Name:

De Silva, D Somachandra

Nickname:

DS

Date of Birth:

11 Jun 1942

Gender:

Men

Place of Birth:

Galle

Career:

Test: 1982 - 1984
ODI: 1975 - 1985

Teams:

Sri Lanka (Country)

1985: Greenidge inspires win over Sri Lanka (Hobart)

DS De Silva: Sri Lanka's oldest Test Cricketer

Dandeniyage Somachandra "DS" de Silva was born on 11 June 1942 in Galle.

DS started his career as a batsman who turned to bowling leg spin. He took part in Sri Lanka's first ever Test match in 1982. He was the oldest player to represent Sri Lanka at the age of 39.

He took Sri Lanka's first ever 5 wicket haul against Pakistan in Faisalabad in 1982.

He captained the Sri Lankan cricket team for two Test matches in 1983 after the regular captain, Duleep Mendis missed the tour of New Zealand due to injury. De Silva made two half-centuries and taking three wickets with tight bowling on pitches that didn't suit his bowling style

DS played in the inaugural World Cup in 1975. This led to a professional career in the English minor counties championship. He also played in the 1979 World Cup where Sri Lanka recorded their first 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.

DS retired after the 1985 tour of Australia but continued to play grade cricket until the age of 49.

In 2010, de Silva was appointed by the Sports Minister as Chairman of the Interim Committee running the SL Cricket board. He had a controversial tenure with accusations of nepotism and corruption levelled against him. During his stint which spanned hosting the 2015 World Cup, the Hambantota and Pallekale stadiums were built leading to large scale financial irregularities. These projects also left the Board in massive debt.

DS was appointed as ambassador to Poland.

Source: CricketCrowd Staff Reporter