Bidding Farewell to Tillakratne Dilshan, With His Amazing Stats

Of the 22 centuries Dilshan scored in ODIs, 18 results in a Sri Lankan victory.

On Friday night, one of Sri Lanka’s greatest-ever all-rounders bid farewell to international cricket.

Tillakaratne Dilshan, one of just 11 players to have scored a century in all formats of the game, walked into the sunset with 17,671 runs off 497 international games. He also had 151 international wickets to his name.

Back to The Beginning

A 23-year old Dilshan was handed his first Sri Lanka cap in a Test match against Zimbabwe in November 1999. Though he was dismissed for a single-digit score on debut, he bounced back spectacularly, scoring a patient unbeaten 163 in his second innings.

An ODI cap followed less than a month later, and he would thereafter go on to become an important member of the Sri Lankan team for most part of the next 16 years.

Though Dilshan’s game did not have the same consistency, flair or grace as of the Sangakkaras or the Jayawardenes in the Sri Lankan team, his contribution was no less than anyone who represented the country in the period.

There were several facets to his game; he was an impact player - a free-stroking batsman, a street-smart off-spinner and a bundle of energy on the field.

Dilshan in Whites

On first glance, while Dilshan’s Test numbers don’t appear to be great, put in context of players who’ve played for Sri Lanka and his all-round contributions, the numbers certainly stand out.

His batting average of 40.98 is better than the batting averages of many other famous Sri Lankans; Sanath Jayasuriya averaged 40.07 and Marvan Atapattu averaged 39.02, while the fatherly figures of Roy Dias and Arjuna Ranatunga averaged 36.71 and 35.69 respectively. Further, among all Sri Lankan batsmen, only three batsmen – namely Kumar Sangakkara (38), Mahela Jayawardene (34) and Aravindra de Silva (20) have scored more Test hundreds that Dilshan (16).

If on some day Dilshan reflects back on his Test career, he will be glad to learn that he was part of the Sri Lankan team on more occasions when they won than when they lost. His batting average in Sri Lankan Test wins was 52.67 – nearly twice his average when in Test matches Sri Lanka lost!

A Limited-Overs Beast

While Dilshan certainly influenced results in Test matches, his impact was felt more in the limited overs formats. He will most definitely be considered one among the Sri Lankan greats in the context of limited overs cricket.

Such was the Dilshan-impact on Sri Lanka in ODIs that of the 22 centuries he scored, 18 of them resulted in wins for his team. He averaged 49.89 in ODI wins and 61.1% of his 10290 runs came in winning causes.

Dilshan’s numbers in the biggest limited overs tournament – the ODI World Cup – are spectacular; he averages an incredible 52.95 in the multi-team competition and has four centuries to his credit.

The Bowler

While Dilshan generally lit up the stage with his batting – often playing attacking cricket and some outrageous shots, one should not overlook his contribution with the ball and in the field. He picked up several key wickets bowling his deceptive off-spin, and contributed plenty in the field by saving runs in the outfield – especially at the crucial point position – and by taking some sensational catches. It goes unnoticed that he is one of five players in the world who has done the treble of 10000 runs, 100 wickets and 100 catches in the 50-over format.

In the last few years of his career, Dilshan carved a name for himself in the 20-over format. After his final international match, Dilshan stands as the second-most-capped player in the T20 format and second-highest run-getter in T20 internationals. Dilshan was the highest run-getter and was even named the Player of the Tournament in Sri Lanka’s ICC World T20 campaign in 2009 when they finished runner-up.

The 39-year old signed off his international career in style; he dismissed the Australian wicket-keeper Matthew Wade with the last ball he bowled in international cricket.

Farewell, Champion