An aggressive left-handed wicketkeeper-batsman, Niroshan Dickwella arrived in first-class cricket already having built some hype in a stellar school cricket career. He won Sri Lanka’s Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year award in 2012, having made over 1000 runs in the previous season, and having led Trinity College to the national championship.
Dickwella has become Nondescripts Cricket Club’s regular wicketkeeper across all competitions, thanks in part to Dinesh Chandimal’s long absences from domestic cricket. Since graduating to senior cricket, he has been particularly impressive in limited-overs cricket, hitting a memorable 104 off 91 balls in the final of the Inter-Provincial One-Day Tournament in 2013.
Dickwella has also been a fixture in the Sri Lanka A team since 2013, and was called back from an A tour in England in July 2014, to take Chandimal’s place in the national squad. He was given the opportunity to keep wickets for Sri Lanka, replacing Dinesh Chandimal and he scored 77 in his Test debut for Sri Lanka against South Africa at SSC on the 24th of July 2014.
His recent form with the bat
The 23 year old amassed 183 runs in just 155 deliveries for NCC against Bloomfield, last week, continuing his rich vein of form from the Sri Lanka tour of Zimbabwe in which he ended the ODI Tri series as the top scorer for Sri Lanka and third highest run scorer in the tournament. He has been very consistent over the last couple of tours, scoring two half centuries during the West Indies tour and 67 in a practice Match against Essex when the national team toured England in July 2016 and also he scored 3 half centuries in the ODI’s during the A team tour of England. His performances certainly suggest that he deserves a place in the team in all 3 formats for the upcoming tour of South Africa.
Waiting in the wings
He has been a constant presence in the national squads for the last couple of tours but has rarely been given 
an opportunity to showcase his skills. However, when he was given the opportunity to do so during the Zimbabwe tri series, he turned out some outstanding performances.
It is clear that Niroshan Dickwella’s life revolves around cricket. Between games and practices, he has little time for anything else.
“I work for MAS UNICHELA but really I don’t get time to actually go into work with practices, club matches and national commitments’’
The batting technique
To succeed at the international level, any batsman should have a strong base, an unwavering temperament and a sound technique. Sri Lanka Coach Graham Ford too has earmarked Dickwella as a player who has a wonderful technique and believes he can survive wherever he goes in world cricket. Not one to tinker too much with a technique that has helped him get this far, Dickwella admits that sometimes a few slight alterations need to be made according to the conditions.
“Just because I was the top scorer in the recently concluded ODI tri – series for Sri Lanka I can’t depend purely on those scores because no one can truly judge a player on one series performance. I will prove myself by giving my best and performing well in the upcoming matches.”
The upcoming South African tour
The likes of Vernon Philander, Morne Morkel, Kyle Abbott and Kagiso Rabada will look to rip through the Lankan top-order inexpensively in the coming Test series but they will have a diminutive stroke-maker in Dickwella to counter, if he makes the cut to tour the African nation. He looked ahead confidently on what awaits in the coming weeks.
“It’s a whole new tour against a quality side, I cannot just dwell on the performances during the Zimbabwe tri series, I will take the good things, continue to play my normal game and contribute to my team in South Africa. I want to play match-winning knocks against the tough South African unit, if I am given the opportunity to play I’ll look to score my first Test hundred as well.
Final Say
Dickwella’s finesse and stylishness in batting is just what the doctor ordered for Sri Lanka Cricket as they look to fill the space left by the great Kumar Sangakkara. But as a young cricketer at the beginning of his career, there is no doubt that he bears the burden of expectation on his shoulders – a burden made easier by those whose support he is grateful for.
*Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of ThePapare.com.
