Top 5 Sri Lankan "mystery" wrist-spinners that faded away after a great start
Sri Lanka has a rich tradition of producing mystery bowlers. The latest joining the list is young left-arm wrist spinner Lakshan Sandakan, who made an impressive Test debut against Australia in the first match of the ongoing series. Here is a list of 5 such “mystery” wrist bowlers, who had impressive starts to their careers, but eventually drifted away from the international scene.
#5 Somachandra de Silva
The present interim chairman of Sri Lankan cricket, Dandenjyage Somachandra de Silva, was quite a handful as a leg spinner in the 80s. He was part of the 1979 World Cup team, during which the Sri Lankan team recorded their very first international victory. The Indians were beaten by 47 runs in the match and De Silva played a prominent role. He got key wickets of Dilip Vengserkar and Mohinder Amarnath and finished his spell with impressive figures of 3/29.
De Silva, however, was an unlucky cricketer in more ways than one. Age wise, he was on the verge of hitting 40 by the time the Sri Lankans were awarded Test status. This did not allow him to be a part of the side for too long. He played all the first 12 test matches that the Lankans played, before retiring at the age of 42.
De Silva also played county cricket and later went on to become the national coach of the Sri Lankan cricket team.