Can Dilshan Madushanka be the next Chaminda Vaas for Sri Lanka?

[Asad T]

The 23-year-old left-arm seamer has burst onto the scene and is, as we speak, the leading wicket-taker in the ICC 2023 World Cup.

So far, he has taken 21 wickets in 8 matches, with an average of 23.23. He has been expensive, though, with an economy of 6.48. He has also had to step up at a time when Sri Lanka's frontline bowlers have been injured.

He has only played 13 ODIs, and he has not played much domestic cricket either, so we don't have much to go on. But he's quick, gets banana in-swing to the right-hander, and can bowl a mean bouncer. I'm excited to see how he develops as a bowler in the coming years. Do you think he's a one-series wonder? Or does he have what it takes to become the next Chaminda Vaas for Sri Lanka?

 

[sweep_shot]

Hard to tell. Vaas is a Sri Lankan legend.

But, so far so good for Madushanka. Great prospect for SL.

 

[Major]

if he help us win the next game for us, he is wasim akram for me

 

[batandballbattle]

Consistency will be the key, will need to hit the right areas more and bring that economy down. All the best for him against NZ, if indeed they do get some kind of a game in between the rain

 

[Swashbuckler]

He reminds me of the Kiwi Geoff Allott from 1999 WC.

 

[Cricket Warrior]

His pace makes him a bit more superior as comapre to vaas.

He is the only left arm bowler in this world cup who is getting proper swing!

 

[FearlessRoar]

Madushanka bowled a toe-crushing Yorker to dismiss Liton Das.

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[FearlessRoar]

Madushanka bowled a good-length delivery that got him an early wicket of Tanzid

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[Kianig89]

Vaas is very big shoes to fill, at this stage Maharoof or Kulasekara would also work

 

[BunnyRabbit]

The guy is one that actually takes wickets frequently. I hope this is not just due to his honeymoon phase in international cricket. Apart from Vaas and Malinga, haven't seen many SL pacers that were genuine wicket takers.

If a good franchise team can pick him up and get him to work on his bowling, he'll improve even more.
KKR, CSK, RCB or RR might just buy him for development. Maybe can come in as replacement for someone in BBL (they have good coaches there but generally a below par cricket tournament). Can see QG or PZ buying him, apart from that other franchises only care about big names or no name English and Australian cricketers.

 

[BouncerGuy]

Madushaka has done well for his team in his Debut World Cup. Will he be able to produce another excellent spell today against New Zealand and take his team to the Champions trophy 2025?

 

[Sunzi]

Different types of bowler - he can be a strike bowler for SL.

Comparisons to Vaas are premature, though. Most decent bowlers will take wickets; Vaas was remarkably economical which was, and remains, invaluable in short-format cricket.

Need to see him for longer in all formats to build a more comprehensive opinion but initial impressions are that he isn't accurate enough to draw such comparisons.

I like him though and have been impressed. He's had a good WC for a very poor SL side.

 

[The Bald Eagle]

Madushanka to miss action for some time now owing to an injury
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In a statement on Sunday morning, Sri Lanka Cricket said that an MRI scan has confirmed that Madushanka "has suffered a left hamstring injury", and he will "return [home] to start rehabilitation work".

"We got the report on his injury only today [Sunday], and it shows a small tear," Sri Lanka team manager Mahinda Halangoda said. "It's a new injury. We're not yet sure how long it will take for him to recover, but he'll have to be assessed again when he goes home by the medical team at the high-performance centre. For now we know he's out of the ODI tomorrow for sure."

In the second ODI in Chattogram, which Sri Lanka won by three wickets to level the series with one to play, Madushanka opened the bowling and picked up the first two Bangladesh wickets to fall, but went off after bowling just 6.4 overs.

Madushanka, and his Sri Lanka colleague Nuwan Thushara, were among the new players acquired by Mumbai Indians in the latest IPL auction, held in December last year. Madushanka was brought on board for INR 4.6 crore (US$554,000 approx.), and formed formidable fast-bowling line-up alongside Jasprit Bumrah, Jason Behrendorff, Gerald Coetzee, Akash Madhwal, Arjun Tendulkar and Thushara; captain Hardik Pandya, Romario Shepherd and Anshul Kamboj are also in the line-up as fast-bowling allrounders.

Madushanka picked up two wickets each in the two ODIs in Bangladesh, and now has 41 wickets from 23 ODIs (average 24.87) to go with 14 wickets from 14 T20Is (economy 9.41). He made his Test debut against Pakistan in Colombo in July last year, but went wicketless in one innings of bowling.

 

[sweep_shot]

Too early to tell.

Vaas was a legend. Madushanka is only starting.