while Mahela Jayawardene has four initials.

However, there are players with long names from other countries as well. In this article, we list out a few players all over the world with really long names that are tough to write in a given space.

Here we look at five professional cricketers who have long names and many initials in their name:

5. IL Bula

Ilikena Lasarusa Talebulamaineiilikenamainavaleniveivakabulaimainakulalakebalau is the full name of IL Bula. This name doesn’t contain a big number of initials but Talebulamaineiilikenamainavaleniveivakabulaimainakulalakebalau is the longest surname for any cricketer who has featured in a professional match.

The Fijian cricketer Bula got a chance to feature in nine first-class matches for his country Fiji all against New Zealand domestic teams. During the 1947/48 season, Bula scored 88 during Fiji’s 1-wicket win against Wellington as the visitors chased down 247 despite conceding a first-innings lead of 47 runs.

In the following match against Canterbury, he smashed his maiden FC century of 120 despite which Fiji lost by 36 runs in pursuit of a 357-run target. Bula’s 2nd hundred in this format also came against Canterbury during the 1953/54 tour where he scored 102 in the 2nd innings. Fiji lost the match despite setting a target of 217.

4. UWMBCA Welegedara

Sri Lanka’s Chanaka Welegedara has as many as six initials in his name. Welegedara’s six initials are the most for any player to feature in Test cricket. His full name reads Uda Walawwe Mahim Bandaralage Chanaka Asanka Welegedara (UWMBCA Welegedara). The left-arm pacer had decent outings in the ODI format as he claimed 15 wickets across 10 matches between 2009 and 2010 with help of a 5-wicket haul.

Interestingly, Welegedara played eight ODIs against India itself and the other two against Bangladesh. His efforts with the ball helped Sri Lanka win a Tri-series in Bangladesh at the start of 2010. Welegedara represented Sri Lanka in Test cricket between 2007 and 2014 but appeared in only 21 matches. He bagged 55 wickets at a mediocre bowling average of 41.32 with two 5-wickets hauls and two 4-fers.

In his very second Test, the pacer left India reeling at 32/4 on the first morning of the Ahmedabad Test. India recovered from the early breakthroughs and managed to draw the match with gritty batting in their 2nd essay. His last appearance in professional cricket came during the 2014-15 season where he delivered the then most economical T20 spell. Welegedara conceded only two runs in his four overs during the match against Sinhalese CC for the Tamil Union C&AC.

3. JEBBPQC Dwyer

The full name of JEBBPQC Dwyer reads John Elicius Benedict Bernard Placid Quirk Carrington Dwyer who is commonly referred as J.B. Dwyer. He holds the record for being the only first-class cricketer on England soil to have as many as seven initials in the name. Dwyer was born in Australia’s New South Wales before moving to England where he represented Sussex in County Competition. JB Dwyer’s great grandfather Michael Dwyer was an Irish man who was part of the 1798 Irish Rebellion.

Michael was transported to Australia in 1805 after he surrendered for his involvement in the Guerrilla campaign. JB Dwyer played club cricket in Australia until 1904 when he was aged 28. Dwyer’s height and his pace bowling with a high right-arm action earned the backing of Plum Warner and CB Fry who were instrumental in getting him to sign for Sussex. His first-class career was spread across six English seasons between 1904 and 1909.

JB Dwyer featured in 61 FC matches in those six years where he claimed 179 wickets at an average of 27.94 and also amassed 986 runs. The 1906 and 1907 seasons were the best ones for Dwyer with the ball where he claimed 96 and 58 wickets respectively. In his debut County match in 1906 against Derbyshire, the right-arm pacer took 9/35 in the 2nd innings to help Sussex win the game by 88 runs.

2. MMBRSTC Wanigaratne

The full name of former Sri Lankan cricketer Supun Tharanga reads as Wanigaratne Manampeli Mahapata Bandhi Ralalage Supun Tharanga Coory Wanigaratne. His name consists of as many as seven initials and is referred to as MMBRSTC Wanigaratne. The all-rounder born in Kaluthara is one of the three known players in the first-class history with seven or more initials in the name.

Supun nearly became the first-ever International player to have more than six initials as he went on to represent Italy shortly after turning 30. He made his professional debut in the 2006-07 Sri Lanka domestic season. Supun featured in five T20 matches, three first-class games and a List A match during that season. He appeared in two more List A matches two years later which was the last time he ever featured in a professional match.

Supun Tharanga turned up for Italy for the ICC World Cricket League Division Four hosted by Los Angeles in 2016. He scored 96 runs with help of a fifty across the six matches they played and also claimed five wickets. Italy made their International debut through the T20I format in mid-2019 after ICC granted international status for all countries in the shortest format. Unfortunately, Supun didn’t feature in any game for Italy after the tournament in 2016.

1. ARRAPWRRKB Amunugama

Sri Lanka’s Rajitha Amunugama featured in more than 100 matches in first-class cricket during a career that spread across 17 domestic seasons. Amunugama managed to create a first-class record, not due to anything he achieved in his long career but based on his name itself. The Mawanella born cricketer holds the record for playing first-class cricket with the highest number of initials in the name.

Rajitha Amunugama is written as ARRAPWRRKB Amunugama in short notes which expands to Rajapakse Rajakaruna Abeykoon Panditha Wasalamudiyanse Ralahamilage Rajitha Krishantha Bandara Amunugama. He was one of the rare players to be a left-handed batsman but a right-arm medium-fast bowler at the same time. Amunugama represented Kurunegala Youth Cricket Club in as many as 63 games in his FC career.

Rajitha also played for North Western Province and Tamil Union Cricket and Athletic Club in 20 and 19 matches respectively. He claimed 237 wickets in total at an average of 26.91 with help of eight 5-wicket hauls in a career that ended in 2004. Amunugama also scored 1656 runs at an average of 15.92 which is decent for a lower-order batsman. He also played in 20 List A matches where he bagged 18 scalps.