Malinda Warnapura

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Malinda Warnapura
Personal information
Full name	Basnayake Shalith Malinda Warnapura
Born	29 May 1979 (1979-05-29) (age 29)
	Colombo, Sri Lanka
Batting style	Left-handed
Bowling style	Right-arm offbreak
Role	Batsman
International information
National side	Sri Lanka
Test debut	25 June 2007: v Bangladesh
Last Test	8 August 2008: v India
ODI debut	20 May 2007: v Pakistan
Last ODI	29 August 2008:v India
Career statistics
	Tests	ODIs	FC	LA
Matches	7	3	127	95
Runs scored	542	35	6,262	1,846
Batting average	54.20	11.66	36.61	27.55
100s/50s	2/4	0/0	14/31	2/6
Top score	120	30	242	104*
Balls bowled	–	–	6,634	2,012
Wickets	–	–	115	67
Bowling average	–	–	26.86	21.53
5 wickets in innings	–	–	4	1
10 wickets in match	–	–	0	n/a
Best bowling	–	–	6/22	5/33
Catches/stumpings	11/–	3/–	92/–	37/–
Source: CricketArchive, 11 October 2008

Basnayake Shalith Malinda Warnapura (born 26 May 1979 in Colombo, Sri Lanka) is a Sri Lankan cricketer. He is a left-handed batsman and right-arm off-break bowler. Making his first class debut in 1998/99, Warnapura didn't play international cricket for Sri Lanka until 2007. He had however previously represented them in the cricket tournament at the 1998 Commonwealth Games. He made his highest first class score of 242 playing for Sri Lanka A against Bangladesh A in 2007.

Career

Despite his cricketing pedigree, Malinda Warnapura has taken his time to press forward his case for national recognition. Having begun his first-class career in 1998-99, it was not until 2006 that he really made his mark. The tour to India with the Sri Lanka 'A' team to participate in the Duleep trophy saw this elegant left-hand middle-order batsman blossom. He finished the three-match tournament with an aggregate of 421 runs (at an average of 105.25), which included two successive undefeated centuries at the famous Eden Gardens ground in Kolkata. His 111 not out steered his team to the final of the tournament. He then compiled 149 not out in the final against the eventual winners, North Zone.

Recognition did not follow immediately. He was overlooked for the tour of New Zealand that followed. However, he continued to pile on the runs for Sri Lanka 'A'. He was not at his best on the tour of the Caribbean when illness laid him low, but Warnapura was in outstanding form in the home series against Bangladesh 'A' that followed. He scored a career best 243 in the first unofficial Test at his home ground at Colts and followed it up with an unbeaten 104 in the second unofficial ODI to confirm that he could score runs in both forms of the game. However Anura Tennekoon, the former Sri Lanka captain and manager of the Sri Lanka 'A' team, regards Warnapura as ideal Test match material.