Madushanka revelling in the role of strike bowler

 Sri Lanka’s Dilshan Madushanka (right) celebrates after taking the wicket of India’s Virat Kohli during the 2023 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup one-day international (ODI) match between India and Sri Lanka at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on 2 November – AFP

• Leading bowler in 2023 World Cup so far with 18 wickets

MUMBAI: For Dilshan Madushanka, the 23-year-old left-arm fast bowler from Hambantota, the 2023 Cricket World Cup will stand etched in his memory for a long time.

Prior to the World Cup, Madushanka had not done anything outstanding to be rated a first-class seamer, his only successful series being the World Cup Qualifier in Zimbabwe where in four matches he took eight wickets at an average of 15.

Come the World Cup, with injuries to Dushmantha Chameera and Lahiru Kumara, Madushanka was entrusted with the task of spearheading the Sri Lanka bowling, and didn’t he grab that opportunity with both hands.

Madushanka had been so devastating in the first power-play that he had hardly failed to provide his team with the early breakthrough. In fact, he has been so effective that amongst his victims have been some of the world’s best batsmen on display at the World Cup.

What was so impressive with his bowling against India at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai on Thursday was that all five of his victims on his way to a maiden five-fer were the top batsmen in the team – Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer and Suryakumar Yadav.

Add to that list the likes of South Africans Temba Bavuma and Aiden Markram, Pakistanis Imam-ul-Haq and Babar Azam, Australians David Warner, Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne, and Afghanistan’s Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran, then you have an impressive collection of the world’s best in your pocket.

“On any wicket, the first five overs there is some swing, so I try to make the maximum use of it,” said Madushanka after taking 5/80 against India.

“I always do the basics. With the new ball there is swing and that is my skill, so I try and back it as much as possible by taking wickets. Because I have the natural swing, my execution level is good. I back my strength and take most of the wickets in the power play. There was a shortcoming on my part in taking wickets in the middle overs. I worked with Dharshana sir (Gamage) at practice day by day and I think I am showing some improvement.”

“It is my first World Cup and I am extremely happy that I am able to achieve this feat (taking five wickets), but I am really disappointed that we lost. We don’t play to lose but we made some mistakes in the bowling and on the field. We missed a couple of chances. We had a few shortcomings in our batting as well which contributed towards our defeat.” Madushanka is the fourth Sri Lankan bowler to take five wickets in a World Cup match after Ashantha de Mel (who did it twice in 1983), Chaminda Vas (2003) and Lasith Malinga (2011).

On becoming the leading wicket-taker in the current World Cup with 18 wickets (avg. 22.11) from seven matches, Madushanka said, “For the amount of effort I have put in, I see the results of it. I have played only a few international matches. I learn day by day at practice and I believe that I am improving day by day. I learn from everyone whatever I can get to improve my bowling skills.”