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Nuwan Kulasekara

Nuwan Kulasekara
Nuwan Kulasekara Image: Wikimedia Commons. paddynapper / CC BY-SA 2.0

Overview

Kulasekara Mudiyanselage Dinesh Nuwan Kulasekara (Sinhala: නුවන් කුලසේකර; born 22 July 1982) is a former Sri Lankan cricketer who represented the national side across all three formats of the game. A right-arm medium-fast bowler known for his command over conventional swing in both directions, Kulasekara was a long-serving member of the Sri Lankan attack and a key contributor to the team that won the 2014 ICC World Twenty20.

Key facts

Full name Kulasekara Mudiyanselage Dinesh Nuwan Kulasekara
Born 22 July 1982
Nationality Sri Lankan
Education Bandaranayake College, Gampaha
Bowling Right-arm, swing
Formats Test, ODI, T20I
Test retirement June 2016
International retirement July 2019
Residence Colombo

Background

Kulasekara was educated at Bandaranayake College in Gampaha, where his early cricket developed. He went on to break into the Sri Lankan national side as a swing bowler, building a reputation for moving the new ball both ways at a brisk pace.

International career

Kulasekara was a part of several Sri Lankan squads that reached the latter stages of major International Cricket Council tournaments. He featured in the side that reached the final of the 2007 Cricket World Cup and the final of the 2011 Cricket World Cup. In the shortest format, he was part of the Sri Lankan teams that reached the finals of the 2009 ICC World Twenty20 and the 2012 ICC World Twenty20.

He was a member of the Sri Lankan squad that won the 2014 ICC World Twenty20, the country's first global title in the T20 format.

Retirement

In June 2016, Kulasekara retired from Test cricket to focus on limited-overs formats. He announced his retirement from international cricket in July 2019. The third One Day International between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, played on 31 July 2019, was dedicated to him in recognition of his career. After retiring from international cricket, he moved to Colombo, where he resides.

Significance

Kulasekara is regarded as one of the prominent swing bowlers produced by Sri Lanka in the post-2000s era. His ability to swing the new ball in either direction made him a regular new-ball option in white-ball cricket, and his presence in multiple ICC tournament finals underlined his role in a successful generation of Sri Lankan cricketers.

References