Jaffna farmer’s son baffles batsmen with his mystery spin

The bowling action of Theesan Vithusan who has brought an aura of mystery to domestic cricket 

• Theesan Vithusan, the latest cog in Sri Lanka’s inexhaustible mystery spinner’s vessel

Over the years Sri Lanka have had a special affinity in unearthing mystery spinners, the kind who have explored their hand and the cricket ball so much that they know to turn, bend and tweak it so well that it leaves the batsmen clueless as to what the ball would do. Most notable ones are Ajantha Mendis, Lakshan Sandakan, Akila Dananjaya and at present Maheesh Theekshana. There have been others as well like Tharindu Kaushal and Kevin Koththigoda who bowled with an unusual bowling action in domestic cricket.  

If anyone has been closely following the ongoing Major Club Emerging three-day tournament they are certain to come across a bowler by the name of Theesan Vithusan who plays for Moors Sports Club. Vithusan has been an inspiration for Moors SC with his extraordinary style of left-arm orthodox spin that has left many batsmen mesmerised. Vithusan is the reason why Moors SC are streets ahead of all the other clubs in Group A with three wins out of four matches under their belts and with two matches to play are strong favourites to qualify for a place in the semi-finals by finishing as group leaders.

In four matches Vithusan is the joint highest-wicket taker of the tournament (with Tamil Union’s Dilum Sudeera Thilakaratne) with 31 wickets (avg. 15.03) having captured three five-fours and one 10-wicket match bag.

Moors SC Head Coach Former Sri Lanka cricketer Chamara Kapugedera described Vithusan as a bowler with a “unique action”.

“He actually has a different action even though he is a left-arm off-spinner. His speciality is that he gets wickets, he turns the ball and he can bowl a straight one. He has good variations and good control and can bowl for long spells. He is persistent. He has a good arm ball and he bowls well to the left-handers which are important,” said Kapugedera.

“He played about two matches in the last under 23 seasons and then went back to Jaffna. He was there for about six - eight months but he didn’t play much cricket. He has a good future ahead of him but right now he needs to improve on his fielding. He is not that big, he is thin. He has good arm speed and has all the attributes to be a good player.”

Moors SC Sports Coordinator Nawrooz Iqbal said that Vithusan came to Moors SC when one of their cricket committee members Dinesh Schaafter first introduced him about two years ago. He is one of 10 players from the outstations Moors SC has given accommodation to stay in Colombo during the cricket season paying them a weekly meal allowance.

Vithusan who is 20 years hails from Jaffna where he played three years in the Under 19 First Eleven team for Jaffna Central College including two Big Matches in 2019 and 2020. He was first coached by former Jaffna Hindu College cricketer Suresh Mohamed before coming under the watchful eyes of Kapugedera.

“My father is a big Sri Lankan cricket fan, and he takes me to see the matches including the school Big Matches played in Jaffna, that’s how I began to take a liking to the game,” revealed Vithusan. “Playing cricket is my main ambition, to make it a career. I am also hoping to enter Open University next year and study for a diploma in history.”

Vithusan’s father is a farmer in Jaffna and his mother a housewife. He is the eldest in a family of three children. His two younger brothers aged 10 and 9 attend Jaffna Hindu College.

Vithusan says he owes his success in the current Sri Lanka cricket season to the support that he has received from his team mates, staff and the officials at Moors SC.

“I get a lot of support from my team captain Dinuka (Dilshan) and all the other senior players. They motivate me all the time. Ayana (Siriwardhana) and Upendra (Warnakulasooriya) have been very supportive. We communicate with each other and bowl closing up one end and building pressure while from the other take wickets. I have become a successful bowler because of the support I get from my teammates, the support staff and the club officials. They look after me very well,” said Vithusan.

“Playing cricket at Moors SC has taught me to be mentally strong. Fielding plays a big part. When you make mistakes on the field you don’t get wickets. Fitness is also important. I am learning a lot from the experienced cricketers sharing their bowling, fielding and batting experience and also the experience of playing on turf pitches,” he said.

Vithusan said his mystery ball is “my secret weapon which I don’t want everyone to know,” but admitted that he gets his wickets bowling fast arm balls, the carrom ball, loop, flight, slow balls and creating angles using the crease. He said he learnt to bowl these deliveries from other bowlers and watching cricket videos.

“My idols are Rangana Herath and Ravindra Jadeja. Watching Rangana I have learnt to bowl in good areas. He is a very difficult bowler especially his arm ball is not easy to play. From Jadeja I learnt his attitude of bowling and fielding and how to turn and bounce.”

Vithusan is the latest cog in Sri Lanka’s inexhaustible mystery spinner’s vessel.(ST)