Praveen Jayawickrama

Praveen Jayawickrama’s entry to the international stage was just wondrous. Born in Moratuwa, he is a left-arm slow orthodox bowler who has hailed from Sri Lanka’s grass root levels. Jayawickrama made his Test debut to claim the best figures by a Sri Lankan spinner in his first game. 

The Moratuwa-born is a byproduct of the country’s school cricket system and represented St. Sebastian College in his initial days. As Jayawickrama grew as a cricketer, he earned a reputation during his age-group days. Therefore, the spinner got picked to don Sri Lankan blues in the U-19 World Cup of 2018 Down Under. He played six matches in the tournament and played a massive part as a partnership breaker for the islanders. 

Post the ICC event, Jayawickrama returned to Sri Lanka to make his domestic debut for Colts Cricket Club. The southpaw made his first-class debut in the Premier League Tournament in 2019, playing four games that season. Later that season, the spinner moved to Moors Sports Club to make his List A and T20 debut. He bowled beautifully in his first two domestic seasons and grabbed a stellar number of wickets. 

Soon, Jayawickrama was named into the national side for the series against Bangladesh in 2021. He made his debut in the second match at Pallekele and took his home with the figures of 11 for 178, the best by a Lankan spinner and the best by any spinner since Jason Krejza in 2008. Later the year, the selectors named him for the limited-overs series against England. Jayawickrama would be hoping to repeat the wonders in his ODI and T20I debut as well, and unpuzzle his country’s problem since the retirement of Rangana Herath. 

(As of June 2021)