Kapila Wijegunawardene was deemed to be best suited for ODIs but that was bizarre because he was an experienced man in First-class cricket and his stint in the shorter formats there was lesser in comparison. However, his unerring accuracy and discipline as a bowler meant that he was more likely to succeed when batsmen tried to be rash against him. The style of play in the 50-over format meant that the batsmen had to go at him and although not express fast, his relentless lines and lengths were efficient in stifling the run flow. He could move the ball a bit too but more than movement, it was his discipline that fetched him rewards. Kapila played just the two Tests, enduring a wicketless time on debut but compensated for that with a match haul of seven in the next, almost bowling Sri Lanka to a sensational victory. After a rather brief international career, he quit the sport altogether in 1992. Administration came naturally to him and in 2015, he got appointed as national selector for Sri Lanka.

Written by Hariprasad Sadanandan