Player: | MS Atapattu |
DateLine: 20th February 2007
He made just one run in his first six Test innings. But from this shocking start Marvan Atapattu has, brick by brick, built up an excellent record that has seen him average almost 40 with 16 hundreds. Most impressively he has got six double hundreds, more than anyone else save Don Bradman, Wally Hammond and Brian Lara. His batting is built around scientific principles, deep concentration, an insatiable appetite for runs and an iron will to succeed based on grit and determination. A batsman who has self-belief in abundance, Atapatu is a picture of elegance at the crease as he exhibits all the strokes particularly pleasing is his cover drive - besides having a defensive technique that is second to none. He is one of the hardest batsmen to dismiss when set because he plays the percentage game admirably. In ODIs he has been one of the bulwarks of the Sri Lankan batting forming with Sanath Jayasuriya one of the best opening pairs in both forms of the game. Possessing a shrewd cricketing brain it was no surprise when Atapattu took over the captaincy of the one-day side in 2003 and the Test team a year later. Under his leadership Sri Lankan fortunes took an upward swing until an injury early in 2006 saw Jayawardene taking over the captaincy. But in the top post or as a player, Atapattu still has a lot to contribute to Sri Lankan cricket.
LATEST SCORES
CURRENT EVENTS
- Asian Cricket Council Premier Cup 2024
- Canada in United States of America 2024
- Central America Cricket Championship 2024
- Estonia Women in Gibraltar 2024
- ICC Men's Cricket World Cup League Two 2023/24 to 2027
- ICC Women's T20 World Cup Qualifier 2024
- Ireland Women and Thailand Women in United Arab Emirates 2024
- Jersey in Spain 2024
- Mongolia Women in Indonesia 2024
- New Zealand in Pakistan 2023/24
- Sri Lanka Women in South Africa 2023/24
- United Arab Emirates Women's One-Day Tri-Series 2024
- United Arab Emirates Women's Twenty20 Quadrangular Series 2024
- West Indies Women in Pakistan 2023/24
- Zimbabwe in Bangladesh 2024
View all Current Events CLICK HERE