Wanindu Hasaranga de Silva tops table in ICC T20 world rankings in Bowling – By Sunil Thenabadu (eLanka Sports Editor)

Wanindu Harasanga de Silva born on 29^th July 1997, professional Sri Lankan cricketer ( elder brother Chathuranga de Siva also represented the national team)  bowls right arm  leg spin and googly, bats right hand, former Richmond College cricketer, Sri Lanka Under 19 cricketer, was selected to play in U19 WC held in Bangladesh in year 2016 also a member of Sylhet sixes,Jaffna Stallions lately of the Royal Challenges Bangalore IPL team in the second phase in UAE is September 2021 debut on the 20^th September 2020 against the Kolkata Night Riders in the IPL 2020.. 

Hasaranga has represented Sri Lanka national team in all three formats. Hasaranga made ODI debut  on 2^nd July in year 2017 against Zimbabwe, T/ 20 debut   against  on1^st September 2019  against New Zealand while Test debut was on South Africa in December year 2020 in South Africa. 

Hasaranga was named the ‘Player of the series” in the three match T 20 series against Pakistan on their own back yard in year 2019 when a young team whitewashed the No one T 20 Pakistan side .In this three match series Hasaranga was unplayable beating the experienced Pakistan batsman all guessing how to play him capturing eight wickets.  

Hasaranga is the first leg spinner to take a hattrick in ODI’s after Taijul Islam of Bangladesh and Kagiso Rabada of South Africa both pace bowlers. To cap it he took a hattrick against South Africa in Sri Lanka’s third group 1 ICC T 20 match just a few days ago. In the T 20 encounter against England Hasaranga completed taking his 50th T 20 wicket.It needs to be emphasized that Hasranga is an excellent fielder in the outfield who covers a lot of ground to save boundaries 

Sri Lanka leg-spinner Wanindu Hasaranga has topped the bowling charts od the ICC Men’s T20I Player Rankings for the first time in his career after two successive three-wicket hauls against South Africa and England.in the ongoing T 20 WC tournament.  

He replaces South Africa’s Tabraiz Shamsi, the left arm ‘chinaman’ who was at the top since 10 April this year.The top four bowlers in the rankings are all wrist spinners, with England’s Adil Rashid overtaking Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan to take third place with a career-best 730 rating points. A fast bowler who has made rapid rise is South Africa’s  pace bowler Anrich Nortje, who has gained 18 slots to reach seventh position. 

Pakistan captain Babar Azam’s two successive half-centuries in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 have helped him overtake England’s Dawid Malan and grab the No. 1 position for batters in the MRF Tyres ICC Men’s T20I Player Rankings. 

At the top of the all-rounders’ table, Mohammad Nabi has caught up with Shakib Al Hasan on 271 rating points. Hasaranga  who is also a good batsmen who scored 71 runs in a preliminary game of the T20  tournament is fourth in the all rounder’s list.