In a time when bowlers like Wickremasinghe, Nuwan Zoysa, and Chaminda Vaas were the obvious choices in the bowling department for the Sri Lankan cricket team selectors, a youngster by the name of Dilhara Fernando grabbed his chance by both hands when he first got a chance to play in an ODI against the South Africans in 2001. Ever since that, he has never looked back even though he has been through a few tough times.
Dilhara Fernando was born in Colombo, Sri Lanka in 1979 and began his career very promisingly. His career, though, has been constantly affected due to injuries which has at times not only limited the number of matches he played but his performance as well. To date, Dilhara has represented the Sri Lankan cricket team in 141 ODIs and captured 180 wickets at an average of 29.78 with the best bowling of 6/27.
Known for his determination and a finger-splitting slow ball, Fernando would make sure that he justifies Aravinda Desilva’s faith in him as being part of the world cup squad of the Sri Lanka cricket team. In 2010’s tour to Australia, he consistently bowled close to 150 km/hr which just shows the raw power that this tall lad who was initially destined to be a basketball player has.
Although he can be unpredictable at times where he can potentially win or lose the match for his side in a spell during the 2011 Cricket World Cup being co-hosted by Sri Lanka and Dilhara Fernando more than familiar with the playing conditions, he would like to utilize his experience and pace to contribute meaningfully and ensure a victory for his side in the tournament.
In many cases, Dilhara Fernando has won matches for the Sri Lankan cricket team. His consistency with the bowling and his wicket-taking ability was what made him an essential part of the Sri Lankan team despite a great level of competition in the bowling department.
