Dharmasena came into the international scene in 1994 against South Africa, aged 22. His quickish offspinners, delivered with a slightly unorthodox action, were invariably accurate making him an ideal one-day bowler, especially in Sri Lankan conditions. With time he also developed into a useful middle order batsman, which guaranteed him a regular place in the Sri Lankan one-day squad. His career came to a standstill after the Oval Test in 1998, when the ICC questioned his bowling action. However, he was cleared to play again by the Sri Lankan cricket board in July 2000. He subsequently played frequently for the one-day team, especially during home matches, but only played Test cricket sporadically. He retired from competitive cricket in November 2006 to pursue a career in umpiring and made his international umpiring debut in 2009. He was part of the panel of 18 umpires selected for the World Cup in India in 2011, officiating in the tournament opener between Bangladesh and India in Mirpur, and later the same year was promoted to the Elite Panel of ICC Umpires.
Charlie Austin