INTERVIEW
Follow UsFrom nowhere, Dilshan Madushanka’s rise in the last year and a half has been quite a stellar run. Madushanka wouldn’t have even been part of Sri Lanka’s provisional squad for the 2023 ODI World Cup in India if not for injuries.
Six months earlier, he wasn’t even in the plans for the ODI World Cup qualifiers before multiple injuries tied the Islanders into playing the left-arm pacer. At the Qualifiers, Madushanka emerged as the brightest light for Sri Lanka, picking up eight wickets, out of which seven came in the powerplay phase.
In the wake of his consistency in the powerplay, the left-arm pacer was picked for the mega event in India, where he ended up with 21 wickets. No prizes for guessing, nine of those wickets came in the powerplay, a phase which has now been associated with the Sri Lankan, who tends to pick up a wicket in his first over.
“I’m very happy for the achievements at the 2023 ODI World Cup, after the hard work I put in. I try to do my best and pick up 50 wickets in 25 ODIs next year. That’s my goal,” a shy Madushanka told Cricket.com during his stint with the Sharjah Warriors at the ILT20.
Madushanka was at his best in the clashes against India and Australia. In the game against Australia, the left-arm pacer left the high-flying Aussies in a doldrum when he picked up the wickets of David Warner and Steve Smith in the same over. Even in the clash against India, the 23-year-old struck early with the prized scalp of Rohit Sharma.
“Very pumped up for all the wickets I took in the World Cup, they are all quality batters. They are world-best batters, I’m very proud of the achievements,” he added.
Madushanka’s rise, though, has a very interesting backdrop to it. He was first spotted at the Indian U-19 camp as a net bowler. The story goes like this: former Sri Lankan pacer Chaminda Vaas also happened to be at the Sri Lankan U-19 camp at the same time and was visibly impressed by the pacer's skill set.
Since then (2018), Vaas has been a constant support for the left-arm pacer, who moved to Colombo and learned the subtleties of swing bowling. It wasn’t just that; Madushanka also picked up his variations and the run-up from Vaas himself.
So, what did Vaas teach him? According to Madushanka, the key to bowling in the powerplay with the new ball is to bowl fuller deliveries, targeting the wickets, something he did with aplomb at the world event in India.
“In the first two overs of the powerplay, my goal is to keep it simple, bowl it wicket-to-wicket, keep the lengths much fuller, and swing the ball. After that, I try to hit the deck hard in my next spell and bowl the different variations like the slower ball and the yorker,” Madushanka elucidated.
From a young age, Madushanka was always passionate about the sport, including participating in six-a-side softball tournaments. But the Hambantota-born pacer did not even have a shoe during his primitive days when he borrowed the spikes from his friends.
It wasn’t the only thorn in his cricketing dream, with his dad, Sujith Krishantha, a fisherman, highly unhappy about his son taking up cricket. But the constant support of his mom, KG Nilanthi and his brother, Sudesh Nirmal, kept the flame going for the left-arm pacer.
From there, Madushanka rose through the ranks, securing a USD 92,000 gig with the Jaffna Kings at the 2023 Lanka Premier League (LPL), but his mother was highly elated at just the opportunity of watching him on the big screen.
“My brother is now in South Korea, my father was a fisherman, and it was my brother who was of great help to me. Initially, my father didn’t like me playing cricket. But now, he is very proud of me, and he eagerly watches all the matches that I play,” he said.
It is only natural for an eight-year-old Madushanka to gravitate towards supporting the Mumbai Indians, a franchise that had been the only home for one of Sri Lanka’s greatest T20 bowlers, Lasith Malinga. Not just that, the 23-year-old broke through the language barrier to express his eagerness to bowl alongside Jasprit Bumrah.
“It is a dream come true moment for me that I got the opportunity to play the IPL and play for my favourite team, Mumbai Indians. I’m eagerly waiting for my chance to bowl with the new ball alongside Bumrah.”
The Sri Lankan influence doesn’t stop with just Malinga, who returns home in a bowling coach role. Mahela Jayawardene also has had a big role to play with the MI brand, with his role as the global head of performance, and Madushanka can’t wait to share the dressing room with the two Sri Lankans.
“IPL presents a very good opportunity for me to work alongside some of the best in the business, to learn the yorker and variations from (Lasith) Malinga himself. Very happy that Mahela (Jayawardene) is there for me as well, so I’m excited to play the IPL this year.”
