Sri Lanka all-rounder Dunith Wellage delivered an emotional tribute to his late father after being named Player of the Match in Sri Lanka’s 19-run victory over England in the first One Day International.
Wellage produced an outstanding all-round performance, taking 2 for 41 with the ball and scoring an unbeaten 25 off 12 balls, helping Sri Lanka defend a total of 271 for 6 and take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
Wellage said he dedicated the award to his father, who passed away during the Asia Cup period when he was representing Sri Lanka.
“I dedicate this award to my father. I know he is watching from somewhere. He always wanted me to do well for my country and supported me,” Wellage said at the post-match press conference.
The 23-year-old said the past few months had been a difficult period for him personally, and thanked spin bowling coach Sachith Pathirana for his support during that time.
“It was a difficult period for me. Sachith Pathirana sir helped me during those three to four months,” he said.
Speaking about his batting improvement, Wellage said he had worked extensively with Dhammika Sudarshana and Thamara Abeyratne at the High Performance Centre at the R. Premadasa Stadium.
“I worked hard on my batting with Dhammika Sudarshana sir and Thamara Abeyratne sir at the HPC. That helped me a lot,” he said.
Wellage’s performance came after he was omitted from Sri Lanka’s squad for the Pakistan ODI series, before earning a recall and producing a match-winning display on his return to the side.
With the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 approaching, Wellage is also expected to be in strong contention for Sri Lanka’s squad, where his left-arm spin could be highly effective in home conditions, combined with his growing value as a lower-order batter. (Newswire)