Roger Wijesuriya
Encyclopedia
Roger Gerald Christopher Ediriweera Wijesuriya (born 18 February 1960, Moratuwa
) is a former Sri Lankan
cricketer
, who holds the worst bowling average
in Test cricket
.
game against West Indies, where he took the wicket of Larry Gomes
as Sri Lanka won by seven wickets. Wijesuriya was also picked for the 1979
tour of England
, where he ended up with ten wickets at an average of 37.70 in five first class games, including three for 13 against Scotland
in a rain-hit three-day game. He did not, however, appear at the 1979 World Cup
in England. Wijesuriya also toured Pakistan
as a youth player some time before 1979, taking 25 wickets in a series.
Wijesuriya was recalled for the 1981
tour of England, and impressed slightly more, recording his first career five-wicket
-haul with five for 35 against a combined team of Oxford University
and Cambridge University
. He also hit 6 not out
for Sri Lanka in that game, holding the last wicket with Mahes Goonatilleke
as the match ended in a draw. Wijesuriya took 15 first class wickets from five games on tour at a bowling average
of 31.13.
Mansoor Akhtar
for 20. Following that, he was called up for the third Test against Pakistan
, but he bowled 24 wicketless overs, as he was taken apart by Zaheer Abbas
. Sri Lanka lost the Test by an innings and 102 runs, and Wijesuriya was quietly dropped and forgotten for three years.
Then, in 1985, he was recalled as Sri Lanka took on India
. Wijesuriya took key wickets in the first ODI, removing Krish Srikkanth and Mohammad Azharuddin
early, but his eight overs cost 56 runs and India eked out a two-wicket victory. He was retained, however, bowling nine overs for 54 runs in the other two matches.
. Fellow spinner
Abdul Qadir
was his victim, caught by Sidath Wettimuny
, which finally gave him a Test bowling average. By the end of the match, however, that average had been set to 297 - where it remained, giving him the highest bowling average (for a time, West Indian
Rawl Lewis
overtook Wijesuriya with one wicket for more than 300 runs but more success in 2008 brought down Lewis' bowling average). He also recorded his best ODI bowling figures on that tour, taking two for 25 from five overs, and also battling out to score 12 runs after the top order had been taken apart by Mudassar Nazar
, Mohsin Kamal
and Abdul Qadir
. Despite the credible performance from Wijesuriya, Sri Lanka lost the match by 89 runs, and they suffered a 4–0 defeat in the ODI series and lost the Test series 2–0.
in 1989-90, one game for Colombo Cricket Club
, and finally one season for Colts Cricket Club
in 1993-94.
Moratuwa
Moratuwa is a city on the southwestern coast of Sri Lanka, near Dehiwela-Mount Lavinia. It is situated on the Galle–Colombo main highway, 18 km south of the capital, Colombo. Moratuwa is surrounded on three sides by water, except in the north of the city, by the Indian Ocean on the west...
) is a former Sri Lankan
Sri Lankan cricket team
The Sri Lankan cricket team is the national cricket team of Sri Lanka. The team first played international cricket in 1926–27, and were later awarded Test status in 1981, which made Sri Lanka the eighth Test cricket playing nation...
cricketer
Cricketer
A cricketer is a person who plays the sport of cricket. Official and long-established cricket publications prefer the traditional word "cricketer" over the rarely used term "cricket player"....
, who holds the worst bowling average
Bowling average
Bowling average is a statistic measuring the performance of bowlers in the sport of cricket.A bowler's bowling average is defined as the total number of runs conceded by the bowlers divided by the number of wickets taken by the bowler, so the lower the average the better. It is similar to earned...
in Test cricket
Test cricket
Test cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council , with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days...
.
Tours of England pre-Test status
Wijesuriya represented Sri Lanka from 1978-79 until 1985-86, but never impressed in international cricket, although his first class and List A statistics were quite decent. His first match for Sri Lanka was a one-dayOne-day cricket
Limited overs cricket, also known as one-day cricket and in a slightly different context as List A cricket, is a version of the sport of cricket in which a match is generally completed in one day, whereas Test and first-class matches can take up to five days to complete...
game against West Indies, where he took the wicket of Larry Gomes
Larry Gomes
Hilary Angelo Gomes is a former West Indian cricketer.He toured England with the West Indian Schoolboys team in 1967 and he made his first-class debut as a left-handed batsman for Trinidad and Tobogo versus the New Zealanders in 1971/72. He joined Middlesex in 1972 and played between 1973 and 1976...
as Sri Lanka won by seven wickets. Wijesuriya was also picked for the 1979
1979 English cricket season
The 1979 English cricket season saw the second Cricket World Cup played in England. West Indies defeated England in the final.-Honours:*County Championship - Essex*Gillette Cup - Somerset*Sunday League - Somerset...
tour of England
Sri Lankan cricket team in England in 1979
The Sri Lankan cricket team toured England from May to July during the 1979 English domestic cricket season. The team spent most of its time in England, but also played in one match in Ireland and one in Scotland....
, where he ended up with ten wickets at an average of 37.70 in five first class games, including three for 13 against Scotland
Scottish cricket team
The Scotland national cricket team represents Scotland in the game of cricket. They compete in the Clydesdale Bank 40 as the Scottish Saltires...
in a rain-hit three-day game. He did not, however, appear at the 1979 World Cup
1979 Cricket World Cup
The 1979 Cricket World Cup was the second edition of the tournament and was won by the West Indies. It was held from June 9 to June 23, 1979 in England. The format had remained unchanged from 1975. Eight countries participated in the event. The preliminary matches were played in 2 groups of 4...
in England. Wijesuriya also toured Pakistan
Pakistani cricket team
The Pakistan cricket team is the national cricket team of Pakistan. Pakistan, represented by the Pakistan Cricket Board , is a full member of the International Cricket Council, and thus participates in , and cricket matches....
as a youth player some time before 1979, taking 25 wickets in a series.
Wijesuriya was recalled for the 1981
1981 English cricket season
In the 1981 English cricket season a change of sponsorship ended the Gillette Cup's 18-year tenure as a household name and the knockout competition was renamed the NatWest Trophy, which lasted for twenty years....
tour of England, and impressed slightly more, recording his first career five-wicket
Wicket
In the sport of cricket the word wicket has several distinct meanings:-Definitions of wicket:Most of the time, the wicket is one of the two sets of three stumps and two bails at either end of the pitch...
-haul with five for 35 against a combined team of Oxford University
Oxford University Cricket Club
Oxford University Cricket Club is a first-class cricket team, representing the University of Oxford. It plays its home games at the University Parks in Oxford, England...
and Cambridge University
Cambridge University Cricket Club
Cambridge University Cricket Club is a first-class cricket team. It now plays all but one of its first-class cricket matches as part of the Cambridge University Centre of Cricketing Excellence , which includes Anglia Ruskin University...
. He also hit 6 not out
Not out
In cricket, a batsman will be not out if he comes out to bat in an innings and has not been dismissed by the end of the innings. One may similarly describe a batsman as not out while the innings is still in progress...
for Sri Lanka in that game, holding the last wicket with Mahes Goonatilleke
Mahes Goonatilleke
Hettiarachige Mahes Goonatilleke is a former Sri Lankan cricketer, who played five Test matches and six ODIs as wicket-keeper during 1981 and 1982 - being Sri Lanka's first wicketkeeper in Test cricket. He showed good promise as both wicket-keeper and batsman, and even made 56 against Pakistan as...
as the match ended in a draw. Wijesuriya took 15 first class wickets from five games on tour at a bowling average
Bowling average
Bowling average is a statistic measuring the performance of bowlers in the sport of cricket.A bowler's bowling average is defined as the total number of runs conceded by the bowlers divided by the number of wickets taken by the bowler, so the lower the average the better. It is similar to earned...
of 31.13.
International career
In March the following year, Wijesuriya made his official international debut on the tour of Pakistan, bowling eight overs for 48 runs in a rain-shortened ODI and dismissingDismissal (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, a dismissal occurs when the batsman is out . Colloquially, the fielding team is also said to have snared, bagged or captured a wicket. At this point a batsman must discontinue batting and leave the field permanently for the innings...
Mansoor Akhtar
Mansoor Akhtar
Mansoor Akhtar is a former Pakistani cricketer who played in 19 Tests and 41 ODIs from 1980 to 1990....
for 20. Following that, he was called up for the third Test against Pakistan
Pakistani cricket team
The Pakistan cricket team is the national cricket team of Pakistan. Pakistan, represented by the Pakistan Cricket Board , is a full member of the International Cricket Council, and thus participates in , and cricket matches....
, but he bowled 24 wicketless overs, as he was taken apart by Zaheer Abbas
Zaheer Abbas
Syed Zaheer Abbas Kirmani , popularly known as Zaheer Abbas, is a former Pakistani cricketer, regarded as one of the finest batsman produced by that country. He is widely known as the "Asian Bradman", a reference to former Australian great Sir Donald Bradman...
. Sri Lanka lost the Test by an innings and 102 runs, and Wijesuriya was quietly dropped and forgotten for three years.
Then, in 1985, he was recalled as Sri Lanka took on India
Indian cricket team in Sri Lanka in 1985
Sri Lanka won the Test series 1-0 with 2 matches drawn:* @ Sinhalese Sports Club Ground, Colombo – match drawn* @ Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu Stadium, Colombo – Sri Lanka won by 149 runs* @ Asgiriya Stadium, Kandy – match drawn...
. Wijesuriya took key wickets in the first ODI, removing Krish Srikkanth and Mohammad Azharuddin
Mohammad Azharuddin
Mohammad Azharuddin also known as Azhar, is an Indian politician and former cricketer. He was an accomplished batsman and captained the Indian cricket team for much of the 1990s, until his involvement in a match-fixing scandal forced him into retirement...
early, but his eight overs cost 56 runs and India eked out a two-wicket victory. He was retained, however, bowling nine overs for 54 runs in the other two matches.
1985-86 Pakistan tour
Despite the variable performances, he was kept in the side that toured Pakistan in 1985-86. However, he went wicketless in the first two Tests, despite bowling a total of 48 overs, before finally getting his first Test wicket at KarachiNational Stadium, Karachi
The National Stadium is a cricket stadium in Karachi, Pakistan. It is currently used for cricket matches, and is home to Karachi's domestic cricket teams. The stadium is able to hold 34,228 spectators, making it the second largest cricket stadium in Pakistan after Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore...
. Fellow spinner
Spin bowling
Spin bowling is a technique used for bowling in the sport of cricket. Practitioners are known as spinners or spin bowlers.-Purpose:The main aim of spin bowling is to bowl the cricket ball with rapid rotation so that when it bounces on the pitch it will deviate, thus making it difficult for the...
Abdul Qadir
Abdul Qadir (cricketer)
Abdul Qadir Khan is a former Pakistani international cricketer, later commentator and was recently the Chief Selector of Pakistan Cricket Board. He resigned from the post because of his differences with the top brass of Pakistan cricket board...
was his victim, caught by Sidath Wettimuny
Sidath Wettimuny
Sidath Wettimuny is a former Sri Lankan cricketer, who played Test cricket and One Day Internationals as an opening batsman from 1982 to 1987...
, which finally gave him a Test bowling average. By the end of the match, however, that average had been set to 297 - where it remained, giving him the highest bowling average (for a time, West Indian
West Indian cricket team
The West Indian cricket team, also known colloquially as the West Indies or the Windies, is a multi-national cricket team representing a sporting confederation of 15 mainly English-speaking Caribbean countries, British dependencies and non-British dependencies.From the mid 1970s to the early 1990s,...
Rawl Lewis
Rawl Lewis
Rawl Nicholas Lewis is a West Indian cricketer. Statistically, he is one of the most ineffective Test bowlers of recent times.Lewis is a right-handed batsman and bowls a legbreak googly...
overtook Wijesuriya with one wicket for more than 300 runs but more success in 2008 brought down Lewis' bowling average). He also recorded his best ODI bowling figures on that tour, taking two for 25 from five overs, and also battling out to score 12 runs after the top order had been taken apart by Mudassar Nazar
Mudassar Nazar
Mudassar Nazar is a former Pakistani cricketer with a career in Test cricket for Pakistan and in league cricket in Pakistan and England...
, Mohsin Kamal
Mohsin Kamal
Mohsin Kamal is a former Pakistani cricketer who played in 9 Tests and 19 ODIs from 1984 to 1994....
and Abdul Qadir
Abdul Qadir (cricketer)
Abdul Qadir Khan is a former Pakistani international cricketer, later commentator and was recently the Chief Selector of Pakistan Cricket Board. He resigned from the post because of his differences with the top brass of Pakistan cricket board...
. Despite the credible performance from Wijesuriya, Sri Lanka lost the match by 89 runs, and they suffered a 4–0 defeat in the ODI series and lost the Test series 2–0.
Post-international career
That became Wijesuriya's last international performance. He played a number of matches for Sri Lanka B on Zimbabwe's tour of Sri Lanka in 1987-88, registering six wickets for 102 in a drawn game, but he never played for the senior team. He also appeared in Sri Lankan domestic cricket, playing for Moratuwa Sports Club, where he recorded his best first-class innings bowling figures with 6-51 against GalleGalle Cricket Club
Galle Cricket Club is a first-class cricket team based in Galle, Sri Lanka. They play their home games at Galle International Stadium, which was reconstructed after the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.-Notable players:Sports...
in 1989-90, one game for Colombo Cricket Club
Colombo Cricket Club
The Colombo Cricket Club is a first-class cricket club in Sri Lanka. It is the oldest in the country, having been formed in 1832.-External links:*...
, and finally one season for Colts Cricket Club
Colts Cricket Club
Colts Cricket Club is a first-class cricket team based in Colombo, Sri Lanka.-Honours:* P Saravanamuttu Trophy 1991–92* Premier Trophy 1999–002001–022004–052008–09 -External links:*...
in 1993-94.