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Kusal Perera

Silver medal icon (S initial)
Silver medal icon (S initial) Image: Wikimedia Commons. en:User:Andrwsc and others / Public domain

Mathurage Don Kusal Janith Perera (Sinhala: කුසල් පෙරේරා; born 17 August 1990), commonly known as Kusal Perera or Kusal Janith Perera, and often referred to by his initials KJP, is a professional Sri Lankan cricketer. A left-handed batter, he plays limited overs cricket for Sri Lanka and is a former captain of the national One Day International (ODI) side.

Key facts

Full name Mathurage Don Kusal Janith Perera
Born 17 August 1990
Nationality Sri Lankan
Other names Kusal Perera, Kusal Janith Perera, KJP
Role Cricketer (limited overs)
Notable team Sri Lanka national cricket team
Major honour Member of the 2014 ICC World Twenty20 winning side
Captaincy Former Sri Lanka ODI captain (named in May 2021)

Background

Perera is a Sri Lankan international cricketer who has represented the country across formats. He has been associated with the Sri Lankan limited overs setup for much of his international career.

Career

2014 ICC World Twenty20

Perera was a key member of the Sri Lankan side that won the 2014 ICC World Twenty20, the country's first ICC World Twenty20 title.

Durban Test, 2019

One of the defining performances of Perera's career came in the first Test against South Africa at Durban in 2019. Batting in the fourth innings, he scored an unbeaten 153 to take Sri Lanka to victory, sharing a last-wicket partnership of 78 runs with Vishwa Fernando. The innings was named the second-best Test innings of the decade by Wisden in 2019, and he was awarded the best Test performance of 2019 by ESPNcricinfo.

ODI captaincy

In May 2021, Perera was named captain of the Sri Lankan team for the ODI series against Bangladesh.

Significance

Perera's 153 not out at Durban is widely regarded as one of the most acclaimed Test innings of recent times, both for its match-winning impact and for the rarity of a successful fourth-innings chase against South Africa in their home conditions. Combined with his role in the 2014 World Twenty20 triumph, his career has made him one of the prominent Sri Lankan cricketers of his generation.

References