Tillakaratne Mudiyanselage Dilshan ( si, තිලකරත්න මුදියන්සේලාගේ ඩිල්ෂාන්; born 14 October 1976), commonly known as TM Dilshan () is a former Sri Lankan
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 st ...
er and former captain of the
Sri Lanka national cricket team
The Sri Lanka men's national cricket team, ( si, ශ්රී ලංකා ජාතික ක්රිකට් කණ්ඩායම, ta, இலங்கை தேசிய கிரிக்கெட் அணி) nicknamed The Lions ...
. He is often regarded as the best rated Sri Lankan player in run-chases in ODI history and one of the most innovative players of all time. Dilshan is considered to be a rare example of a cricketer with notable skills in all aspects of the game, who can bat, bowl, field and keep wicket. He is an aggressive right-hand batsman who invented the scoop, which has come to be known as the
Dilscoop
A paddle scoop, Marillier shot or ramp shot is a modern cricketing shot. Players have used it more and more often in One Day International and Twenty20 cricket matches, since it appeared in the early 21st century. The player makes the shot by pos ...
, a shot that hits the ball over the keeper. Apart from being an opening batsman, he is also a capable
off-break bowler. Energetic in the field, he usually fielded at the
point region.
Dilshan made his Test and ODI debut during the
Sri Lankan cricket team's tour to Zimbabwe in 1999. He is also the second cap for Sri Lanka in Twenty20 Internationals. He is the first cricketer in the history of the game to score hundreds in all formats as a captain.
Dilshan won the Twenty20 International Performance of the Year award at the
2009 ICC Awards
The 2009 ICC Awards were held on 1 October 2009 in Johannesburg, South Africa before the semi-finals of 2009 ICC Champions Trophy. Nominations were announced in Mumbai in early September while short lists were announced on 15 September. These a ...
for his 96 off 57 ball shots against West Indies in the semi-final of the
2009 ICC World Twenty20
The 2009 ICC World Twenty20 was an international Twenty20 cricket tournament organised by the International Cricket Council (ICC) that took place in England in June 2009. It was the second ICC World Twenty20 tournament, following the inaugura ...
in England. He also won the man of the series trophy for his individual batting performances in the 2009 ICC World Twenty20 tournament. He was also a key member of the team that won the
2014 ICC World Twenty20
The 2014 ICC World Twenty20 was the fifth ICC World Twenty20 competition, an international Twenty20 cricket tournament, that took place in Bangladesh from 16 March to 6 April 2014. It was played in three cities — Dhaka, Chittagong and Sylhet. ...
and was part of the team that made the finals of
2007 Cricket World Cup
The 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup was the ninth Cricket World Cup, a One Day International (ODI) cricket tournament that took place in the West Indies from 13 March to 28 April 2007. There were a total of 51 matches played, three fewer than at the ...
,
2011 Cricket World Cup,
2009 ICC World Twenty20
The 2009 ICC World Twenty20 was an international Twenty20 cricket tournament organised by the International Cricket Council (ICC) that took place in England in June 2009. It was the second ICC World Twenty20 tournament, following the inaugura ...
and
2012 ICC World Twenty20
The 2012 ICC World Twenty20 was the fourth ICC World Twenty20 competition, an international Twenty20 cricket tournament that took place in Sri Lanka from 18 September to 7 October 2012 which was won by the West Indies. The schedule has been po ...
.
He is the fourth Sri Lankan, and eleventh player overall to score
10,000 ODI runs.
Being the third overall and first Sri Lankan to score 1,500 runs in
Twenty20 International
A Twenty20 International (T20I) is a form of cricket, played between two of the international members of the International Cricket Council (ICC), in which each team faces a maximum of twenty overs. The matches have top-class status and are the ...
s, he is also the first player to hit 200 fours in T20Is.
Dilshan scored 1000 or more ODI runs in a calendar year four times and never failed to amass fewer than 800 runs in any calendar year between 2009 and 2015.
Dilshan was under-estimated in the cricket world as an ordinary player when he batted at number 6 and 7, unlike his revered teammates
Mahela Jayawardene
Denagamage Praboth Mahela de Silva Jayawardene ( si, දෙනගමගේ ප්රබෝත් මහේල ද සිල්වා ජයවර්ධන; born 27 May 1977) is a former Sri Lankan cricketer who is the current consultant coach ...
and
Kumar Sangakkara
Kumara Chokshananda Sangakkara ( si, කුමාර් චොක්ශනාද සංගක්කාර; born 27 October 1977) is a Sri Lankan cricket commentator, former professional cricketer, businessman, ICC Hall of Fame inductee and ...
. When he gained the opening batting position, Dilshan became one of the finest cricketers in the world and a legend in modern cricketing history. His quick progression can be seen in his stats: after he moved to the opening position, he scored 21 ODI centuries and all his Test and T20I centuries.
In August 2016, Dilshan announced that he would retire from both ODI and T20I cricket at the end of
the series against Australia.
He retired from ODI cricket on 28 August 2016 and from T20I cricket on 9 September 2016.
Early life and family
Dilshan was born on 14 October 1976 in
Kalutara
Kalutara ( si, කළුතර, ta, களுத்துறை) or Kalutota is a major city in Kalutara District, Western Province, Sri Lanka. It is also the administrative capital of Kalutara District. It is located approximately south o ...
, to a
Malay father and a
Sinhalese
Sinhala may refer to:
* Something of or related to the Sinhalese people of Sri Lanka
* Sinhalese people
* Sinhala language
Sinhala ( ; , ''siṁhala'', ), sometimes called Sinhalese (), is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language prima ...
mother in a family with five siblings. He was educated at Jaffna Sinhala Madya Maha Vidyalaya in
Jaffna
Jaffna (, ) is the capital city of the Northern Province of Sri Lanka. It is the administrative headquarters of the Jaffna District located on a peninsula of the same name. With a population of 88,138 in 2012, Jaffna is Sri Lanka's 12th mos ...
for primary education, and then at the
Kalutara Vidyalaya
Kalutara Vidyalaya ( si, කළුතර විද්යාලය) is a Buddhist boys' school in Kalutara, Sri Lanka. The college was founded in 1941 by Sir Cyril De Zoysa. It is a national school providing primary and secondary education ...
, where he started his cricket career as a teenager. However, his family did not want him to play cricket, so his only goal was to get ahead in sports. Dilshan converted from
Islam to
Buddhism
Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...
at the age of 16, and was known as ''Tuwan Mohammad Dilshan'' before his conversion. His childhood coach Ranjan Paranavitana stated that even though Dilshan had a Muslim name, he and his siblings followed their mother's religion during their childhood and officially changed his religion and name after his parents separated.
Dilshan was married to Nilanka Vithanage, with whom he has a son called Resadu Tillakaratne. After divorcing Dilshan, Nilanka filed a lawsuit over child alimony. He was issued with a notice to appear in court after the 2011 Cricket World Cup, but he refused some of these notices. The case was later settled with Dilshan to pay about 200,000 LKR each month for his ex-wife and his son.
The court case was opened again in 2017, after Dilshan had failed to pay some of the monthly fees. On 24 April 2017, Colombo Magistrate Courts issued an arrest warrant to Dilshan due to his absence in the Court. However, Dilshan finally appeared on court on 25 April 2017.
Dilshan is now married to Sri Lankan actress Manjula Thilini. Their marriage was celebrated in India during the
2008 IPL series. Dilshan has two daughters and two sons from this marriage. Their eldest daughter is Resandi Linama Tillakaratne, and second is Lasadi Dihasansa Tillakaratne. Their elder son is Dihela Dinhath Tillakaratne, and younger son was born in 2017.
Dilshan's brother,
Tillakaratne Sampath, is a
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 officia ...
er in Sri Lanka.
Dilshan is a popular icon at home, and participated in many local events and television programs. He was also appointed as a special judge in
Sirasa Superstar, Generation 4. He also participated in a number of entertainment shows, due to his wife's status as a popular Sri Lankan actress.
With the invention of his masterstroke play-Dilscoop, Dilshan models his fashion line with the name 'Dil Scoop'.
On 23 October 2014, Dilshan opened a small-scale luxury hotel, named as "Hotel 'D Pavilion Inn'", situated at Stafford Lane in
Kirulapana
Kirulapone (Kirulapana) is a suburb in Colombo, Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and offici ...
. The hotel was opened in the presence of the former president of Sri Lanka,
Mahinda Rajapakse.
After retiring from international cricket, Dilshan and his wife released a video song titled ''Hema Sansaraye''. In February 2021, he released the music video ''Hitha Hadana Kena''.
Dilshan made his television debut in an episode of
Kopi Kade
Kopi Kade (''Coffee Shop'') ( Sinhala:කෝපි කඩේ) is a popular Sri Lankan comedy-drama television series broadcast on the Independent Television Network. One of Sri Lanka's iconic television series in history, Kopi Kade remains the mos ...
drama on 5 April 2017. He also acts alongside his wife in the teleplay ''Mithuu'' which is currently broadcast by
Independent Television Network
Independent Television Network Ltd ( si, ස්වාධීන රූපවාහිනී මාධ්ය ජාලය; ta, சுயாதீன தொலைக்காட்சி ஊடக வளையமைப்பு) also known a ...
.
and was one of the three judges of
Sri Lanka's Got Talent reality program conducted by
Sirasa TV.
Early career
Dilshan first played against
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and Mozam ...
on 18 November 1999 at
Bulawayo
Bulawayo (, ; Ndebele: ''Bulawayo'') is the second largest city in Zimbabwe, and the largest city in the country's Matabeleland region. The city's population is disputed; the 2022 census listed it at 665,940, while the Bulawayo City Council ...
. He scored 9 runs on his debut and was out LBW to a delivery off
Henry Olonga. However, Dilshan managed to score his maiden test century at the
Harare Sports Club
Harare Sports Club is a sports club and the Harare Sports Club Ground is a cricket stadium in Harare, Zimbabwe. Founded in 1900 and known as Salisbury Sports Club until 1982, it is mostly used for cricket matches, and has served as the primary c ...
in the second test between Sri Lanka and
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and Mozam ...
. He scored an unbeaten 163 runs in the first innings and was awarded the player of the match award for his role in the Sri Lankan victory. Dilshan achieved his highest test score in
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...
, where he scored 193 runs in the second test at the
Lord's cricket ground, against
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...
.
Dilshan's
One-Day International
A One Day International (ODI) is a form of limited overs cricket, played between two teams with international status, in which each team faces a fixed number of overs, currently 50, with the game lasting up to 9 hours. The Cricket World Cup ...
debut also came during Sri Lanka's tour of Zimbabwe in 1999, where he scored 31 runs against
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and Mozam ...
. His maiden ODI century came against
Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
on 4 July 2006, where he smashed an unbeaten 117 runs along with
Sanath Jayasuriya's 157 to help Sri Lanka post then highest ODI score of 443 runs, which stood for 10 years until England scored 444 runs.
Dilshan real talent came through in their
match
A match is a tool for starting a fire. Typically, matches are made of small wooden sticks or stiff paper. One end is coated with a material that can be ignited by friction generated by striking the match against a suitable surface. Wooden matc ...
against India on 15 December 2009, where Sri Lanka nearly chased a mammoth target of 414 posted by India. The pitch at Rajkot was perfect to bat on, Dilshan started the run chase with Tharanga, instead of Jayasuriya. In a blistering knock he reached fifty off 38 balls and then scored hundred off 73 balls. His 150 runs came off 115 balls with Sri Lanka on the brink of a sensational win. His score of 160 was full of hooks, pulls and many scoops of his variety, leading the way to victory.
But after Dilshan fell when bowled by
Harbhajan Singh
Harbhajan Singh (born 3 July 1980) is a member of parliament in Rajya Sabha and an Indian retired cricketer and cricket commentator, who played for the Indian national cricket team from 1998 - 2016. Singh was a right-arm spin bowler. In India ...
, the match opened for the Indian team. They took all the advantages and Sri Lanka were bowled out for 411 runs, losing by only 3 runs. This was Dilshan's third century in ODIs, the commentators described it as one of the best chases in the World Cricket. His knock was later nominated to be one of the Best ODI Batting Performance of the year by
ESPN Cricinfo
ESPN cricinfo (formerly known as Cricinfo or CricInfo) is a sports news website exclusively for the game of cricket. The site features news, articles, live coverage of cricket matches (including liveblogs and scorecards), and ''StatsGuru'', a ...
.
He was named in the 'Team of the Tournament' by
ESPN Cricinfo
ESPN cricinfo (formerly known as Cricinfo or CricInfo) is a sports news website exclusively for the game of cricket. The site features news, articles, live coverage of cricket matches (including liveblogs and scorecards), and ''StatsGuru'', a ...
for the 2009 T20I World Cup. His knock of 96* against West Indies was later nominated to be one of the Best T20I Batting Performance of the year by
ESPN Cricinfo
ESPN cricinfo (formerly known as Cricinfo or CricInfo) is a sports news website exclusively for the game of cricket. The site features news, articles, live coverage of cricket matches (including liveblogs and scorecards), and ''StatsGuru'', a ...
.
For his performances in 2009, he was named in the World ODI XI by the
ICC.
Later career
Dilshan played almost all his international matches as a middle-order all-round batsman during his early years. However, by 2007, he was selected to open the batting with
Sanath Jayasuriya in
ODI
ODI may refer to:
* Object Design, Incorporated, a defunct database software company
* One Day International, cricket match
* Open Data Institute, a UK not-for-profit company promoting open data
* Open Data-Link Interface, an implementation of th ...
game against
India
India, officially the Republic of India ( Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the ...
, where he started to showcase himself as an attacking and threatening
opening batsman
In cricket, the batting order is the sequence in which batters play through their team's innings, there always being two batters taking part at any one time. All eleven players in a team are required to bat if the innings is completed (i.e., if ...
.
Since 2007, his strokeplay has included a host of aggressive strokes which has allowed him to dominate the
ODI
ODI may refer to:
* Object Design, Incorporated, a defunct database software company
* One Day International, cricket match
* Open Data Institute, a UK not-for-profit company promoting open data
* Open Data-Link Interface, an implementation of th ...
arena on many occasions. Until retirement, he slotted as the permanent
opening batsman
In cricket, the batting order is the sequence in which batters play through their team's innings, there always being two batters taking part at any one time. All eleven players in a team are required to bat if the innings is completed (i.e., if ...
for Sri Lanka, as well as operating as a handy right-arm off-break bowler in both
ODI
ODI may refer to:
* Object Design, Incorporated, a defunct database software company
* One Day International, cricket match
* Open Data Institute, a UK not-for-profit company promoting open data
* Open Data-Link Interface, an implementation of th ...
and T20I matches.
Dilshan is credited for the creation of the
Dilscoop
A paddle scoop, Marillier shot or ramp shot is a modern cricketing shot. Players have used it more and more often in One Day International and Twenty20 cricket matches, since it appeared in the early 21st century. The player makes the shot by pos ...
, which he stumbled upon and then perfected, during the
Indian Premier League
The Indian Premier League (IPL), also known as Tata Group, TATA IPL for sponsorship reasons, is a men's T20 cricket, T20 Professional sports league organization, franchise cricket Sports league, league of India. It is annually contested by ...
2009 tournament. His innovative stroke play is acknowledged by many commentators and pundits thereby earning the recognition of being known as one of the most aggressive batsmen of all time. Apart from his
Dilscoop
A paddle scoop, Marillier shot or ramp shot is a modern cricketing shot. Players have used it more and more often in One Day International and Twenty20 cricket matches, since it appeared in the early 21st century. The player makes the shot by pos ...
, Dilshan is a prolific player of width possessing the ability to hit nearly any delivery pitched outside the off-stump for runs, and has perfected a lethal cover drive against pace bowlers.
2011 Cricket World Cup
Dilshan was the top run scorer in the
2011 Cricket World Cup. He scored 500 runs from nine One Day international innings with the best score of 144 runs against Zimbabwe. In the quarter-final against England, Dilshan along with
Upul Tharanga, stood double hundred partnerships for the first wicket. This stands as the best ever chasing in a quarterfinal in a World Cup game.
He scored two centuries, two half-centuries, 61 boundaries, and four sixes during the tournament which ended at the
Wankhede Stadium in
Mumbai
Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the secon ...
, India, in April 2011.
He was named in the 'Team of the Tournament' for the 2011 World Cup by the ICC and Cricinfo.
Captaincy
Immediately after the end of the
ICC Cricket World Cup 2011, with
Kumar Sangakkara
Kumara Chokshananda Sangakkara ( si, කුමාර් චොක්ශනාද සංගක්කාර; born 27 October 1977) is a Sri Lankan cricket commentator, former professional cricketer, businessman, ICC Hall of Fame inductee and ...
stepping down as captain, Dilshan was appointed the captain of Sri Lanka in all formats of the game. Dilshan said after his retirement in ODIs that, he did not want to take the captaincy, but Sri Lanka Cricket asked him to take the captaincy for six months until they found someone suitable. He accepted the task, but the many troubles in the team such as retirements and injuries led him to reduce performances.
However, his appointment as captain was questioned by cricket fans and pundits alike. Many wondered if he was the right man to lead
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...
. Dilshan scored 193 runs against England at
Lord's, breaking the record for the highest individual score made by a Sri Lankan at the venue, and lead Sri Lanka to their maiden test win in
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring count ...
. Losses to England, Australia, Pakistan and South Africa put strain on his captaincy, however, which he relinquished in January 2012.
He also said that he had a lack of support during captaincy tenure and help from former captains and coaches for the team. During Dilshan's captaincy, four coaches were introduced, but none succeeded.
Dilshan became the 5th player in international cricket to score centuries in all forms of the game. During the Australian tour of Sri Lanka in 2011, Dilshan scored an unbeaten century of 104* from just 54 balls in the
first Twenty20 match of the series, becoming the 5th player to achieve the milestone after West Indian
Chris Gayle, New Zealander
Brendon McCullum, Indian
Suresh Raina
Suresh Raina (; born 27 November 1986) is an Indian former international cricketer. He occasionally served as stand-in captain for Indian men's national cricket team during the absence of the main captain. He played for Uttar Pradesh (UP) in ...
and fellow Sri Lankan
Mahela Jayawardena
Denagamage Praboth Mahela de Silva Jayawardene ( si, දෙනගමගේ ප්රබෝත් මහේල ද සිල්වා ජයවර්ධන; born 27 May 1977) is a former Sri Lankan cricketer who is the current consultant coach ...
and it is also the highest
individual twenty20 international score by a Sri Lankan in the history. He scored the century from just 57 balls with 12 fours and 5 sixes. He achieved his century with a dilscoop hitting behind the wicket-keeper.
For his performances in 2011, he was named in the World ODI XI by the ICC. For his performances in 2013, he was named in the World ODI XI by the ICC.
In December 2011, Sri Lanka registered their first ever Test win in South Africa. This also became their first Test win under Dilshan's captaincy. However, after losing the Test series 2–1 and the subsequent ODI series 3–2, Dilshan resigned and was replaced by
Mahela Jayawardene
Denagamage Praboth Mahela de Silva Jayawardene ( si, දෙනගමගේ ප්රබෝත් මහේල ද සිල්වා ජයවර්ධන; born 27 May 1977) is a former Sri Lankan cricketer who is the current consultant coach ...
. In 2012, he was ranked the second-highest ODI run scorer, with 1119 runs, behind his teammate
Kumar Sangakkara
Kumara Chokshananda Sangakkara ( si, කුමාර් චොක්ශනාද සංගක්කාර; born 27 October 1977) is a Sri Lankan cricket commentator, former professional cricketer, businessman, ICC Hall of Fame inductee and ...
. For his performances in 2012, he was named in the ODI XI of the year by Cricinfo.
Test retirement
Dilshan announced his retirement from Test cricket on 9 October 2013. Dilshan retired from test cricket in 2013 with his last match being played against
Bangladesh
Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million pe ...
at the
R. Premadasa Stadium
The R. Premadasa International Cricket Stadium (RPS) ( si, ආර්. ප්රේමදාස ක්රීඩාංගනය, ta, ஆர். பிரேமதாச அரங்கம்; also known as Khettarama Stadium, Ranasinghe Prem ...
. Dilshan played 87 test matches amassing 5,492 runs, along with 16 centuries and 39 wickets.
Dilshan-Shehzad incident
On 4 September 2014, the
Pakistan Cricket Board
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is a sports governing body for cricket in Pakistan responsible for controlling and organising all tours and matches undertaken by the Pakistan national cricket team. A member of the International Cricket Cou ...
(PCB) issued Pakistani cricketer
Ahmed Shehzad an official reprimand after his frequent quarrels with Dilshan about Dilshan's past and current religions. Shehzad was caught on camera telling Dilshan:
Through the ranks
On 16 December 2014, in his 300th One-Day International, Dilshan scored his 18th ODI century and also passed 9,000 runs in ODIs. He became the fourth Sri Lankan cricketer and 15th overall to achieve this landmark. He also took 3 crucial wickets in the match against
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...
and aided Sri Lanka's title claim as the winners of the tournament. He won both man of the match award and man of the series award.
![TM Dilshan batting against England on his way to his 18th ODI century](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/51/TM_Dilshan_batting_against_England_on_his_way_to_his_18th_ODI_century.JPG)
On 23 January 2015, Dilshan scored his 20th One-Day International century
against New Zealand, becoming the 10th batsmen to score 20 ODI centuries.
2015 Cricket World Cup
On 26 February 2015, he scored an unbeaten 161 runs during the group stage match of
2015 ICC Cricket World Cup against
Bangladesh
Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million pe ...
. This was his highest individual score in an ODI and was the highest score by a Sri Lankan in
Cricket World Cup history, a title previously held by
Aravinda de Silva
Deshabandu Pinnaduwage Aravinda de Silva ( si, අරවින්ද ද සිල්වා; born 17 October 1965) is a former Sri Lankan cricketer and captain, who has also played in English county cricket. de Silva helped Sri Lanka to win th ...
, who scored 145 runs against Kenya in 1996. It was also the highest individual score without a six in ODI history and Dilshan's third score greater than 150. During his innings, he shared a 206* run second wicket partnership with
Kumar Sangakkara
Kumara Chokshananda Sangakkara ( si, කුමාර් චොක්ශනාද සංගක්කාර; born 27 October 1977) is a Sri Lankan cricket commentator, former professional cricketer, businessman, ICC Hall of Fame inductee and ...
.
This was the highest second wicket partnership for Sri Lanka in ODIs, but was surpassed in the following match between Sri Lanka and England by a 212* run stand between Sangakkara and
Lahiru Thirimanne.
On 1 March 2015, during a group match against England, Dilshan took his 100th ODI wicket by dismissing
Gary Ballance off his own bowling, thus becoming the third Sri Lankan to score 3000 runs and take 100 wickets after Jayasuriya and Aravinda.
During a group match against Australia, Dilshan scored 24 runs off a
Mitchell Johnson
Mitchell Guy Johnson (born 2 November 1981) is a former Australian cricketer, who played all forms of the game for his national side. He is a left-arm fast bowler and left-handed batsman. He made his Test debut for Australia in November 2007 ...
over by hitting six consecutive 4s, a first in World Cup history.
Dilshan's teammates, Sangakkara and Mahela, retired from ODI cricket following Sri Lanka's loss to South Africa in the quarterfinals. When asked about retirement, Dilshan stated that until Sri Lanka found a good opening batsman he would continue to feature in the shorter forms of the game for about 2 years or so. Dilshan got out without scoring in the quarterfinals and Sri Lanka exited the World Cup without making the semifinals for the first time since 2003.
Post-World Cup
On 26 July 2015, Dilshan passed 10,000 ODI runs during the fifth ODI
against Pakistan at Hambantota. With this, he became the fourth Sri Lankan and eleventh overall to achieve the milestone.
![Dilshan in his last ODI at Dambulla](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c8/Dilshan_in_his_last_ODI_at_Dambulla.jpg)
Dilshan was the second person after Sanath Jayasuriya to score more than 4000 ODI runs after the age of 35 and surpassed Jayasuriya's record of 4,142 runs in 2015. Until retirement, Dilshan has scored 4,674 ODI runs after the age of 35, most by a player.
On 9 November 2015, Dilshan became the highest run scorer for Sri Lanka in
Twenty20 Internationals passing 1,493 runs of
Mahela Jayawardena
Denagamage Praboth Mahela de Silva Jayawardene ( si, දෙනගමගේ ප්රබෝත් මහේල ද සිල්වා ජයවර්ධන; born 27 May 1977) is a former Sri Lankan cricketer who is the current consultant coach ...
. With this feat, Dilshan also became the first Sri Lankan and third overall to pass 1,500 T20I runs, milestone achieved after
Brendan McCullum
Brendon Barrie McCullum (born 27 September 1981) is a cricket coach, commentator and former cricketer representing New Zealand, who played all formats, including as captain. McCullum was renowned for his quick scoring, notably recording the f ...
, and
JP Duminy. Until his retirement, he was only behind McCullum by runs in T20Is.
During the third ODI
against New Zealand on 31 December 2015, Dilshan smashed 91 runs to reach another milestone in his career. Dilshan surpassed 1202 runs by Jayasuriya as most runs by an opening batsman for Sri Lanka in a calendar year. Dilshan scored 1207 runs in the year 2015 with 4 hundreds and 6 fifties.
Dilshan finished 2015 ODI arena as the highest ODI run scorer for Sri Lanka and third highest of all-time list. During 25 ODIs played in 2015, Dilshan scored 1,207 runs with the average of 52.47 and strike rate of 90.75. The veteran of 39 years of age, Dilshan showcased incredible all-around ability and had no mercy for the bowlers for all nations, got 4 hundreds and 6 fifties. Until retirement in August, Dilshan has surpassed more than 800 runs each in four consecutive years from 2012 to 2015. For his performances in 2015, he was named in the World ODI XI by ICC.
Dilshan was not totally successful in
2016 Asia Cup
The 2016 Asia Cup (also called the Micromax Asia Cup T20) was a Twenty20 International (T20I) cricket tournament that was held in Bangladesh from 24 February to 6 March 2016. It was the 13th edition of the Asia Cup, the fifth to be held in Bangl ...
, where Sri Lanka lost to Bangladesh and India lost the way to the finals. On 4 March 2016, against Pakistan, Dilshan reached another milestone by hitting 200 fours in all twenty20 internationals and the first player to break 200 fours in T20Is.
Dilshan's consistency as the leading run scorer for Sri Lanka in Twenty20 cricket proved in the
2016 ICC World Twenty20
The 2016 ICC World Twenty20 was the sixth edition of the ICC World Twenty20, the world championship of Twenty20 International cricket. It was held in India from 8 March to 3 April 2016, and was the first edition to be hosted by India.
Seven ...
, when he scored unbeaten 83 runs against Afghanistan in a pool match. The innings reached by Afghanistan was 153 and, Dilshan started the innings with showers of four and sixes in a consecutive manner in first six overs. Sri Lanka reached the winning moment in the 19th over with 6 wickets in hand, courtesy of man of the match performance by Dilshan. After that innings, in rest of the pool matches against West Indies and England, Dilshan got out by poor umpire decisions and Sri Lanka eliminated from the first round. Dilshan finished his last international major event as the highest scorer for Sri Lanka with 133 runs at an average of 44.33.
Limited over retirement
Dilshan was not included in the England tour in 2016; which was due to his personal reasons. But, some local media stated that, the conflict between Dilshan and Sri Lanka Cricket board for his retirement consideration was the actual cause for the refuse for England tour. However, Dilshan denied these rumors. On 25 August 2016, Dilshan announced his retirement from the international arena after the Australian tour. The news stated that, due to immense pressure exerted by the selection committee to reform the limited over squad for upcoming World Cup, the team should have many immediate challenges to do. This forced Dilshan to announce and speed up his intentions to retire from limited overs.
Many Sri Lankan cricketers wished Dilshan and spoke about him as:
He played his last ODI at
Rangiri Dambulla Stadium on 28 August 2016. He scored 42 runs in his last ODI innings. As said by skipper
Angelo Mathews, the match was dedicated to Dilshan, and a win could give him a good farewell. The ground was covered by many tributes to Dilshan highlighting that ''"A member of 10,000 run club, A legacy of the Dilscoop"'', ''"What a Run"'', ''"Dilshan You Have Made Us Proud"'', and ''"Thank You Dilshan"''. However, Sri Lanka lost the match by 2 wickets at the end. Until his retirement from ODIs, Dilshan is the 11th highest ODI scorer of all time and 7th highest century maker of all time.
He played his last Twenty20 International at
R Premadasa Stadium on 9 September 2016. He got out for a just single run in the match, but his fielding and bowling came back to the highest level. He took 2 crucial wickets at the end of the Australian innings, by ending 17 years of cricketing career. He ended his international career with a wicket off his last ball. At the time of his retirement, Dilshan was the second highest T20I run scorer of all time. Commentators summarized his career with the quote "Legends Never Retires".
Road Safety World Series
In 2020, Dilshan was announced as the captain of Sri Lanka Legends for the charity T20 cricket tournament titled
2020–21 Road Safety World Series
The 2020–21 Road Safety World Series was the inaugural season, an international T20 cricket league, which featured former international cricketers and was organized by the Road Safety World Series (RSWS) organization to raise awareness about r ...
. In the first match against Australia Legends, Dilshan scored 14 runs took 3 wickets, where Sri Lanka Legends won the match by 6 runs. Dilshan won the man of the match award. In the second match, Indian Legends beat Sri Lankan Legends by 5 wickets. However, Sri Lanka Legends later won all the league matches against West Indies, Bangladesh, England and South Africa and became the first team to reach semi finals. Dilshan became the anchor man in every game, where he scored fifties against South Africa and England Legends. In the semi final against South African Legends, Sri Lanka won the match comfortably and reached the finals. In the final against Indian Legends, Sri Lanka had the momentum to chase the total of 181 posted by Indians, but later fell 14 runs short. However, Dilshan became the Player of the Series due to his allround match winning performances. Dishan is the highest run scorer of the tournament with 271 runs and highest wicket taker with 12 wickets. He also hit the most boundaries (47) in the tournament.
Beyond cricket
On 1 August 2015, Dilshan and fellow Sri Lankan cricketer
Muttiah Muralitharan
Deshabandu Muttiah Muralitharan ( si, මුත්තයියා මුරලිදරන්, ta, முத்தையா முரளிதரன், also spelt Muralidaran; born 1972) is a Sri Lankan cricket coach, former professional ...
were appointed as the brand ambassadors for the Presidential Task Force to combat kidney disease by the President
Maithripala Sirisena
Maithripala Yapa Sirisena ( si, පල්ලෙවත්ත ගමරාළලාගේ මෛත්රීපාල යාපා සිරිසේන; ta, பல்லேவத்த கமராளலாகே மைத்திரி ...
.
Politics
Dilshan publicly displayed his support to
Mahinda Rajapaksa
Mahinda Rajapaksa ( si, මහින්ද රාජපක්ෂ, ta, மஹிந்த ராஜபக்ஷ; born Percy Mahendra Rajapaksa; 18 November 1945) is a Sri Lankan politician. He served as the President of Sri Lanka from 2005 to ...
at the 2015 Presidential Election. He did so by welcoming Mahinda Rajapakse to Maharagama for an election rally. In 2018, Dilshan announced that he had joined Mahinda Rajapaksa's
Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna
The Sri Lanka People's Front ( si, ශ්රී ලංකා පොදුජන පෙරමුණ, translit=Śrī Laṃkā Podujana Peramuna; ta, இலங்கை பொதுஜன முன்னணி, translit=Ilaṅkai Potujaṉa Mu ...
party.
In 2018, Dilshan praised the president,
Maithripala Sirisena
Maithripala Yapa Sirisena ( si, පල්ලෙවත්ත ගමරාළලාගේ මෛත්රීපාල යාපා සිරිසේන; ta, பல்லேவத்த கமராளலாகே மைத்திரி ...
for deciding to implement the
Death penalty for drug traffickers.
"Not only for drugs, it should be implemented for child abuse and rape cases", he said, adding that the decision should have been made a long time ago.
International records and achievements
Tests
* He has the highest score scored in
Lord's Cricket Ground by a Sri Lankan, where he scored 193 runs in 2013.
* Highest partnership for the fifth wicket – 280 by Tillakaratne Dilshan and
Thilan Samaraweera against Bangladesh in 2005.
* Only Sri Lankan to scored centuries in both innings in his 50th Test.
* First successful challenger of an umpiring decision.
One-Day Internationals
* Second Sri Lankan to have 3 ODI centuries above 150, after
Sanath Jayasuriya, where he has 4 scores above 150 in ODIs.
* Highest individual score for Sri Lanka without hitting a six – Dilshan scored 161* with only 22 fours against Bangladesh. This was a world record set in 2015 and was eventually surpassed by
David Warner David or Dave Warner may refer to:
Sports
* Dave Warner (strongman) (born 1969), Northern Ireland strongman competitor
* David Bruce Warner (born 1970), South African alpine skier
* David Warner (cricketer) (born 1986), Australian cricketer
Others ...
in 2016 which included 24 fours. But Dilshan's innings of 161* still remains the longest World Cup innings without hitting a six.
* Most runs by a subcontinent batsman in an ODI Tri-series away from home. Dilshan achieved this feat during
CB Series
The Australian Tri-Series was an annual one day international (ODI) cricket tournament held in Australia, and contested by Australia and two touring teams.
The series was the primary format for international one-day cricket throughout most of t ...
in Australia 2011/12, where he scored 513 runs.
* Most ODI runs by any batsman since the age of 35. – He has scored 4,674 ODI runs after 35 years of age.
* Most runs as an opener for Sri Lanka in a calendar year – 1207 runs by Dilshan in the year 2015.
Twenty20 Internationals
* Highest run scorer for Sri Lanka – Dilshan has scored 1,889 runs in 80 matches with average 28.19. He is second in the list of all time at the retirement.
* Highest individual score in T20I by a Sri Lankan – Dilshan scored 104* against Australia in 2011.
* He has the most catches in T20Is by a Sri Lankan – 31 in 80 matches.
* Highest partnership for the first wicket – 124 by Tillakaratne Dilshan and
Sanath Jayasuriya against West indies in 2009.
* Highest partnership for the fourth wicket – 104* by Tillakaratne Dilshan and
Jeevan Mendis
Balapuwaduge Manukulasuriya Amith Jeevan Mendis ( si, ජීවන් මෙන්ඩිස්; born 15 January 1983) is a former Sri Lankan professional cricketer, who played limited over internationals. An all-rounder who bowls leg spin, Me ...
against Australia in 2011.
* Most number of 4s – 223 in 80 matches. He is the first player to achieve 200 fours.
* Dilshan was the first player to score a T20I century as captain and he is the only captain to score a T20I century in a winning cause. His innings of 104* are the third highest T20I score by a captain and it is the highest ever T20I score made by a captain in a winning cause.
World Cups
* Highest individual score by a Sri Lankan – 161* by Dilshan against Bangladesh in 2015.
* Highest opening partnership (runs) – 282 by
Upul Tharanga (133) and Tillakaratne Dilshan (144) against Zimbabwe in 2011.
Others
* First captain to score centuries in all formats while captaining.
* Highest run scorer in
2009 ICC World Twenty20
The 2009 ICC World Twenty20 was an international Twenty20 cricket tournament organised by the International Cricket Council (ICC) that took place in England in June 2009. It was the second ICC World Twenty20 tournament, following the inaugura ...
held at England, who scored 317 runs in 7 matches with 3 half-centuries.
* Highest run-scorer in
2011 Cricket World Cup, scored 500 runs in 9 matches with 2 centuries and 2 half-centuries.
* Most ducks in T20 Internationals – 10 ducks in 78 matches.
* He is the fourth Sri Lankan and eleventh overall to pass 10,000 ODI runs.
Centuries stats
![Tillakaratne Dilshan batting at Lord's 2011 (1)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/83/Tillakaratne_Dilshan_batting_at_Lord%27s_2011_%281%29.jpg)
Dilshan has 16 Test centuries, 22 One-Day International centuries, and 1 Twenty20 International century. He is the first cricketer in the history to score centuries in all formats as a captain. He is the second Sri Lankan and fifth overall to achieve international centuries in all forms of the game. Dilshan has scored 39
centuries (100 or more
runs) in
Test matches,
One Day International
A One Day International (ODI) is a form of limited overs cricket, played between two teams with international status, in which each team faces a fixed number of overs, currently 50, with the game lasting up to 9 hours. The Cricket World Cup ...
(ODI) matches and
Twenty20 International
A Twenty20 International (T20I) is a form of cricket, played between two of the international members of the International Cricket Council (ICC), in which each team faces a maximum of twenty overs. The matches have top-class status and are the ...
(T20I), organized by the
International Cricket Council
The International Cricket Council (ICC) is the world governing body of cricket. Headquartered in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, its members are List of International Cricket Council members, 108 national associations, with 12 List of Internation ...
. Dilshan has scored 16 centuries in Test matches and 22 centuries in ODIs, and one in T20Is.
Dilshan scored his 16th and last Test century on 18 March 2013 at the
Galle International Stadium
Galle International Stadium ( si, ගාල්ල ජාත්යන්තර ක්රිකට් ක්රීඩාංගණය, ta, காலி பன்னாட்டு அரங்கம்) is a cricket stadium in Galle, Sr ...
in
Galle
Galle ( si, ගාල්ල, translit=Gālla; ta, காலி, translit=Kāli) (formerly Point de Galle) is a major city in Sri Lanka, situated on the southwestern tip, from Colombo. Galle is the provincial capital and largest city of Southern ...
against
Bangladesh
Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million pe ...
. His 17th ODI century comes in his favorite ground
on 28 July 2013 against
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring count ...
, where at this ground he scored 5 ODI centuries and also his only Twenty20 International century against
Australia on 6 August 2011.
In Test matches, Dilshan has scored centuries against all the
Test cricket playing nations except
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring count ...
and
West Indies
The West Indies is a subregion of North America, surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea that includes 13 independent island countries and 18 dependencies and other territories in three major archipelagos: the Great ...
, and has scored 150 against four of them. He is seventh on the list of leading Test century makers for
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...
. His centuries have been scored at ten cricket grounds, six of which were outside Sri Lanka. He has been
dismissed two times in the nineties.
In ODIs, Dilshan has scored centuries against all test playing opponents except
West Indies
The West Indies is a subregion of North America, surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea that includes 13 independent island countries and 18 dependencies and other territories in three major archipelagos: the Great ...
. His maiden century was made against
Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
at the
VRA Cricket Ground,
Amstelveen
Amstelveen () is a List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of North Holland, Netherlands with a population of 92.353 as of 2022. It is a suburban part of the Amsterdam metropolitan ar ...
in 2006. He is third in the list of leading century-makers in ODIs for Sri Lanka. Of these 22 ODI centuries, nine were scored at home grounds and thirteen were at away (opposition's home) or neutral venues. He has been dismissed one time in the ninetynine.
Dilshan scored his only T20I century against
Australia in 2011, and became the fifth batsmen to score hundreds in all forms of the game.
He scored 104 runs from 57 balls.
This is the highest individual score by a Sri Lankan in Twenty20 Internationals.
;Key
Test centuries
One Day International centuries
T20I cricket centuries
Acting career
Filmography
Television
Awards and honours
* ICC Twenty20 International Performance of the Year 2009
*
ICC ODI Team of the Year – included in four years (2009, 2011, 2013, 2015)
* Dialog SLC People's Player of the Year 2015 (with 493,196 votes)
* Dialog SLC T20 Batsman of the Year 2015
References
Further reading
The decision that changed my career – Dilshan
External links
*
Dilshan IPL Profilefrom
RoyalChallengers
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dilshan, Tillakaratne
1976 births
Basnahira cricketers
Basnahira South cricketers
Bloomfield Cricket and Athletic Club cricketers
Converts to Buddhism from Islam
Cricketers at the 2007 Cricket World Cup
Cricketers at the 2011 Cricket World Cup
Cricketers at the 2015 Cricket World Cup
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Dhaka Dynamites cricketers
Guyana Amazon Warriors cricketers
Living people
North Central Province cricketers
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People from Western Province, Sri Lanka
Royal Challengers Bangalore cricketers
Sebastianites Cricket and Athletic Club cricketers
Sinhalese sportspeople
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