VISHWA FERNANDO

A left-arm quick from Moratuwa, Vishwa Fernando has been earmarked for national duty, thanks largely to the skiddy pace he generates from a whippy action. Having made his first-class debut in 2012, Fernando showed early potential, claiming 26 wickets in his maiden season.

Fernando’s bowling, though, was always thought to be better than his figures suggest. His first foray into the national squad was based on little more than a selector’s hunch, and a desire to blood left-arm quicks, who are in short supply in Sri Lanka’s domestic cricket. Fernando was named in Sri Lanka’s Test squad to the UAE in 2014, before also traveling to Bangladesh with the side soon after. He did not make an international debut, however, and returned home to play out a modest series against the visiting England A side.

He would get another break in 2015, when he was named in Sri Lanka’s Test squad for the series against India, in August. This time, his selection was backed by wickets. Fernando had been the most penetrative quick in the 2014-15 Premier League Tournament, having claimed 40 scalps at an average of 21.97.