Curtains for Nuwan Kulasekara
Birds of a feather flock together” is the most appropriate phrase one can use to describe the friendship between Lasith Malinga and Nuwan Kulasekara. The duo started their cricketing journey together and now they have decided to hang their boots up from international cricket almost at the same time. This is another story of two great stalwarts of Sri Lanka cricket.
The journey began when they played at the Galle Cricket Club–a club that has produced a number of champion cricketers. Kulasekara described that moment as one of his unforgettable moments of his life.
“My bowling partnership with Malinga began when we played at Galle CC. Malinga and I used to bowl in tandem. Lasith always kept the batsmen on their toes and I just had to bowl accurately. Eventually I was able to take wickets regularly and I am glad I was able to continue that partnership in international cricket as well,” a retiring Kulasekara recalled during an interview with the Sunday Times.
Kulasekara made his international debut in 2003 against England and since then he has played 21 Test matches, 184 One Day Internationals (ODI) and 58 T20 Internationals for Sri Lanka in a career that spanned 16 years. He has taken 313 wickets across all formats.
Kulasekara is the 100th player to represent Sri Lanka in Test cricket–the pinnacle of the game.
“It was a dream to play Test cricket for my country. I enjoyed playing with some of the greats of the game. It tests our concentration level and our temperament,” he says.
Kulasekara has some advice for the future generation.
“Cricket is a sport that we should always enjoy but at the same time we must learn to embrace the joy of victory and the pain of defeat. We must be proud of representing our country at the highest level of the game,” he states.
In 2009 he was ranked the number one bowler in ODIs, thus becoming the first Sri Lankan to achieve the rare feat. He said that it was an honour to be ranked as the best bowler in the world.
“It was a great honour to me to be the best bowler in the world and I think it was a reward for the commitment and the hard work that I have done to improve my game, I am thankful to everyone who helped me to improve my game I am quite pleased with the fact that I was able to make my country proud,” he said with a sense of satisfaction.
Kulasekara also paid a glorious tribute to his bowling partner saying the slinger has the ability to hold his nerve under pressure.
“I think we are fortunate to have a player in the calibre of Malinga. He has one of the greatest cricketing brains. He has been a match winner for us over the years. When we were playing, he always advised me and helped me in a crunch situation because he handles those situations better than anyone. I will cherish those memories forever,” he said
In 2013 Malinga and Kulasekara dismantled the Australians in Brisbane. The formidable batting line up was bundled out for 74. It was a memorable game for Kulasekara as he ended up with career best figures of 5 for 22 runs
Kulasekara is known for his brilliance with the ball, but his contribution with the bat cannot be ignored as he has battled like a lone survivor.
During the ICC champions Trophy in 2013, he scored a brisk 58 alongside Kumar Sangakkara who made a brilliant 134 against England at the Oval in London. That proved vital as it enabled Sri Lanka to qualify for the semi-finals of the tournament.
“I always enjoyed batting because I knew it would be beneficial for the team. I have five half centuries in International cricket. In this day and age, all the players should be able to bat otherwise they will not be able to get a permanent position in the team”
World cricket has witnessed some of the greatest bowling partnerships over the years. Legendary bowling partnerships which include the likes of Jeff Thomson and Dennis Lillee, Michael Holding and Andy Roberts and Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis are some of the greatest bowling partnerships from the history of the game.
Lasith Malinga and Nuwan Kulasekara will also be remembered as one of the greatest bowling partnerships in the history of the game.
In 2014 Kulasekara and Malinga played a crucial role in the final of the ICC World T20 in Bangladesh. The duo managed to bowl a dream spell in the final overs of the Indian innings which paved the way for Sri Lanka to win the World T20 title.
The World T20 in Bangladesh was the greatest tournament in my career. We were determined to win the tournament for Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardane and fortunately we did that. I was a part of all the ICC tournaments from 2007 to 2014 and finally we were able to break the ice and I will never forget that moment for the rest of my life.
He also expressed his thoughts on captain Dimuth Karunaratne and about the current status of the national team.
“The future looks promising. We have a good team at the moment when it comes to fast bowling we have the likes of Suranga Lakmal, Nuwan Pradeep, Kasun Rajitha and many others. So I think Dimuth Karunaratne can take Sri Lanka cricket forward. I would like to thank all my past captains and my beloved fans for being with me in the hour of need and I would urge the fans to keep supporting our team it will be a source of inspiration to Dimuth and his team,” he concluded.
As the sun sets on another chapter in Sri Lanka, it’s time for the future generation to take up the responsibility of taking Sri Lanka cricket forward and make the passionate Lankan fans proud.