Ishara Amerasinghe

A six-foot tall fast bowler with a high-arm action, Ishara Amerasinghe has the ability to generate pace, but for much of his career he has been plagued by a lack of accuracy. He has been a regular member of the Sri Lanka A squad since 1999, the season in which he performed outstandingly well, taking 58 wickets from 12 matches in the Premier League for Colombo Colts. That performance opened a window of opportunities for him to tour South Africa, with the A team, and then England. Some hard work at the nets with Champaka Ramanayake, the national fast-bowling coach, and A team coach Chandika Hathurusingha, resulted in an improved line and length. He toured England with the Sri Lankam team in 2002, but was kept waiting for another five years - partly owing to a back injury sustained during that tour - before making his ODI debut against Pakistan in Abu Dhabi after the 2007 World Cup. He toured Australia in early 2008 as a replacement for Dilhara Fernando, and played a Test and a few ODIs that season, but didn't do enough to keep his place in the national team.
Sa'adi Thawfeeq October 2009