Full name Thilan Thusara Samaraweera
Born September 22, 1976, Colombo
Current age 33 years 66 days
Major teams Sri Lanka, Colts Cricket Club, Kandurata, Sinhalese Sports Club, Sri Lanka A
Batting style Right-hand bat
Bowling style Right-arm offbreak
Relation Brother - DP Samaraweera
| Mat | Inns | NO | Runs | HS | Ave | BF | SR | 100 | 50 | 4s | 6s | Ct | St | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tests | 56 | 88 | 13 | 3937 | 231 | 52.49 | 8250 | 47.72 | 11 | 21 | 473 | 5 | 36 | 0 |
| ODIs | 25 | 21 | 2 | 437 | 104 | 23.00 | 712 | 61.37 | 1 | 0 | 36 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| First-class | 211 | 292 | 52 | 11563 | 231 | 48.17 | 30 | 58 | 173 | 0 | ||||
| List A | 129 | 94 | 24 | 1965 | 104 | 28.07 | 1 | 9 | 40 | 0 | ||||
| Twenty20 | 8 | 8 | 1 | 189 | 70 | 27.00 | 153 | 123.52 | 0 | 1 | 18 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Mat | Inns | Balls | Runs | Wkts | BBI | BBM | Ave | Econ | SR | 4w | 5w | 10 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tests | 56 | 32 | 1291 | 679 | 14 | 4/49 | 6/67 | 48.50 | 3.15 | 92.2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| ODIs | 25 | 14 | 672 | 509 | 10 | 3/34 | 3/34 | 50.90 | 4.54 | 67.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| First-class | 211 | 17458 | 8132 | 348 | 6/55 | 23.36 | 2.79 | 50.1 | 15 | 2 | |||
| List A | 129 | 4624 | 3061 | 108 | 7/30 | 7/30 | 28.34 | 3.97 | 42.8 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| Twenty20 | 8 | 2 | 44 | 37 | 3 | 3/17 | 3/17 | 12.33 | 5.04 | 14.6 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Test debut | Sri Lanka v India at Colombo (SSC), Aug 29-Sep 2, 2001 scorecard |
| Last Test | India v Sri Lanka at Kanpur, Nov 24-27, 2009 scorecard |
| Test statistics | |
| ODI debut | India v Sri Lanka at Sharjah, Nov 6, 1998 scorecard |
| Last ODI | New Zealand v Sri Lanka at Johannesburg, Sep 27, 2009 scorecard |
| ODI statistics | |
| First-class debut | 1995/96 |
| Last First-class | India v Sri Lanka at Kanpur, Nov 24-27, 2009 scorecard |
| List A debut | 1995/96 |
| Last List A | Ragama Cricket Club v Sinhalese Sports Club at Colombo (SSC), Oct 28, 2009 scorecard |
| Twenty20 debut | Burgher Recreation Club v Sinhalese Sports Club at Colombo (NCC), Aug 17, 2004 scorecard |
| Last Twenty20 | Kandurata v Wayamba at Kurunegala, Apr 30, 2008 scorecard |
As an offspinner, Thilan Samaraweera lived in the shadow of Muttiah Muralitharan during the early days, only sporadically playing in one-day matches. But since scoring a Test century on debut against India in August 2001, an innings that helped Sri Lanka to a 2-1 series win, he has carved out a reputation as a specialist Test batsman. However, he will also be remembered as a player who took a bullet during the Lahore terror attack on the Sri Lanka team bus early in 2009.
An adhesive and well-organised player, he took a particular liking to his home ground, the SSC in Colombo, where he scored three centuries in his first six Tests. With the departure of Aravinda de Silva and Hashan Tillakaratne from the side, he has cemented his place in the middle order, where his patient and no-risks approach provides a useful counterpoint to his more flamboyant colleagues. Samaraweera has also impressed while leading the A team. Opportunities in the one-day team have been limited and he has been branded a Test specialist by the selectors.
His steady off-spin is rarely used now, although he has a developing reputation as a partnership-breaker and clearly has the talent to become a more-than-useful support bowler. Inconsistent performances through 2006 resulted in him being dropped after the tour of England. He announced his comeback on the tour of West Indies which followed, making a century and a fifty. He had a successful 2008 in Tests, averaging 72.75 in six matches. and2009 began in the same vein, as he scored a double-century in the first Test against Pakistan in Karachi and followed that up with a another in the first innings in Lahore. However, everything came to a shuddering halt when he was the most seriously injured player from the terror attack that hit the Sri Lanka team in Lahore. A bullet lodged in his leg, but thankfully the damage wasn't career-ending.
Charlie Austin June 2009
- Teams back to square one (Nov 23, 2009)
- Bloomfield inch closer to top spot (Oct 21, 2009)
- The Hathurusingha effect (Oct 4, 2009)
- Dhoni leads Test Team of Year (Oct 1, 2009)
- We're not out for revenge - Sangakkara (Sep 13, 2009)
Nov 27, 2009
Thilan Samaraweera sweeps
© Associated Press
Nov 18, 2009
Mahela Jayawardene and Thilan Samaraweera added 138 for the fourth wicket
© AFP
Nov 8, 2009
Thilan Samaraweera arrives in Mumbai
© AFP
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