Santhush GunathilakeBandicoot Ltd2023-07-27T09:35:18+01:00
| Date of Birth | 14/09/1999 |
| Age | 24 |
| Nationality | Sri Lankan |
| Player Status | Available |
| 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 Lankan Emerging Team, Sri Lanka Board President's XI, Sri Lanka U19s, Sri Lankan Reds, Ragama Cricket Club, Tamil Union Cricket and Athletic Club |
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 who plays for Ragama Cricket Club, has enjoyed a significant rise in the game and has impressed in domestic cricket. He has featured in almost 80 matches across the three formats, particularly in first-class and List A formats. At the point of writing, Gunathilake has 3 centuries and is on the verge of 1,500 first-class runs with an average nudging 40. With the ball, he recently bagged his maiden red ball 5-for (5-60) and it's expected his current wicket tally will improve in the months/years to follow.
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 2024.
There are no overseas stats available for this player.
| Date of Birth | 14/09/1999 |
| Age | 24 |
| Nationality | Sri Lankan |
| Player Status | Available |
| Playing Role | Batting All-Rounder (Seam) |
| Player Status | Available |
| Bowling Style | RA Medium Fast |
| Batting Style | RH Top Order Bat |
| Entry Route | International Sportsperson Visa |
| Major Teams | Sri Lankan Emerging Team, Sri Lanka Board President's XI, Sri Lanka U19s, Sri Lankan Reds, Ragama Cricket Club, Tamil Union Cricket and Athletic Club |
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 who plays for Ragama Cricket Club, has enjoyed a significant rise in the game and has impressed in domestic cricket. He has featured in almost 80 matches across the three formats, particularly in first-class and List A formats. At the point of writing, Gunathilake has 3 centuries and is on the verge of 1,500 first-class runs with an average nudging 40. With the ball, he recently bagged his maiden red ball 5-for (5-60) and it's expected his current wicket tally will improve in the months/years to follow.
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 2024.
There are no overseas stats available for this player.
