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A highly skilful seam bowler with a recognisable chest-on action, Nuwan Kulasekara was one of Sri Lanka’s premier fast bowlers in an era where the Lankan side dealt with the retirements of Chaminda Vaas, their key strike bowler. He was a key member of the Lankan squad that lifted the 2014 ICC World Twenty20 and made the finals of four ICC tournaments in five years – the 2007 Cricket World Cup, the 2011 Cricket World Cup, the 2009 ICC World Twenty20 and the 2012 ICC World Twenty20. He was a vital cog in a highly successful era of Sri Lankan cricket.
Kulasekara made his ODI debut for Sri Lanka in 2003 against England in Dambulla, picking up 2 for 19 as the Three Lions were bowled out for 88, which was chased down in just 14 overs. He made his Test debut in 2005 against New Zealand in Napier, becoming Sri Lanka’s 100th Test cap. He scored his maiden Test fifty against England at Lord’s in 2006, but his bowling looked toothless on that tour, an event that saw him dropped from the side and spend time on the sidelines.
After having worked on his action and improved his pace, Kulasekara returned to the ODI team for the 2007 World Cup. In 2008, he picked up figures of 4 for 40 in an ODI match against India, ripping into the strong Indian team in the absence of Vaas and legendary off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan. 2008 and 2009 were probably Kulasekara’s peak years, topping the 2008 ICC ODI rankings for bowlers with 724 points. He picked 47 wickets at 20.97 in 29 matches, following up with 45 wickets at an average of 20.97 in 2009, where he finished second in the rankings. In 2013, Kulasekara took his only five-wicket haul against Australia, with 5 for 22 in a fantastic spell of in-swing to bowl the Aussies out for 74.
One of Kulasekara’s most memorable performances came in the 2014 T20 World Cup final. Taking on a strong Indian side led by the form of the talismanic Virat Kohli, Kulasekara was part of a three-pronged seam attack with Lasith Malinga and Angelo Mathews as they restricted the Indian side to a total of 130 for 4. Kulasekara and Malinga bowled a fantastic spell against Kohli and MS Dhoni, tying them down with a barrage of wide yorkers.
Kulasekara announced his retirement from Test cricket in 2016, playing 21 games and picking up 48 wickets. He remained a regular feature in the white-ball sides, but his retirement came in controversial fashion when he was dropped from the ODI side ahead of the 2019 World Cup, and announced his retirement after consultation with Sri Lanka Cricket. He retired with 199 scalps in 148 ODI matches, finishing as the Lankan Lions’ fifth-highest ODI wicket-taker. He also holds the record for the most economical spell in T20Is, bowling two overs without conceding a run against the Netherlands in the 2014 T20 World Cup.
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