Vidanelage Samantha Pathmachandra de Mel (born 12 December 1964) is a former Italian

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...

er of Sri Lankan origin. A

left-arm orthodox spin Left-arm orthodox spin, Left-arm off spin also known as slow left-arm orthodox spin bowling, is a type of Finger spin, left-arm finger spin bowling (cricket), bowling in the sport of cricket. Left-arm orthodox spin is bowled by a left-arm bow ...

ner, he played for the

Italy national cricket team The Italy national cricket team is the men's team that represents the country of Italy in international cricket. They have been an associate member of the International Cricket Council (ICC) since 1995, having previously been an affiliate memb ...

between 1996 and 1998, having previously played

first-class cricket First-class cricket, along with List A cricket and Twenty20 cricket, is one of the highest-standard forms of cricket. A first-class match is one of three or more days' scheduled duration between two sides of eleven players each and is officiall ...

for

Burgher Recreation Club Burgher Recreation Club is a first-class cricket and hockey club based in Colombo, Sri Lanka. History The club was founded on 26 December 1896 known as the Bambalapitya Recreation Club, with membership restricted to the Burgher community. The fi ...

and

Sebastianites Cricket and Athletic Club Sebastianites Cricket and Athletic Club are a first-class cricket team based in Moratuwa, Sri Lanka. Their home ground is De Soysa Stadium. History The club's name derives from its close association with St. Sebastian's College, Moratuwa, whose ...

in his native Sri Lanka. Born in

Colombo Colombo ( ; si, කොළඹ, translit=Koḷam̆ba, ; ta, கொழும்பு, translit=Koḻumpu, ) is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. According to the Brookings Institution, Colombo me ...

, de Mel started his career playing in his native Sri Lanka, playing eight first-class matches for Burgher Recreation Club in 1989, and four for Sebastianites Cricket and Athletic Club during the 1990–91 season. He later moved to

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

, and first represented the national team there in the 1996 European Championship.Other matches played by Samantha de Mel
at CricketArchive He played in the

1997 ICC Trophy The Carlsberg Group, Carlsberg 1997 ICC Trophy was a cricket tournament played in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia between 24 March and 13 April 1997. It was the Cricket World Cup qualification tournament for the 1999 Cricket World Cup. Bangladesh national ...

for Italy, and last played for them in the following years European Championship. He was named in Italy's squad for the

2001 ICC Trophy The 2001 ICC Trophy was a cricket tournament played in Ontario, Canada in 2001. It was the Cricket World Cup qualification tournament for the 2003 Cricket World Cup. Three spots in the World Cup were on offer and the Netherlands, host nation Canada ...

, but Italy withdrew from the tournament due to a dispute over the eligibility of four players.Italy Withdraws from ICC Trophy
ICC Media Release, 25 June 2001

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mel, Samantha 1965 births Living people Italian cricketers Burgher Recreation Club cricketers Sebastianites Cricket and Athletic Club cricketers Sri Lankan emigrants to Italy Sri Lankan cricketers