Dasun Shanaka: News

Sri Lankan cricketer Dasun Shanaka became a national sensation when in 2015, while playing for the Sinhalese Sports Club, he hit a record 16 sixes in an innings. A middle-order batsman who can bowl handsomely, Shanaka is another talented cricketer from the fertile grounds of the Sinhalese Sports Club. He made his international debut in 2015 in a T20I against Pakistan. It was, however, his performance in the AIA T20 tournament that really put him on the map. A limited-overs specialist, Shanaka made his Test debut before making his ODI debut in 2016. In his ODI debut against Ireland, he became only the third Sri Lankan bowler to pick a fifer on debut. A born match-winner, Shanka's clutch genes showed when his all-round performance led Sri Lanka to their first victory against South Africa after 11 losses in 2018. His leadership qualities and matchwinning capabilities were rewarded when he was named the captain of the Sri Lankan team for a T20 series against Pakistan in 2019. Under his captaincy, Sri Lanka whitewashed Pakistan, handing Sri Lanka their first series whitewash in T20I. In July 2021, the Sri Lankan team, under his captaincy, defeated India in a three-match T20I series as well.