| Dunith Wellalage Quick Info | |
|---|---|
| Height | 5 ft 8 in |
| Weight | 69 kg |
| Date of Birth | January 9, 2003 |
| Zodiac Sign | Capricorn |
| Eye Color | Dark Brown |
Dunith Wellalage is a Sri Lankan professional cricketer who has represented his country primarily in the ODI format of the sport, as a spin bowler. As of December 2022, he had also played a solitary test match for Sri Lanka – in July 2022, against Pakistan. Before breaking into the senior national team in June 2022, he captained Sri Lanka at the 2022 ICC (International Cricket Council) Under-19 Cricket World Cup. Sri Lanka finished the tournament in 6th place in a field of 16 teams. Dunith was one of the stars of the tournament, finishing as its highest wicket-taker (17 wickets) and 7th-highest run-scorer (264 runs). This incredible all-round performance saw him being included in the ‘Team of the Tournament’ by both ICC and ESPN Cricinfo (arguably the leading cricket portal in the world). In the Sri Lankan domestic circuit, he has played for Lankan Cricket Club (2019-Present), Colts Cricket Club, and Jaffna across all 3 formats. At the franchise level, he has turned out for Jaffna Kings (2022) in the LPL (Lanka Premier League). That season, he won the LPL title with the team – his debut season in the tournament.
Born Name
Dunith Nethmika Wellalage
Nick Name
Dunith
Sun Sign
Capricorn
Born Place
Colombo, Western Province, Sri Lanka
Residence
Moratuwa, Colombo, Western Province, Sri Lanka
Nationality
Education
Dunith had attended St. Joseph’s College, a selective entry Catholic school in Colombo.
Occupation
Professional Cricketer
Family
- Father – Suranga Wellalage
Batting
Left-Handed
Bowling
Slow Left-Arm Orthodox
Role
Bowler
Jersey Number
- 1 – One Day International (ODI)
- 8 – Youth ODI
Build
Athletic
Height
5 ft 8 in or 173 cm
Weight
69 kg or 152 lbs
Race / Ethnicity
Asian
He is of Sri Lankan descent.
Hair Color
Black
Eye Color
Dark Brown
Sexual Orientation
Straight
Distinctive Features
- Toned physique
- Short-cropped, side-parted hair
- Affable smile
- Often sports a thin mustache
Dunith Wellalage Facts
- In Sri Lanka’s opening match of the group stage of the 2022 ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup, against Scotland, Dunith recorded spectacular bowling figures of 5/27 to help Sri Lanka bundle out Scotland for 178 runs. Sri Lanka won the match by 40 runs and he was named the ‘Player of the match’ for his performance.
- In the team’s next match, against 3-time champions Australia, he produced arguably the best all-round performance of the tournament. In the first half of the match, he produced his 2nd successive 5-wicket haul (5/28) to limit Australia to a below-par total of 175 runs. In the 2nd half of the match, he walked out to bat in the 8th over when his team was struggling a bit at 41/3.
- Dunith played a captain’s knock (52 runs off 71 balls) and by the time he was the 6th wicket dismissed in the 37th over, Sri Lanka had already reached 171 runs, within touching distance of the target. For his outstanding display, he was named the ‘Player of the match’ for the 2nd game in succession.
- In Sri Lanka’s next (and final) match of the group stage of the tournament, against the West Indies, Dunith produced the best bowling performance of the match, from either side, for the 3rd match in a row (3/39 this time). Sri Lanka went on to win the match by 3 wickets and advanced to the ‘super league’ (conducted for the 8 teams that finished in the ‘Top 2’ positions in the group stage) phase of the tournament.
- In Sri Lanka’s next match of the tournament, a ‘super league’ quarter-final against Afghanistan, he produced his 2nd successive 3-wicket haul (3/36) that helped Sri Lanka restrict Afghanistan to a lowly total of 134 runs. In the 2nd half of the match, he walked out to bat with Sri Lanka tottering at 42/6 in the 17th over.
- Dunith then rallied around with Sri Lanka’s lower-order batters to push the team’s score past the 100-run mark but was eventually dismissed for a score of 34 runs (the best by any player in his team) in the 41st over. Sri Lanka’s score was 112/8 at that time and despite further lower-order resistance, the team was dismissed for 130 runs, losing the match by a narrow margin of 4 runs.
- In Sri Lanka’s next match of the tournament, a ‘super league’ playoff semi-final against South Africa, he starred with the bat. He scored his first hundred of the tournament (113 runs off 130 balls) and helped Sri Lanka reach a respectable total of 232 runs.
- This made Dunith the first Sri Lankan captain to have scored a century in a match of the ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup. Sri Lanka went on to win the match by 65 runs and Dunith won the ‘Player of the match’ award for the 3rd time in the tournament.
- In Sri Lanka’s last match of the tournament, a 5th-place playoff against Pakistan, he scored 40 runs in an otherwise dismal Sri Lankan batting performance that saw the team being dismissed for a paltry total of 127 runs, resulting in a humongous 238-run defeat.
Featured Image by Dunith Wellalage / Instagram
