Madagamagamage Dasun Shanaka, born on September 9, 1991, in Negombo, Sri Lanka, is a 32-year-old cricketer renowned for his all-round abilities. Standing at 6 feet tall, Shanaka is a right-hand batter and right-arm medium bowler, excelling in both disciplines and making him a key allrounder. He received his education from St. Peter’s College in Negombo and Maristella College. In his T20 career, Shanaka has played 216 matches, boasting a strike rate of 140.47.

Dasun Shanaka worked his way into Sri Lanka’s T20 side through several seasons of good performances for Sinhalese Sports Club. Shanaka made his T20 international debut against Pakistan in August 2015, but it wasn’t until the following domestic season that he achieved wide acclaim. Batting at No. 4 in an AIA Premier T20 match against Saracens Sports Club, Shanaka struck a Sri Lankan record 16 sixes in an innings worth 123 from 46 balls. That wasn’t even his highest T20 score of the last week. He had hit 131 off 48 balls against Galle Cricket Club one week earlier. 

But it was with the ball that Shanaka first made his mark on the international stage. He took 3 for 16 on a Pune greentop, against India, having only taken two domestic T20 wickets before then. He played bright cameos in Sri Lanka’s 2016 World T20 campaign, and in April he was picked in the Test squad – for Sri Lanka’s tour of England – for the first time, largely on his potential, rather than his first-class record.

Currently, Shanaka is playing for the B-Love Kandy team in the Lanka Premier League (LPL), where he continues to impress with his all-round performance.