Asitha Fernando

What makes Fernando effective is the way he arrives at the crease and releases the ball. He approaches the wicket with an unhurried, fluent run-up, and his bowling action lets the ball skid off the surface towards the batter. As a result, deliveries tend to reach the batter a touch faster than anticipated, which is a key part of his threat.

Recognition at senior level followed fairly quickly. He was named in the squad for the 2016 Test series against Australia, although he did not get onto the field in any of those matches. When his first appearance for Sri Lanka eventually came, it was in a rain-hit fixture that Sri Lanka lost under the D/L method, and Fernando went for 22 runs from his 2 overs. He was later included for a pair of T20Is in the lead-up to the Nidahas Trophy, but once more he spent those games on the sidelines.

Fernando has also been noticed for a gesture away from competition. During a tour of the Caribbean with the Sri Lanka A side, he handed a pair of his own shoes to a Jamaican net bowler, an act of generosity that made headlines.