Somachandra de Silva

Cricket information

Batting style

Right-handed batsman

Bowling style

Career statistics

Competition	Tests	ODIs
Matches	12	41
Runs scored	406	371
Batting average	21.36	19.52
100s/50s	0/2	0/0
Top score	61	37*
Balls bowled	3031	2076
Wickets	37	32
Bowling average	36.40	48.65
5 wickets in innings	1	0
10 wickets in match	0	n/a
Best bowling	5/59	3/29
Catches/stumpings	5/0	5/0

Source: , 14 August 2005

Dandeniyage Somachandra de Silva (born 11 June 1942, Galle) is a former Sri Lankan cricketer. He bowled leg spin, and captained the Sri Lankan cricket team for two Test matches in 1983, as the regular captain, Duleep Mendis missed the tour of New Zealand due to injury. De Silva enjoyed the captaincy, making two half-centuries and taking three wickets with tight bowling on pitches that didn't suit his bowling style. However, New Zealand won the series 2-0. He had played internationals before, however, taking part in the 1979 cricket World Cup where Sri Lanka recorded their first international victory - beating India by 47 runs. De Silva took three wickets for 29, including Dilip Vengsarkar and Mohinder Amarnath, as India crashed to 191 all out.

De Silva was in many ways unlucky - when Sri Lanka was finally awarded Test status, he was nearing his forties, which naturally shortened his career. However, he played all the first 12 Tests that Sri Lanka played, before retiring at 42. Had he been ten years younger, he would perhaps have been more recognised as Sri Lanka's first genuine all-rounder - that title instead went to Ravi Ratnayeke. De Silva also played minor county cricket for Lincolnshire and Shropshire, and later became a coach of the Sri Lankan cricket team. He is currently the interim chairman of Sri Lanka Cricket.^[1]

Somachandra De Silva was educated at Mahinda College, Galle and at Prince of Wales' College, Moratuwa. ^[2]^[3]Somachandra's elder brothers D. H. de Silva and D. P. de Silva were also Ceylonese first class cricketers.^[4]

References

External links

Cricinfo page

Sri Lanka Test cricket captains

1982: Warnapura 1982; 1982–1987: Mendis 1983: S. de Silva 1988: Madugalle 1989–1999: Ranatunga 1991–1992; 1996; 1999: A. de Silva 1999–2004: Tillakaratne 1999–2002: Jayasuriya 2002; 2004–2005: Atapattu 2006–2013: Jayawardene 2009–2011: Sangakkara 2011–2012: Dilshan 2013-: Mathews

Italics denote deputised captaincy

Sri Lanka ODI cricket captains

1975–1979: Tennekoon 1979–1982: Warnapura 1982–1987: Mendis 1983: S. de Silva 1988: Madugalle 1988–1999: Ranatunga 1988: Ratnayeke 1992–1996: A. de Silva 1994: Mahanama 1998–2003: Jayasuriya 2001–2006: Atapattu 2004–2013:Jayawardene 2006: Vaas 2009–2011: Sangakkara 2010–2012: Dilshan 2013-: Mathews 2013: Chandimal 2015: Thirimanne

Sri Lanka squad – 1975 Cricket World Cup

1 Tennekoon (c) 2 GRA de Silva 3 DS de Silva 4 Fernando (wk) 5 Heyn 6 Kaluperuma 7 Mendis 8 Opatha 9 Pieris 10 Ranasinghe 11 Tissera 12 Warnapura 13 Wettimuny

Sri Lanka squad – 1979 Cricket World Cup

1 Tennekoon (c) 2 GRA de Silva 3 DS de Silva 4 DLS de Silva 5 Dias 6 Gunatilleke 7 Jayasinghe (wk) 8 Madugalle 9 Mendis 10 Opatha 11 Pasqual 12 Warnapura 13 Wettimuny

Sri Lanka squad – 1983 Cricket World Cup

1 Mendis (c) 2 De Alwis (wk) 3 De Mel 4 DS De Silva 5 GN De Silva 6 Dias 7 Fernando 8 John 9 Kuruppu (wk) 10 Madugalle 11 Ranatunga 12 RJ Ratnayake 13 Samarasekera 14 Wettimuny

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