Tillakaratne Dilshan: Sri Lanka’s aggressive all-rounder
A fine blend of attacking and defensive play marks the calibre of Tillakaratne Dilshan, the Sri Lankan opening batsman and off break bowler. Having strong wrists and an aggressive style, who considers the crease his empire and himself http://www.senore.com/Cricket/A-King-c41197, Dilshan loves
to play off-side and scoop shots that rush towards the boundary with speed. As a fielder, mostly a wicket-keeper, he spares no ball untouched. Dilshan has been an integral and constant part of the Sri Lankan Lions since his debut in 1999.
Smashing 163 in his maiden series, Dilshan proved to be a full-moon at rise. Besides 11 international centuries in a year, he earned the T20 Player of the Series 2009 title. 188 runs in a List A match at the strike rate of 139.25 with the help of 14 fours
and 12 six go to Dilshan’s credit.
Dilshan started his career from domestic cricket as an ordinary lower-order batsman, as his relentless struggle and amazing technique, he was soon in the main-stream. Though he started as an all-rounder, but leaned towards batting later on. Batting has been
his predominant area of expertise.
At the age of 23, Dilshan stole a chance to stage himself at international level, as in 1999 he played against Zimbabwe in the maiden Test of his career. In the first innings of Sri Lanka, Dilshan came fifth and scored just 9 with a sterling four, as he
could not play the second innings because the match was drawn. However, in the next match of the series, he smashed 163 that paved the way of his One Day International debut.
In 1999, Dilshan made his ODI debut against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Zimbabwe-c3045, as a middle-order batsman, he scored 35 from 49 deliveries with the help of 2 fours. It was a good start, but Dilshan could not perpetuate the pace he began with and as a result, he was out of the team.
After four years out of the team, Dilshan returned in 2003 with a new zeal and fervour. He was h**l-bent to make himself realized, as it happened when he stunned the world by scoring 63, 100, 83 and 104 in his four consecutive Test innings, cementing his
place in the team and becoming one of the world’s top batsmen. Continuing this momentum, he made four run outs in another series and took the headlines. In 2007, he shined in domestic cricket with 188 runs in a match from 135 balls, as he stroked 14 fours
and 12 sixes.
Starting his T20 career in 2006 against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/England-c56013 with just 2 runs in the maiden innings, Dilshan went on to be one of the world’s top T20 players. Within two years, he was standing as the Player of the T20 Series in 2009. The year 2009 proved to be a gala
year for him, as he made 11 international centuries along with 317 runs in seven matches of the T20 World Cup 2009 with an average of 52.83. Dilshan has also played for the Indian Premier League’s Royal Challengers Bangalore.
During his career spanning 12 years, Dilshan has played 66 Tests, 195 ODIs and 32 T20s. His scorecard is flashed with 3990 Test, 5006 ODI and 758 T20 runs that include 19 centuries, 42 fifties, 1087 fours and 61 sixes. On the bowling front, the Sri Lankan
Lion has 19 Test, 54 ODI and 4 T20 wickets. As a fielder, Dilshan has 168 marvelous catches to his credit.
Dilshan is now on the squad as http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Sri-Lanka-c758 faces some of the most competitive teams in the ICC World Cup 2011. His aggressive batting style and accurate bowling will be a key component for success. The Sri Lankan Lions will be looking to him to contribute
in some of the hard battles which await them. His expectations and the hopes of a nation are riding on his shoulders, as he looks to take on the responsibility of bringing the coveted trophy home.
Tags: