Sidath Wettimuny

Who is Sidath Wettimuny?

Sidath Wettimuny is a former Sri Lankan cricketer, who played Test cricket and One Day Internationals as an opening batsman from 1982 to 1987. Wettimuny was a typical opening batsman in that he often played very defensively, grafting for his runs, and his ODI strike rate of 48 shows this quite clearly.

Wettimuny made his international debut with a composed 46 in an ODI with England, which left the required run rate too high for his team-mates to chase. However, he got his revenge in the next match the following day – the last of the 2-match series – where he scored 86 not out, his highest ODI score, which boosted Sri Lanka to 215 in their 45 overs. Sri Lanka won the match by three runs, thus drawing their first ODI series.

Wettimuny did not impress in his first Test match, however, scoring only 15 runs in two innings as England won by seven wickets. But in the 1981–82 tour of Pakistan, he established his place in the team, scoring 71 in the first Test before recording Sri Lanka's first Test century at Faisalabad. Spending over six hours at the crease, he managed 157 runs, powering Sri Lanka to 454. Sri Lanka eventually drew the Test, failing to bowl Pakistan out in 59 overs, but it was Sri Lanka's first non-loss in Test cricket. Sri Lanka lost the last Test, despite Wettimuny top-scoring with 41 in the second innings, but Wettimuny would be rather pleased with his tour personally.