Chamara Silva

His batting style earned him comparisons with the great Sri Lankan legend, Aravinda De Silva, but Chamara Silva failed to live up to the promise and has constantly found himself on the fringes of the national team.

Silva debuted for Panadura Sports Club in 1996 and was a consistent performer in the domestic circuit. He made his ODI debut for Sri Lanka against Australia in 1999, scoring 55 in a losing cause. But he failed to sustain the early momentum and after a string of low scores, was dropped from the team. His consequent comeback was also less fruitful and between 2000 and 2005, he featured in only three ODI’s. Though he continued to score big domestically, the selectors ignored him because they felt that he had not justified his chances earlier.

It was Sri Lanka’s then coach Tom Moody who recognised Chamara’s talent and insisted that he be part of his team. His faith was reposed and Chamara slammed his maiden century against India on his comeback. He also made his Test debut in 2006 against New Zealand with a golden pair but made 61 and 152 in the next match. He was consequently selected for the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup and averaged an impressive 43.75 playing part in Sri Lanka’s road to the final. He has since then been in and out of the team but is still considered an asset to the team because of his vast experience.