Asia Cup 2018: Sri Lanka gloveman Niroshan Dickwella sports a new look
Going through an ordinary phase in his career, Dickwella decided to do something different.
Sri Lanka suffered a serious setback ahead of Asia Cup 2018 when they lost Dinesh Chandimal because of a finger injury. He was replaced by Niroshan Dickwella, who was one of the five standby players, in the 16-member squad. Though the 25-year-old did not play the first match in the tournament against Bangladesh on September 15, Dickwella attracted attention for some other reason.
Dickwella last played for Sri Lanka in the five-ODI series at home against South Africa in July-August though could not manage more than one fifty. He then played four matches in SLC T20 League for Galle though could score just 24 runs in four games.
Dickwell bids goodbye to the beard
Going through an ordinary phase in his career, Dickwella decided to do something different, not with his playing style but looks. He decided to get rid of his familiar beard to sport just a moustache and a few streaks of coloured hair. Dickwella posted a video with a Punjabi song in the background on Instagram showing his transformation. The caption read: “Why go out on a duck when you can roar like a lion! Slinga & the Captain started the innings but my time to break the boundary, time for me to #BreakTheBeard Bringing the heat since 93. What say guys?”
Sri Lankan stars like Lasith Malinga and Angelo Mathews are known for sporting beard in the past and now Dickwella, too, decided to imitate them. Maybe he is trying for a change of on-field luck?
Dickwella, who has played 22 Tests, 41 ODIs and 13 T20Is since his debut in 2014, has scored over 2,600 runs with two international hundreds. He has taken 90 catches and effected 22 stumpings.
The player, however, did not feature in his team’s opening game in Asia Cup in Dubai on Saturday which they lost badly by 137 runs. Kushal Perera played as Sri Lanka’s wicketkeeper though he could not do much with the bat.
Sri Lanka play Afghanistan in a must-win game on Monday. Will Dickwella get a game and ‘roar like a lion’?
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