Ishara Amerasinghe Cricketer
Merenna Koralage Don Ishara Amerasinghe (born March 5, 1978) is a Sri Lankan cricketer who attended Nalanda College Colombo. A right-arm fast-medium bowler with a side-on action, Amerasinghe was named in the 30 man provincial squad for the 2007 World Cup. A six-foot tall fast bowler with a high-arm action, Ishara Amerasinghe has the ability to generate pace, but for much of his career he has been plagued by a lack of accuracy. He has been a regular member of the Sri Lanka A squad since 1999, the season in which he performed outstandingly well, taking 58 wickets from 12 matches in the Premier League for Colombo Colts. That performance opened a window of opportunities for him to tour South Africa, with the A team, and then England. Some hard work at the nets with Champaka Ramanayake, the national fast-bowling coach, and A team coach Chandika Hathurusingha, resulted in an improved line and length. He toured England with the Sri Lankan team in 2002, but was kept waiting for another five years - partly owing to a back injury sustained during that tour - before making his ODI debut against Pakistan in Abu Dhabi after the 2007 World Cup. He toured Australia in early 2008 as a replacement for Dilhara Fernando, and played a Test and a few ODIs that season, but did not do enough to keep his place in the national team. He is the second fastest bowler in Sri Lanka, behind Lasith Malinga. Despite not making it to the Caribbean he was selected in the Sri Lankan squad for a post World Cup tournament against Pakistan at Abu Dhabi. He made his One Day International debut in the first game of the series but failed to take a wicket. However, he made significant strides in the recent CB series (2008), where he picked up 8 wickets at 35.75 each. Ishara is the 108th Sri Lanka Test Cap [West Indies Vs Sri Lanka at Port of Spain West Indies 2007/08].