Tillakaratne Dilshan : Saluting the Cricketing Gladiator

Saturday, August 27, 2016 - srilankacricket.lk

ShriyanOb03 Sri Lanka’s hawk eyed cricketing eagle, Tillakaratne Dilshan will call it a day on his ODI career on Sunday, September 3 when he will make his farewell appearance against Australia in the third ODI at Pallekelle. The bearded cricketer from Kalutara, Dilshan, who turns 40 on October 14, has been a tremendous servant to the game. What transcended him to a valiant warrior was the uncanny all-round trait of a player gifted with the ability to perform the ‘out of the word’ deeds that stood him out as a great all-rounder on the international firmament.

Tillakaratne Dilshan Catch

As a batsman, he could take the game away from the opposition, and as a stock bowler give his captain the vital breakthrough. Perhaps more than anything, Dilshan will go down in the game’s history as the man who took fielding to new heights. He was simply a marvel manning the field with the rare trait of scooping the most incredible catches. Truly, Tillakeratne Dilshan cut a swathe as a ‘Fielding Gladiator’. Wherever he manned which were invariably suicidal close in positions, Dilshan was in total control.

If his one handed acrobatics of sending back batsmen to the pavilion was illuminating to the eye, the 35 to 40 runs he saved indeed endeared Dilshan to the connoisseur. His feats were accentuated by the burly looking but rock hard weather-beaten curly haired figure that infused a radiance of grandeur at work. The big ear rings were a type of endearing symbol to his fans of the hero they marveled at for feats so extraordinary. His 88 test catches and 122 ODI takes are testimony to that while 39 test wickets and 109 ODI wickets are a rounding off magnification of the all-round essence he brought to the side. Indeed, he was a commanding 3 in 1 act. As a batsman he was outstanding – 87 Test appearances and a record 329 ODIs; 16 Test tons and 23 half tons, and 22 ODI tons and 47 half tons exemplify Dilshan the batsman who had the distinction of infusing to cricket the stroke of lobbing the ball over the wicket-keeper’s head. It became so effective winning the admiration and awe of the rest of the cricketing world and was to be dubbed the ‘Dilscoop’; so much a run gathering shot that is today aped by other batsmen.

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In the hamburger modified shortest version of the game – T20 cricket as a best spectator seller, Dilshan’s aggregates are as stunning. A tally of 1884 runs with a highest of 104 not out, and 34 catches from 78 matches. Dilshan made his foray to international cricket debuting in Tests on November 18, 1999 versus Zimbabwe at Bulawayo, and ODI debut on December 11, 1999 also against Zimbabwe. His calling time on ODI cricket sometime after his test cricket, leaves Dilshan with the option of continuing to play T 20 cricket. Let us salute a servant to the country – a great trailblazer.

Batting and fielding averages

	Mat	Inns	NO	Runs	HS	Ave	BF	SR	100	50	4s	6s	Ct	St
Tests	87	145	11	5492	193	40.98	8379	65.54	16	23	677	24	88	0
ODIs	329	302	41	10248	161*	39.26	11868	86.34	22	47	1106	55	122	1
T20Is	78	77	12	1884	104*	28.98	1561	120.69	1	13	222	33	31	2
First-class	233	384	24	13979	200*	38.83			38	59			356	23
List A	445	412	54	14247	188	39.79			30	71			202	8
Twenty20	219	215	25	5188	104*	27.30	4222	122.88	1	34	632	110	79	3

Bowling averages

	Mat	Inns	Balls	Runs	Wkts	BBI	BBM	Ave	Econ	SR	4w	5w	10
Tests	87	76	3385	1711	39	4/10	4/10	43.87	3.03	86.7	1	0	0
ODIs	329	203	5856	4754	106	4/4	4/4	44.84	4.87	55.2	3	0	0
T20Is	78	24	246	305	7	2/4	2/4	43.57	7.43	35.1	0	0	0
First-class	233		6501	3255	90	5/49		36.16	3.00	72.2		1	0
List A	445		7775	6218	151	4/4	4/4	41.17	4.79	51.4	4	0	0
Twenty20	219	115	1552	1884	62	3/16	3/16	30.38	7.28	25.0	0	0	0