Sachithra Senanayake

Another instalment from Sri Lanka's conveyor belt of spinners, Sachitra Senanayake has made rapid strides, more so in the abbreviated versions of the game. Despite the eye-catching performances in ODIs and T20s, a permanent Test slot continues to escape his hands.

A lanky tweaker with a serene approach to the bowling crease, Senanayake has built a reputation of taking heavy hauls in the domestic setup which culminated in him gate crashing into the international fold. Whilst the legendary Muttiah Muralitharan and Rangana Herath rely more on the wrists, Senanayake is more of a finger spinner. Senanayake's mysterious variations did not miss the brains trust of the Sharukh Khan owned Kolkata Knight Riders as they snapped him up for a jaw-dropping $625,000 in the 2013 Indian T20 League auction. Hunting in pairs, Sachitra Senanayake and Sunil Narine wrecked havoc on the batsmen, leaving them clueless.

A fine showing in the SLPL coupled with his heroics in the Indian T20 League was too hot to ignore as he was picked again for Sri Lanka in limited overs cricket after a brief period in the wilderness following his debut.

He was at it in the Asia Cup as well as the 2014 T20 Cup, asphyxiating the opposition with a cocktail of offies, straighter ones, doosras and carrom balls. He is no muck with the bat and an agile fielder to boot. He is indeed a player to watch out for in the future.

The year 2014 was a mixed one for him. In the series against England, he did well to register terrific figures of 4 for 13 as the hosts were bundled out for a meagre 99. However, he was reported for bowling with a suspected illegal bowling action. He was also involved in a 'mankading' incident against Jos Buttler and was subject to a lot of criticism from the English side. He was subsequently banned from bowling in international cricket in July 2014.

Senanayake headed to Perth for remedial work on his action and was allowed to play domestic cricket in September 2014 after the SLC were satisfied. He underwent official tests for return to international cricket and finally made a comeback in the ODIs against England in November 2014. He was involved in a mankading row against Jos Buttler in the series decider and was severely criticized by purists after he was reported for suspect bowling action for the second time. Although his subtle variations helped him earn a place in the shorter versions, Senanayake struggled to live upto the expectations in Test cricket.

Interesting fact: Senanayake is nicknamed 'Jonty' because of his razor-sharp fielding skills.

By Cricbuzz staff