Sachin Jayawardena

Sachin Jayawardena is a highly accomplished Sri Lankan all-rounder who has enjoyed success both at home in domestic cricket and abroad, with notable stints in the UK and New Zealand.

A genuine all-rounder, Jayawardena bats in the top order and bowls quality left-arm spin. After dominating for Wesley College and Bloomfield’s Under-23 side, he made his first-class debut in March 2014 and has since played 82 matches across all three formats.

Leading into the 2018/19 season, his record hadn’t yet matched his talent, with only one first-class and two List A fifties alongside three wickets (best figures 3-24). However, he quickly turned things around, scoring three first-class centuries that season: 109* off 132 balls against Panadura, 116 off 167 balls versus Sri Lanka Air Force, and 165 off 331 balls against Police Sports Club. Jayawardena finished as the second-leading run-scorer in the Provincial Tier B charts with 661 runs at 60.09, narrowly behind fellow CricX star Damith Perera.

During the 2019/20 campaign, he reaffirmed his all-round credentials with 234 runs at 23.40 and 13 wickets at 12.15, including his maiden first-class five-wicket haul against SL Navy (5-45) and match figures of 9-76.

A former Sri Lanka Under-19 squad member (2014) and recipient of the Sri Lankan U23 “Best All-Rounder” award (2015/16), Jayawardena has also impressed on five overseas stints.

On his maiden UK stint in 2019 with Drakes Huddersfield side Barkisland, he scored 751 runs at 35.76 and took 39 wickets at 22.28. The following two seasons (2021–22) saw further success for Cumbria Cricket League club Haverigg, where he amassed 1,210 runs at 31.03 and claimed 78 wickets at 14.54.

Speaking about Sachin, Haverigg praised him warmly:

"He’s arguably been the best bowler in the league. There are two or three with more wickets than him, but he’s definitely the most threatening bowler in the league and he’s always bowling for us against the opposition’s better batters. I know one pro ahead of him is usually utilised to clean up the opposition’s tail."

"His off-field stuff, with juniors, seniors, and his inclusion as part of our club/team ethos, has been exceptional. One of the lead junior coaches said he’s been the best and easiest he’s ever had to deal with and I believe he’s probably mixed and got involved the best out of every professional I've played with over the last 15 years at Haverigg."

Jayawardena continued his strong form with Walsden in the Lancashire League (2023), scoring 620 runs at 34.44 and taking 37 wickets at 22.46, followed by a successful season with Irvine in Scotland's Western District Cricket Union (2024).

Returning to the UK in 2025 with Fordhouses, he has once again dominated—amassing 752 runs at 57.85 (HS 123*) and taking 38 wickets at 16.68, including best bowling figures of 6-24 (as of 12th August 2025).

Sachin is set to continue his UK success into the 2026 season.