7 Facts about Jeffrey Vandersay: The Sri Lankan leg-spinner

In just 4 short overs against the West Indies, Jeffrey Vandersay became the name on the lips of Sri Lankan fans. Vandersay was the late addition to the Sri Lankan squad for the marquee tournament following an injury to premier pacer Lasith Malinga. Was he as effective as Malinga always is? Perhaps not, but he did manage to put up a stellar performance against a strong West Indies batting lineup. Whether he can continue to consistently provide the Lankans with this sort of a performance remains to be seen. In a bid to throw some light on the Sri Lankan leg-spinner, here are 7 facts about Jeffrey Vandersay.

1. Birth:

Jeffrey Dexter Francis Vandersay was born at Wattala, Sri Lanka on the 5^th of February 1990.

2. Early Life & Education:

As is the case of many an international cricketer, Vandersay was associated with the sport since childhood. He is a natural spinner of the cricket ball and can generate turn and bounce on a dry surface. He was educated at Wesley College, Colombo and has settled in Colombo despite being born in Wattala.

3. Tryst with international cricket:

Before his international debut, Vandersay’s first taste of international cricket came when he faced Pakistan in a tour match at the Colombo Cricket Club. He impressed one and all with a stellar performance, taking 8 wickets and conceding 167 runs in the entire match. Some of his prized scalps include Ahmed Shehzad, Misbah-ul-Haq and Asad Shafiq. The performance finally saw him added to the squad for the Pakistan series, although he hasn’t yet featured for the Test side.

4. ODI Debut and stats:

Jeffrey Vandersay made his ODI debut against New Zealand at Christchurch. His ODI record is quite substandard as he has played in just 3 ODIs for the Lankans since debut. He has conceded 104 runs and picked up 2 wickets. It can only be assumed at this juncture that he is still bridging the gap from domestic cricket to international cricket. Corey Anderson was his first wicket in international cricket.

5. Martin Guptill’s Massacre:

Jeffrey Vandersay has an arguably bad stat to his name. While it was sheer unluckiness that he bowled to the destructive Martin Guptill on the day Guptill was in the mood. The Kiwis chased the Lankan total in barely a few overs as Vandersay conceded 34 runs in the 2 overs he bowled.

6. T20I debut and stats:

Vandersay made his T20I debut against Pakistan at his home ground in Colombo. He went wicket-less in the match. However, despite that, he was included in the squad for the New Zealand tour which ended in complete disarray for the Lankans. He was named in the Asia Cup squad but was eventually dropped for the World T20 2016 following a bad run of form against New Zealand. In yet another twist, Vandersay wan once again named in the squad following an injury to Lasith Malinga.

7. Memorable outing in Bengaluru:

Jeffrey Vandersay made his World T20 debut against the West Indies at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. He put up a stellar performance, conceding just 11 runs and picked up a wicket. His heroics, however, went in vain as the Windies won by 7 wickets. Only 6 bowlers conceded less in a 4-over spell in a T20 game at Bangalore.