Madushanka among the nominees of ICC Emerging cricketer of the year 2023

In a unique year for Sri Lankan cricket, consigned to the Qualifier for a Cricket World Cup before the tournament proper, the 23-year-old was a standout with ball in hand.

Had Dushmantha Chameera not gone down injured at the Qualifier though, we may not have seen Madushanka truly blossom. The left-armer only came in as an injury replacement during the tournament, and it’s fair to say he cashed in when given the opportunity.

Madushanka entered with 1/38 (8) against The Netherlands, kicking into gear with a barnstorming 3/15 (5) performance against Zimbabwe, taking the wickets of both openers and Wessly Madhevere at No.3. A 1/49 (10) against the West Indies followed, before a Player of the Match performance in the tournament final in another meeting with the Dutch, taking 3/18 (7).

The quick stepped up at the World Cup, claiming 11 wickets in his first four outings, with a 4/49 (9.4) performance, against the Dutch again. 

Madushanka went on to finish with 21 wickets at an average of 25 in the main tournament, with a five-wicket haul against India, and 3/69 (10) against Bangladesh.

On the T20I side, six of Madushanka’s dozen wickets were claimed at the T20 Asia Cup, doing so at an economy of 25.83.

Memorable Performance

Madushanka’s name dominated the top of India’s scorecard, taking five of their top six in the heat of the Wankhede Stadium deep into the Cricket World Cup group stage.

The left-armer hushed the crowd with a ripsnorter to dismiss Rohit Sharma in the first over, and returned to remove Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli in successive overs through the middle.

Madushanka went on to strike twice at the death, claiming Suryakumar Yadav and Shreyas Iyer. The return of 80 runs was on the expensive side, but the youngster made quite the impression and earned the respect of the parochial crowd for the opposition.

ICC Men’s Emerging Cricketer of the Year 2023 nominees 
1. Rachin Ravindra (India)

2. Gerald Coetzee (South Africa)

3. Yashasvi Jaiswal (India)

4. Dilshan Madushanka (Sri Lanka)