Full name Shantha Kalavitigoda

Born December 23, 1977, Colombo

Current age 31 years 198 days

Major teams Sri Lanka, Basnahira North, Bloomfield Cricket and Athletic Club, Colts Cricket Club, North Central Province, Sinhalese Sports Club, Sri Lanka A

Batting style Right-hand bat

Bowling style Legbreak

Shantha Kalavitigoda was a surprise call-up for Sri Lanka's postponed tour to New Zealand in 2004-05. But Kalavitigoda, a right-handed opener, has been quietly knocking on the door in recent years. While younger batsmen have been given repeated opportunities to flatter and fail, Kalavitigoda has been consistently accumulating first-class runs, scoring eight hundreds in the two seasons. In 2003-04 he was adjudged the best batsman in the Premier League, and in 2004-05 he scored nearly 800 runs for Colombo Colts and North West Province. That was enough to win him selection to the A team against England A in March 2005. He grabbed his opportunity with a fighting 83 off 177 balls at NCC in the second Test, an innings that persuaded the selectors to give him a chance in the senior team. When that opportunity did arrive in the second Test in Wellington he was shunted down to an unfamiliar No. 7 position and failed in both innings.

Kalavitigoda's first taste of international cricket was with the Sri Lankan under-17 team at the 1994 World Cup in Malaysia. He was a prolific scorer for his school, Nalanda College, and once shared a 380-run partnership with Mahela Jayawardene in an under-23 match for SSC, his first club.

Best Batsman of the Premier Tournament 2003-04

Sep 9, 2004

Shantha Kalavitigoda

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May 17, 2001

Shantha Kalavitigoda - Protrait

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