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Cricket ball. Photo by Yogendra Singh.

10 Most Famous Sri Lankan Cricketers of All Time

In Sri Lanka, cricket is the most popular sport. Sri Lanka is one of twelve nations that play Test cricket and one of six that have won a Cricket World Cup. Cricket is played at the professional, semi-professional, and recreational levels in the country, and international cricket matches are closely followed by a large portion of the population.

Sri Lanka has a long history of producing great cricketers who have graced the international stage.

Sri Lanka has produced a number of world-class cricketers, including high-scoring batsmen, wicket-taking bowlers, and a certain record-breaking off-spinner.

1. Russel Arnold

Russel Premakumaran Arnold also known as Russel Arnold, is a former Sri Lankan cricketer of Tamil descent who played all forms of the game. At international level, he batted down the order as the finisher for the Sri Lankan team.  He began his career as an opener, but reinvented himself as a lower-order batsman.

Despite what appears to be a modest record, Arnold maintained a cool head and was able to adapt to various situations, whether they required a counter-attack or a defensive draw.

Arnold is now a well-known international commentator. He earned his first Twenty20 International cap while playing for Sri Lanka’s inaugural T20I team. He retired from cricket in 2007 after appearing in the 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup final.

2. Thilan Samaraweera

People playing cricket in a field. Photo by Mudassir Ali.

Thilan Thusara Samaraweera is a retired Sri Lankan cricketer. Samaraweera represented Sri Lanka in international cricket. Known as the crisis man of Sri Lanka and for his slow strike rate. He was also dubbed “Bullet Samaraweera” after being injured in a terrorist attack on his national team bus in Pakistan in 2009. 

Samaraweera’s inability to find a spot in the middle order speaks volumes about the strength of the batting order. He retired from Test cricket after more than 80 matches with a batting average of more than 48.

3. Muttiah Muralitharan

Muttiah Muralitharan. Photo by NAPARAZZI.

Muttiah Muralitharan is a Sri Lankan cricket coach, former professional cricketer, businessman, and member of the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) Cricket Hall of Fame. Muralitharan is widely regarded as the most successful and one of the greatest bowlers in cricket history.

Muttiah Muralitharan not only makes this best Sri Lanka team, but he is arguably one of the best players of all time from any country. The off-spinner still holds the record for most Test wickets, a record that is unlikely to be broken given the decrease in the number of Tests played by each country.

There were some concerns about Murali’s action, but he could turn the ball on almost any surface and had a bowling average of less than 30 everywhere except India and Australia.

4. Somachandra de Silva

Somachandra de Silva is a former Sri Lankan cricketer who played Test and One Day International cricket in the 1970s and 1980s. He earned his first ODI cap for Sri Lanka, his second test cap, and was a member of the first test team.

He bowled leg spin and became the first Sri Lankan bowler to take five wickets in a Test innings during a tour to Pakistan in 1982. Not only that, but he was the oldest player to captain Sri Lanka in a test match in New Zealand in 1983. Somachandra de Silva is also regarded as the longest-serving spinner for Sri Lanka and one of the best leg spinners to have emerged from the country. 

5. Sanath Teran Jayasuriya

Sanath Teran Jayasuriya is a former Sri Lankan cricketer and captain. With his explosive batting with Romesh Kaluwitharana in the mid-1990s, he is credited with revolutionizing one-day international cricket, ushering in the hard-hitting modern-day batting strategy of all nations. 

Jayasuriya, widely regarded as one of the greatest attacking batsmen of all time, is well known for his powerful striking and match-winning all-round performances across all formats of the game. Jayasuriya was an all-rounder with an international career spanning two decades.

He is the only player in One Day International cricket history to have scored over 10,000 runs and taken over 300 wickets. He is also regarded as one of the best all-rounders in the history of limited-overs cricket.

6. Marvan Atapattu

Cricket player. Photo by michael weir.

Atapattu was the ideal foil for the big-hitting left-hander, and while he did not do so at a rapid pace, he was extremely difficult to get out.

His final average suffered slightly as a result of a difficult start to Test cricket, as it took him nearly seven years to establish himself in the team after debuting in 1990.

7. Kumara Chokshananda Sangakkara

Kumara Chokshananda Sangakkara is a Sri Lankan cricket commentator, former professional cricketer, and former president of Marylebone Cricket Club. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest batsmen in cricket history.

At various points in his international career, he was ranked among the top three current batsmen in the world in all three formats of the game. Sangakkara scored 28,016 runs in international cricket across all formats over a 15-year career. He retired as the second-highest ODI run-scorer.

8. Mahela Jayawardene

Mahela Jayawardene. Photo by Amal316.

Mahela Jayawardene is a former Sri Lankan cricketer and the current consultant coach of the Sri Lanka National Cricket Team, as well as the Head Coach of the Indian Premier League franchise Mumbai Indians. During his captaincy, he was known primarily for his tactical acumen and was rewarded for his captaincy instincts.

9. Aravinda de Silva

Aravinda de Silva. Photo from

Aravinda de Silva (born 17 October 1965) is a former Sri Lankan cricketer and captain who also played for English county cricket. De Silva assisted Sri Lanka in winning the 1996 Cricket World Cup and bringing the country from underdog to current form. After retiring in 2003, he held a number of positions in Sri Lanka Cricket.

Aravinda is the only player in World Cup history to score a century and take three or more wickets. He is the first man in Test history to score two unbeaten hundreds, scoring 138 and 103 against Pakistan in 1997.

10. Arjuna Ranatunga

Arjuna Ranatunga is a former Sri Lankan cricketer and politician who captained the country to victory in the 1996 Cricket World Cup. He is regarded as the pioneer who catapulted the Sri Lankan cricket team from underdog to world-class status.