Mahela Udawatte

From being touted as the next Sanath Jayasuriya to obscurity, life has been a bumpy ride for Mahela Udawatte. For someone who plays no-holds barred cricket, initiation and graduation to international cricket was supposed to be a fairy-tale but it ended up as a nightmare. The emergence of Upul Tharanga as a more lucrative option and the promotion of Dilshan as an opener also did not help the cause of Udawatte.

A hard hitting left-handed batsman who opens the batting and can also bowl some useful off-breaks, Mahela started his career with Ananda College but did not get much recognition even though he scored over 1000 runs in a single year before making his first-class debut. Things changed when he joined Chilaw Marians SC after school and made his debut for them in 2005. There he was promoted to open the batting and did not disappoint as he thrashed 3 hundreds in 5 matches to earn a place in the Development Squad. He was also selected for the A squad for the tour of England.