A journeyman Sri Lankan who was playing club cricket in suburban Melbourne only 18 months ago has been signed by Big Bash battlers Melbourne Renegades for the forthcoming season.
Ruwantha Kellapotha has capped an unlikely ascension from the Dandenong District Cricket Association, the competition he played eight seasons in before joining Premier Cricket outfit Casey-South Melbourne last summer, to a Big Bash deal.
The 31-year-old has played in Australia for nearly a decade but has been signed as an overseas player having played 20 first-class games in Sri Lanka, the last coming in 2013.
A leg-spinning allrounder, Kellapotha proved a hit in his first season of Premier Cricket, topping the competition’s wicket tally with 37 scalps at 15.6 to fire Casey to a grand final appearance in March.
“My journey has been a bit different,” Kellapotha said. “I played first-class cricket back in Sri Lanka, came here in 2013 to play local cricket and then last year went to Premier Cricket.
“I’d achieved what I wanted to achieve in local cricket, so next I wanted to see what I could do in Premier Cricket. Now I want to see what I can do at the highest level.
“It’s going to be a great experience for me, playing in the Big Bash and against some of the best players in the world.” (Cricket Australia)
