Dinushka Malan

Dinushka Malan is a genuine seam bowling all-rounder, who has impressed, both at home and abroad, in recent years.

After 32 games of first-class cricket, Malan's figures read 1,162 runs at 33.20 and 62 wickets at 23.85, with best performances of 113 and 4-29 with bat and ball respectively.

Abroad, Malan has also excelled in both the Birmingham and Home Counties Premier League in recent seasons - with three seasons apiece with Sutton Coldfield (1,635 runs at 29.20 and 116 wickets at 15.09), and Thame Town (1,166 runs at 40.21 and 83 wickets at 17.60).

In August 2018, Malan was also the pick of the bowlers in our CricX - "Overseas" v "English" match at Buckingham Town CC. The opening bowler took an impressive 5-wicket haul, finishing with figures of 2-28 (7.1) including the notable wickets of Armaan Randhawa (Austrian National side), Dan Brierley (Cambridge MCCU / Bedfordshire), Sam Handley (Cambridge MCCU), Brandon Jacobs (Australian first-grade batter) and Harry Stephens (Unicorns / Berkshire).

In his homeland, Malan was rewarded with a first-class debut following an outstanding Emerging Players tournament in 2015/16. In 9 matches for SL Navy he notched up 304 runs at 33.78 and took 37 wickets at 15.22 (best bowling of 7-41) to finish second on the bowling charts and take out the “Best All-Rounder” award.

During his debut season (2016/17), the all-rounder excelled for Sri Lanka Navy Sports Club scoring 296 runs at 37 (including a best of 113) and taking 11 wickets at 29.27 (best bowling of 3-52). He was recruited to play for Lankan Cricket Club in 2017/18 and consolidated his status at first-class level with 223 runs at 22.30 and 14 wickets at 34. During the 2018/19 summer, he moved to Kurunegala Youth where he reaffirmed his status in domestic cricket with an impressive 340 runs at 48.57, including a second first-class century, alongside 12 wickets at 17.

Malan decided to pursue an opportunity in Australia for the 2019/20 season. Playing for Sunbury United in the strong Gisborne & District Cricket Association (McIntyre Cup), he impressed, particularly with the ball taking 16 wickets at 24.19 alongside 276 runs at 23. Due to COVID, Malan remained in Melbourne and played the 2020/21 season with Keilor in the Victorian Turf Cricket Association.

The Sri Lankan all-rounder then returned to the UK in 2021, this time to play the back-half of the season for Thame Town. He excelled, particularly with the ball (23 wickets at 14.87) and the club retained Malan's services for the 2022 and 2023 season, where he continued to shine in the Home Counties Premier League campaign with season figures of 526 runs at 52.60 and 39 wickets at 13.74 (2022), and 500 runs at 45.54 and 21 wickets at 27.76 (2023).

Malan has been one of league cricket's stand-out players. A genuine all-rounder, fantastic coach, and cracking bloke to boot. He is set to return to Thame Town for a fourth stint in 2024.