Deshabandu Marvan Samson Atapattu (born 22 November 1970) is a Sri Lankan cricket coach, commentator and former professional cricketer. A reliable, technically sound top-order batsman, he represented the Sri Lankan national cricket team from 1990 to 2007 and later moved into coaching roles with Canada, Singapore and Sri Lanka.
| Full name | Marvan Samson Atapattu |
|---|---|
| Honorific | Deshabandu |
| Date of birth | 22 November 1970 |
| Nationality | Sri Lankan |
| Role | Top-order batsman |
| International career | 1990–2007 |
| Tests | 90 |
| Test batting average | 39 |
| Test double centuries | 6 |
| One-Day Internationals | 268 |
| Major honours as player | 1996 Cricket World Cup; 2004 Asia Cup (as captain) |
Atapattu emerged as a specialist top-order batsman known for technical correctness and dependability at the crease. His early Test career, however, was difficult: he registered five ducks in his first six innings before establishing himself in the side.
Atapattu made his international debut in 1990 and went on to play across both major formats of the international game until 2007.
He played 90 Test matches, finishing with a career batting average of 39. Despite his unpromising start, he scored six double centuries in Tests, a notable mark of his ability to convert starts into very large innings.
Atapattu featured in 268 One-Day Internationals. He was part of the Sri Lankan squad that won the 1996 Cricket World Cup and later captained Sri Lanka to victory in the 2004 Asia Cup.
After retiring as a player, Atapattu moved into coaching:
He has also worked as a cricket commentator.
Atapattu is regarded as one of Sri Lanka's leading top-order batsmen of his era, recognised for resilience after a difficult start in Test cricket and for his ability to construct very long innings, reflected in his six Test double centuries. As captain, he led Sri Lanka to a major regional title in 2004, and he subsequently contributed to the development of the game in associate nations such as Canada and Singapore before returning to senior roles with Sri Lanka.
Q3522556