Nuwan Kulasekara: The Bowler who came from a Small town and made a Mark in World Cricket
New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu): Born on 22 July 1982 in Nittambuwa, a small town in Sri Lanka, Nuwan Kulasekara made his international debut at the age of 21. The slim and lanky Nuwan Kulasekara bowled 9 overs in his debut match against England, taking 2 wickets for just 19 runs.
Nuwan Kulasekara had made an impact in his debut ODI match, but he had to wait a little for the Test format. Nuwan played Test cricket for the first time in April 2005. In 2006, while batting at number 10 against England, he scored 63 runs in 133 balls. The match ended in a draw.
From April 2008, he took 47 wickets in 29 matches at an average of 20.97 within 12 months, in which his strike rate was 28 and economy rate was 4.45. Kulasekara, who bowled with a long run-up, was an expert in swinging the ball. In 2009, he reached the first position in the bowlers' ranking. After Chaminda Vaas' retirement, Kulasekara got ample opportunities in the ODI format. Meanwhile, Lasith Malinga's performance was also poor. In such a situation, Kulasekara became an important bowler of the team. Kulasekara was included in the prestigious ICC World ODI Team of the Year 2009.
Kulasekara shared a 66-run partnership with Mahela Jayawardene in the final of the ODI World Cup-2011 and took the team to a score of 274, but the team did not get a chance to win the title. In the same year, Chennai Super Kings added Kulasekara to their team for Rs 6.5 crore. After this, Kulasekara shone in the Champions Trophy-2013, but with increasing age, Nuwan Kulasekara's speed was no longer the same as before.
At the same time, in the year 2016, a person died due to his car, after which he had to remain in police custody for some time. However, Kulasekhar was later released on bail. After this, Kulasekhar made a comeback in limited overs cricket, but announced his retirement from international cricket in the year 2019.
Nuwan Kulasekara played 21 Test matches in his career, in which he took 48 wickets and scored 391 runs. In 184 ODIs, he took 199 wickets and scored 1,327 runs. In 58 T20 matches, Kulasekara took 66 wickets and scored 215 runs.