Asanka Gurusinha

Asanka Gurusinha

Personal information
Full name	Asanka Pradeep Gurusinha
Born	16 September 1966 Colombo, Sri Lanka
Batting style	Left-handed batsman (LHB)
Bowling style	Right-arm medium
International information
National side	Sri Lanka
Test debut (cap 32)	7 November 1985 v Pakistan
Last Test	18 September 1996 v Zimbabwe
ODI debut (cap 42)	3 November 1985 v Pakistan
Last ODI	8 November 1996 v Pakistan
Domestic team information
Years	Team
	Nondescripts Cricket Club
Career statistics
Competition Test ODI FC LA Matches 41 147 124 173 Runs scored 2452 3902 7169 4365 Batting average 38.92 28.27 43.71 26.77 100s/50s 7/8 2/22 20/32 2/23 Top score 143 117* 162 117* Balls bowled 234 264 5142 2035 Wickets 20 26 107 39 Bowling average 34.04 52.07 21.47 42.97 5 wickets in innings – - 1 - 10 wickets in match – n/a - n/a Best bowling 4/68 2/25 5/54 3/36 Catches/stumpings 33/- 49/- 89/– 56/–
Source: , 25 February 2015

Asanka Pradeep Gurusinha (born 16 September 1966 in Colombo) is a former Sri Lankan cricketer who enjoyed an 11-year international career, playing 41 Tests and 147 One Day Internationals for Sri Lanka. He was a specialist batsman who helped win the 1996 World Cup final with 65 in a partnership of 125 with the final's Man of the Match, Aravinda de Silva. He studied at Isipathana College, Colombo and then joined Nalanda College Colombo. He now lives in Melbourne, Australia. He was a key member for 1996 Cricket World Cup winning team for Sri Lanka.

Gurusinha was called up at 19 as a wicket-keeper, a role he took in a further two ODIs and one Test. He gradually established himself as a No. 3 batsman, playing 33 Tests and 109 ODIs in that position, and was described by Simon Wilde of Cricinfo as "the rock on which Sri Lankan batting was founded". He was also known for his big stature and wide stance when batting. When he retired in 1996, only Sri Lanka's captain Aravinda de Silva had made more Test hundreds, with eight compared to Gurusinha's seven.

Gurusinghe was one of the main pillars of Sri Lanka's 1996 World Cup winning Batting line up. His application at the crisis situations to drag the team scorecard was a major highlight for those who watched the World Series tournament back in 1996.Actually he was the unsung hero of Sri Lankan line up who won the 1996 Cricket World Cup.

Asanka is the 32nd Sri Lanka Test Cap, making his debut against Pakistan in Karachi in 1985/86.^[1] He was also a useful part-time bowler, with Michael Atherton, Sunil Gavaskar, Dean Jones, Steve Waugh and Inzamam-ul-Haq among his 20 Test wickets.^[2]

Career Centuries

Test Centuries

The following table illustrates a summary of the Test centuries scored by Asanka Gurusinha

• In the column Runs, * indicates being not out
• The column title Match refers to the Match Number of the player's career

Test Centuries of Asanka Gurusinha
	Runs	Match	Against	City/Country	Venue	Year
[1]	116*	3	Pakistan	Colombo, Sri Lanka	P.Saravanamuttu Stadium	1986
[2]	119	12	New Zealand	Hamilton, New Zealand	Trust Bank Park	1991
[3]	102	12	New Zealand	Hamilton, New Zealand	Trust Bank Park	1991
[4]	137	18	Australia	Colombo, Sri Lanka	Sinhalese Sports Club Ground	1992
[5]	128	29	Zimbabwe	Harare, Zimbabwe	Harare Sports Club	1994
[6]	127	33	New Zealand	Dunedin, New Zealand	Carisbrook	1995
[7]	143	38	Australia	Melbourne, Australia	Melbourne Cricket Ground	1995

One Day International Centuries

ODI Centuries of Asanka Gurusinha
	Runs	Match	Against	City/Country	Venue	Year
[1]	117*	91	New Zealand	Sharjah, UAE	Sharjah Cricket Association Stadium	1994
[2]	108	106	New Zealand	Auckland, New Zealand	Eden Park	1995

External links

• Player profile: Asanka Gurusinha from ESPNcricinfo
• Ananda-Nalanda

References

1. Cricinfo - Career averages - 2nd Test: Sri Lanka v Zimbabwe at Colombo (SSC), Sep 18-21, 1996, from Cricinfo, retrieved 26 August 2006
2. Cricinfo - Statsguru - AP Gurusinha - Test Bowling, from Cricinfo, retrieved 26 August 2006

• "'Gura’ Observer Schoolboy Cricketer of 1985 starred in Lanka’s World Cup triumph in 1996:by Leslie Fernando"