Michael Vandort

Michael Vandort, a tall left hander, emerged onto the national scene in 2001 after a string of impressive performances for Colombo Cricket Club and Sri Lanka A. A late developer, Vandort played only one first-class match for St Joseph's First XI, but he quickly made an impression. He was then picked for a Board XI side against India in August 2001 and booked himself a berth in Sri Lanka's 16-man Test squad on the back of an impressive century. He sat on the sidelines throughout the series, but was finally given a chance against Bangladesh in 2001 when the selectors rested senior players. However, despite scoring a century in the second Test, he then waited three-and-half-years before reclaiming a place in the national squad. Opportunities were restricted due to the established Jayasuriya-Atapattu opening combination, but many argue he has nonetheless been unfairly ignored by the selectors. An injury to Sanath Jayasuriya paved the way for his ODI debut against Australia at Melbourne in February 2006. He top scored with a gritty but slow 48 but was then dropped for the rest of his series. He played two Tests in the Bangladesh series that followed, again showing an impressive adhesiveness and is particularly strong off the front foot, through the off-side and leg-side. Rated highly as a slip fieldsman but is slow in the field, a weakness that continues to restrict his opportunities in the limited-overs game.