Santhush GunathilakeBandicoot Ltd2022-11-10T02:05:34+00:00
| Date of Birth | 14/09/1999 |
| Age | 23 |
| Nationality | Sri Lankan |
| Player Status | Unavailable |
| Playing Role | Batting All-Rounder (Seam) |
| Bowling Style | RA Medium Fast |
| Batting Style | RH Top Order Bat |
| Entry Route | International Sportsperson Visa |
| Major Teams | Sri Lanka Board President's XI, Sri Lanka U19s, Sri Lankan Reds, Ragama Cricket Club, Tamil Union Cricket and Athletic Club |
** Unavailable for the UK/EU 2023 season **
Santhush Gunathilake is one of the hottest prospects in Sri Lankan cricket right now. A prolific batter who bowls brisk medium pace, such is his promise he was fast-tracked to the national squad having only played 5 first-class matches.
He was selected in the 22-man Test squad for the South African series (Dec 2020) having impressed Sri Lankan coach Mickey Arthur who stated he was “very impressed by Santhush Gunathilaka. We are trying to develop a seam-bowling all-rounder for conditions outside Asia. It’s tough to find in Asia someone who bats in the top six and bowls seam and we are excited by the talent set of Santhush”.
The budding all-rounder made his first-class debut for Ragama, but is now playing for Tamil Union Cricket and Athletic Club. To date, he has played 15 first-class matches, scoring two centuries and 7 fifties at an impressive average of 43.18, with a highest score of 130. Whilst he hasn’t enjoyed massive success with the ball in domestic cricket (only the 9 wickets at 52.33), the fact Arthur has targeted him as a potential seam bowling all-rounder option for the national side clearly suggests he has the all-round ability.
Prior to his national inclusion, Gunathilake had hit the headlines courtesy of his exploits for St Peter’s College in Colombo, where his run-scoring earned him Sri Lankan Under-19 honours. The former St Peter’s skipper racked up 2,434 runs at 51.79 with 8 centuries at the schoolboy U19 level (2-Day cricket), alongside 57 wickets at 14.25. It was his innings against Ananda College in January 2019 that really put Gunathilake on the map, breaking Angelo Perera’s schoolboy record (239) by hitting 252. A few months later, he produced more heroics, hitting 72 and 161* in the 85th Battle of the Saints against St. Joseph’s College.
Gunathilake seems destined for full national honours and as part of his development headed to England in 2022 to play for the Sri Lankan Board XI. He featured in first-class outings against Surrey, Kent, and Hampshire, hitting fifties against the latter two.
The batting all-rounder is a star for the future who, subject to availability, is eager to return to the UK for a club season in 2023.
There are no overseas stats available for this player.
| Date of Birth | 14/09/1999 |
| Age | 23 |
| Nationality | Sri Lankan |
| Player Status | Unavailable |
| Playing Role | Batting All-Rounder (Seam) |
| Player Status | Unavailable |
| Bowling Style | RA Medium Fast |
| Batting Style | RH Top Order Bat |
| Entry Route | International Sportsperson Visa |
| Major Teams | Sri Lanka Board President's XI, Sri Lanka U19s, Sri Lankan Reds, Ragama Cricket Club, Tamil Union Cricket and Athletic Club |
** Unavailable for the UK/EU 2023 season **
Santhush Gunathilake is one of the hottest prospects in Sri Lankan cricket right now. A prolific batter who bowls brisk medium pace, such is his promise he was fast-tracked to the national squad having only played 5 first-class matches.
He was selected in the 22-man Test squad for the South African series (Dec 2020) having impressed Sri Lankan coach Mickey Arthur who stated he was “very impressed by Santhush Gunathilaka. We are trying to develop a seam-bowling all-rounder for conditions outside Asia. It’s tough to find in Asia someone who bats in the top six and bowls seam and we are excited by the talent set of Santhush”.
The budding all-rounder made his first-class debut for Ragama, but is now playing for Tamil Union Cricket and Athletic Club. To date, he has played 15 first-class matches, scoring two centuries and 7 fifties at an impressive average of 43.18, with a highest score of 130. Whilst he hasn’t enjoyed massive success with the ball in domestic cricket (only the 9 wickets at 52.33), the fact Arthur has targeted him as a potential seam bowling all-rounder option for the national side clearly suggests he has the all-round ability.
Prior to his national inclusion, Gunathilake had hit the headlines courtesy of his exploits for St Peter’s College in Colombo, where his run-scoring earned him Sri Lankan Under-19 honours. The former St Peter’s skipper racked up 2,434 runs at 51.79 with 8 centuries at the schoolboy U19 level (2-Day cricket), alongside 57 wickets at 14.25. It was his innings against Ananda College in January 2019 that really put Gunathilake on the map, breaking Angelo Perera’s schoolboy record (239) by hitting 252. A few months later, he produced more heroics, hitting 72 and 161* in the 85th Battle of the Saints against St. Joseph’s College.
Gunathilake seems destined for full national honours and as part of his development headed to England in 2022 to play for the Sri Lankan Board XI. He featured in first-class outings against Surrey, Kent, and Hampshire, hitting fifties against the latter two.
The batting all-rounder is a star for the future who, subject to availability, is eager to return to the UK for a club season in 2023.
There are no overseas stats available for this player.