After announcing himself at Asia Cup, Sri Lanka's Pramod Madushan sets sights on T20 World Cup

From young to experienced, many are set to play their first T20 World Cup when action gets underway Down Under. Before the first ball is bowled, Firstpost.com brings to you FirstCup – a special series where we chart journeys of T20 World Cup debutants.

Pramod Madushan has been something of a late-comer in cricket, making his international debut at the age of 28 seven years after making his maiden First-Class appearance, having waited patiently in the wings all these years for his time to come.

The late 20s, after all, is usually when a cricketer, or an athlete from any other sport for that matter, is at the peak of his or her skills and abilities. Madushan, however, has to contend with proving himself at the highest level for now and hope he can make the most of the time in hand and get a solid 10-year run for the Lankans down the road.

Incidentally, his breakthrough into the national team comes at a time when the Sri Lanka are showing signs of regaining their old glory through consistent performances and are counted among the teams who could spring a surprise at the T20 World Cup Down Under, where Madushan is set to make his first appearance in an ICC global tournament.

None of this, however, would’ve happened had he given up on his cricketing dreams at a low point in his career.

Domestic struggles

Madushan, who started off as a medium pacer in the Sri Lankan domestic circuit before amping up his pace later in his career, has a total of 31 appearances in First-Class cricket in a seven-year period since making his debut for Tamil Union Cricket and Athletic Club in the 2014-15 Premier League Tournament.

Those numbers however, do not make for a healthy reading for a cricketer as it translates to him spending more time on the sidelines and ferrying drinks for his teammates than getting game time on the field.

Around a year later, the Hambantota would make his T20 debut with Tamil Union while his List A debut came with Jaffna in the Districts One-Day Tournament. Much like his First-Class run, he hasn’t made too many appearances in the white-ball formats either, having a combined total of less than 100 appearances in List A and T20s in the seven-year spell.

Turning point at LPL

After years of being sidelined, life would suddenly take a turn for the better during the 2022 Lanka Premier League, where he was picked up by Galle Gladiators in the auction.

He wouldn’t get too many opportunities across the season, not getting to bat or bowl in his solitary appearance in the league as the Gladiators made it to the final for a second consecutive time without needing his services too frequently. And they would finish runners-up again, losing to a rebranded Jaffna Kings who successfully defended their title.

It was at the LPL however, where Madushan would learn a new set of skills and rebrand himself as a bowler suited for the shorter formats, while also working on his batting abilities. He was, after all, rubbing shoulders with the likes of Mohammad Amir, Isuru Udana, Anwar Ali, all of whom had proven themselves on the international forum.

“Before this I did not know that I was this good a T20 bowler. My life changed,” Madushan had said in a recent interview.

It was only a matter of time before he would get noticed by the Sri Lankan Cricket (SLC) selection committee.

International breakthrough

Madushan was picked in the Sri Lanka A squad who were up against Australia A at home earlier this year and the right-arm seamer would impress the senior team management with a haul of 4/50 that helped the Lankans level the unofficial ODI series with a four-wicket win.

Pramod Madushan received his ODI cap from Lasith Malinga!