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| Tillakaratne Dilshan | |
|---|---|
| Name | Tillakaratne Dilshan |
| Fullname | Tillakaratne Mudiyanselage Dilshan |
| Birth date | 14 October 1976 |
| Birth place | Mattakkuliya, Colombo, Sri Lanka |
| Batting | Right-handed |
| Bowling | Right-arm off break, occasional left-arm orthodox |
| Role | Top-order batsman, occasional wicket-keeper, part-time bowler |
| Country | Sri Lanka |
| Testdebutdate | 27 July 1999 |
| Testdebutagainst | New Zealand |
| Odidebutdate | 23 February 1999 |
| Odidebutagainst | India |
| Lasttestdate | 23 July 2011 |
| Lasttestagainst | Pakistan |
| Lastodidate | 26 March 2016 |
| Lastodiagainst | Netherlands |
Tillakaratne Dilshan is a former Sri Lankan international cricketer noted for aggressive batting and inventive strokes, who played across Tests, One Day Internationals and Twenty20 Internationals. He served as Sri Lanka captain in limited-overs formats and was influential in major tournaments, franchise leagues and domestic competitions. His career intersected with many prominent players, boards and events in world cricket.
Born in Mattakkuliya in Colombo, he grew up amid Colombo District and Western Province communities, educated at Ananda College where contemporaries included Arjuna Ranatunga and school-level rivals from Royal College, St. Thomas' College and S. Thomas' College. Early coaches and mentors included Duleep Mendis and Aravinda de Silva who influenced his technique alongside club figures from Sinhalese Sports Club and Bloomfield Cricket and Athletic Club. He changed his surname following family and cultural traditions linked with Sri Lankan naming practices and civil records, interacting with institutions such as the Colombo Municipal Council and National Olympic Committee of Sri Lanka during youth tournaments. Domestic exposure involved Sri Lanka Under-19 fixtures against India Under-19, Pakistan Under-19 and England Under-19 sides, and early professional contacts with Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), Asian Cricket Council and international touring teams including Australia, South Africa and New Zealand.
In domestic cricket he represented Sinhalese Sports Club, Nondescripts Cricket Club, Bloomfield Cricket and Athletic Club, Dhaka Gladiators in the Bangladesh Premier League, and Kandurata Maroons in Sri Lanka's Inter-Provincial Tournament, while participating in franchise tournaments such as the Indian Premier League (IPL) with Deccan Chargers, the Pakistan Super League (PSL) conceptually through contemporaries at franchises like Islamabad United, the Caribbean Premier League with franchise players from Jamaica Tallawahs and Barbados Tridents, and the Big Bash League where he faced teams like Melbourne Stars and Sydney Sixers. He played for Wayamba United in the Sri Lanka Premier League, and for Royal Challengers in exhibition ties alongside names from Chennai Super Kings, Mumbai Indians, Kolkata Knight Riders, Rajasthan Royals and Kings XI Punjab. Dilshan's domestic competition involved rivalries spanning players from Essex, Yorkshire, Surrey, Middlesex, New South Wales, Victoria, Western Australia, and provincial sides from Andhra, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu in cross-border tours.
Representing Sri Lanka, he debuted in ODIs against India and in Tests against New Zealand, forming partnerships with Sanath Jayasuriya, Mahela Jayawardene, Kumar Sangakkara, Muttiah Muralitharan and Chaminda Vaas. He competed in ICC tournaments including the Cricket World Cup, ICC Champions Trophy, ICC World Twenty20 and Asia Cup, contributing in campaigns versus Australia, England, South Africa, Pakistan, India, New Zealand, Bangladesh, Zimbabwe and West Indies. He captained Sri Lanka in limited-overs formats against teams such as England and Pakistan, and played under captains Arjuna Ranatunga, Marvan Atapattu, Sanath Jayasuriya, Mahela Jayawardene and Angelo Mathews. Tours included series in Australia, South Africa, England, New Zealand, India, Pakistan and Zimbabwe, and he featured in Tri-series contests with Australia and West Indies. Dilshan's international timeline involved interactions with the International Cricket Council, match officials from the Emirates Cricket Board, and tournament venues like Lord's, Melbourne Cricket Ground, Eden Gardens, Newlands and R. Premadasa Stadium.
Known for inventing the "Dilscoop", he executed reverse-batting innovations that challenged bowlers such as Glenn McGrath, Wasim Akram, Brett Lee, Dale Steyn, James Anderson and Vernon Philander. His right-handed stance and ability to play off-side and on-side shots drew comparisons to Brian Lara, Ricky Ponting, Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Adam Gilchrist and Jacques Kallis. He kept wicket occasionally, a role reminiscent of players like MS Dhoni and Kumar Sangakkara, and bowled part-time off-spin akin to Shoaib Malik and Jason Gillespie's occasional bowling roles. Coaches like John Buchanan and Duncan Fletcher influenced contemporary tactical approaches, while analysts from ESPNcricinfo and Cricbuzz documented his strike rates, century conversion rates, and fielding positions at point, mid-wicket and cover.
He accrued milestones including multiple ODI centuries, a high Test score over 200, and key T20 innings that shaped Sri Lanka's standing in ICC events. His awards include accolades from Sri Lanka Cricket, nominations for ICC ODI Player of the Year and appearances in World XI selections alongside Sachin Tendulkar, Ricky Ponting, Shane Warne, Andrew Flintoff and Brian Lara. He achieved player-of-the-match performances in bilateral series, Champions Trophy fixtures and World Cup matches, setting records in run aggregates, strike-rate benchmarks, and partnership records with Mahela Jayawardene, Kumar Sangakkara and Angelo Mathews. Tournament honours included national awards from the Ministry of Sports, recognition by the Asian Cricket Council, and ceremonial roles in celebrations with governors, presidents and cricket patrons.
His career encountered disciplinary hearings and controversies involving selection panels, disciplinary committees under Sri Lanka Cricket, and media scrutiny by outlets such as The Daily Mirror, The Island, ESPNcricinfo and Cricbuzz. Issues included debates over captaincy decisions, fitness and availability, and on-field incidents with umpires from the International Cricket Council and match referees that led to fines or warnings like those imposed in other high-profile cases involving Shane Warne, Kevin Pietersen, Harbhajan Singh and Virat Kohli. He was involved in selection controversies alongside figures like Duleep Mendis, Aravinda de Silva and Mahela Jayawardene concerning team balance, workload and franchise commitments during overlapping schedules with the IPL, BPL and SLPL.
Off the field he engaged with philanthropic activities, cricket coaching clinics, and commentary roles for broadcasters such as Star Sports and Ten Sports, interacting with commentators including Harsha Bhogle, Sanjay Manjrekar and Ian Bishop. His legacy influences contemporary Sri Lankan cricketers like Kusal Perera, Thisara Perera, Dinesh Chandimal and Upul Tharanga, and coaching initiatives tied to Sri Lanka Cricket, schools like Ananda College and Royal College, and development programs linked to the Asian Cricket Council and ICC. He has been commemorated in retrospectives by Wisden, ESPNcricinfo features, documentaries and alumni events involving former teammates Ranatunga, Jayawardene, Sangakkara, Muralitharan and Jayasuriya. His impact persists in batting innovation, tactical planning in limited-overs cricket, and the cultural memory of Sri Lanka's cricketing achievements.
Category:Sri Lankan cricketers Category:Cricket captains Category:1976 births Category:Living people