From young to experienced, many are set to play their first T20 World Cup when action gets underway Down Under. Before the first ball is bowled, Firstpost.com brings to you FirstCup – a special series where we chart journeys of T20 World Cup debutants.
Pramod Madushan has been something of a late-comer in cricket, making his international debut at the age of 28 seven years after making his maiden First-Class appearance, having waited patiently in the wings all these years for his time to come.
The late 20s, after all, is usually when a cricketer, or an athlete from any other sport for that matter, is at the peak of his or her skills and abilities. Madushan, however, has to contend with proving himself at the highest level for now and hope he can make the most of the time in hand and get a solid 10-year run for the Lankans down the road.
Incidentally, his breakthrough into the national team comes at a time when the Sri Lanka are showing signs of regaining their old glory through consistent performances and are counted among the teams who could spring a surprise at the T20 World Cup Down Under, where Madushan is set to make his first appearance in an ICC global tournament.
None of this, however, would’ve happened had he given up on his cricketing dreams at a low point in his career.
Domestic struggles
Madushan, who started off as a medium pacer in the Sri Lankan domestic circuit before amping up his pace later in his career, has a total of 31 appearances in First-Class cricket in a seven-year period since making his debut for Tamil Union Cricket and Athletic Club in the 2014-15 Premier League Tournament.
Those numbers however, do not make for a healthy reading for a cricketer as it translates to him spending more time on the sidelines and ferrying drinks for his teammates than getting game time on the field.
Around a year later, the Hambantota would make his T20 debut with Tamil Union while his List A debut came with Jaffna in the Districts One-Day Tournament. Much like his First-Class run, he hasn’t made too many appearances in the white-ball formats either, having a combined total of less than 100 appearances in List A and T20s in the seven-year spell.
Turning point at LPL
After years of being sidelined, life would suddenly take a turn for the better during the 2022 Lanka Premier League, where he was picked up by Galle Gladiators in the auction.
He wouldn’t get too many opportunities across the season, not getting to bat or bowl in his solitary appearance in the league as the Gladiators made it to the final for a second consecutive time without needing his services too frequently. And they would finish runners-up again, losing to a rebranded Jaffna Kings who successfully defended their title.
It was at the LPL however, where Madushan would learn a new set of skills and rebrand himself as a bowler suited for the shorter formats, while also working on his batting abilities. He was, after all, rubbing shoulders with the likes of Mohammad Amir, Isuru Udana, Anwar Ali, all of whom had proven themselves on the international forum.
“Before this I did not know that I was this good a T20 bowler. My life changed,” Madushan had said in a recent interview.
It was only a matter of time before he would get noticed by the Sri Lankan Cricket (SLC) selection committee.
International breakthrough
Madushan was picked in the Sri Lanka A squad who were up against Australia A at home earlier this year and the right-arm seamer would impress the senior team management with a haul of 4/50 that helped the Lankans level the unofficial ODI series with a four-wicket win.
Two weeks later, he would finally end his wait for an international appearance as he was included in Sri Lanka’s lineup in the fifth and final ODI at Colombo’s R Premadasa Stadium. He would exhibit his grittiness with the bat by labouring his way to a 52-ball 15 in a 58-run ninth-wicket stand with Chamika Karunaratne, guiding the hosts to a respectable total when the prospect of reaching 100 looked tough at one point.
He would then collect his maiden wicket by dismissing Mitchell Marsh in a haul of 1/13 from three overs.
His moment in the sun however, would come two months later in the United Arab Emirates where Sri Lanka skipper Dasun Shanaka decided to gamble with Madushan in the last two matches of the Asia Cup.
Asia Cup heroics
Madushan was included in place of the misfiring Asitha Fernando for the final clash of the Super 4 stage against Pakistan, as well as in the final against the same opponents, and boy would he grab both opportunities with both hands to announce himself to the world.
Madushan was responsible for the crucial wicket of the red-hot Mohammad Rizwan in the powerplay, which stifled Pakistan’s progress in the pre-cursor to the final on 9 September, before accounting for Haris Rauf’s scalp in the final over.
He then produced the most defining performance of his life in the summit clash two days later, breaking the backbone of the Pakistani batting lineup by dismissing skipper Babar Azam and Fakhar Zaman off successive deliveries in the fourth over of the chase and finishing with a match-winning performance of 4/34 — a haul that should’ve bagged him the ‘Player of the Final’ award if not for Bhanuka Rajapaksa’s equally brilliant 71 not out.
“Madushan brings promise, skill and maturity. We knew him from the start of his domestic career, but we had to take a risk to get the rewards. Madushan’s skills were there to see and he’s got a good career ahead. Glad he delivered in just his second game; glad he rewarded us for the risk we have taken,” Shanaka said after the Lankans won their first major trophy in eight years.
Read: From underdogs to champions — what worked for SL at Asia Cup
It was only fitting for Madushan to get named in Sri Lanka’s squad for the upcoming mega event as the 2014 T20 world champions decided to retain a majority of the squad that had won them the Asian title.
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