Somachandra de Silva


Dandeniyage Somachandra de Silva is a former Sri Lankan cricketer, who played Test and ODI cricket in the 1970s and 1980s. He is the first ODI cap for Sri Lanka. He bowled leg spin, and on the tour of Pakistan in 1982 he became the first Sri Lankan bowler to take five wickets in a Test innings.

Life and career

De Silva was educated at Mahinda College, Galle. Somachandra's elder brothers D. H. de Silva and D. P. de Silva were also Ceylonese first-class cricketers.
De Silva made his debut for Ceylon in 1966-67 and played in most Sri Lankan teams thereafter until the mid-1980s. He took part in the 1979 cricket World Cup where Sri Lanka recorded their first top-level international victory, beating India by 47 runs. De Silva took three wickets for 29, including Dilip Vengsarkar and Mohinder Amarnath, as India crashed to 191 all out. He took his best first-class figures on the 1979 tour of England when he took 4 for 13 and 8 for 46 in the innings victory over Oxford University.
When Sri Lanka was finally awarded Test status, de Silva was nearing his forties, which naturally shortened his career. However, he played in Sri Lanka's first 12 Tests, before retiring at 42. He took his best figures in the Second Test against Pakistan at Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad, in March 1982, when he had figures of 4 for 103 and 5 for 59 and the match was drawn with Sri Lanka close to victory. He captained the Sri Lankan cricket team for two Tests in 1983, as the regular captain, Duleep Mendis, missed the series in New Zealand due to injury. De Silva made two half-centuries while captain and took three wickets with tight bowling on pitches that did not suit his bowling style. However, New Zealand won the series 2-0.
De Silva also played Minor Counties cricket for Lincolnshire and Shropshire between 1976 and 1983, and later became a coach of the Sri Lankan cricket team. In 2009 he served as the interim chairman of Sri Lanka Cricket.