Former Test batsman and Peterite cricketing legend Malinda Warnapura has been appointed as Sri Lanka high performance batting coach.
Warnapura made his Sri Lanka Test debut in 2007 and scored a swashbuckling innings of 120 against the West Indies before retiring at a very young age in 2009.
He is the son of former Colts cricketer Upali Warnapura and the nephew of Sri Lanka’s first Test cricket captain Bandula Warnapura.
A product of St. Peter’s College, Warnapura started his career in 1994 while leading the Under-15 team and later moving on to captain the First X1 side which won the Coca Cola League title.
The team had no big names or flamboyant stars except for Warnapura who spurred them on to do big things and conquer the rest of the schools.
The batting revolved around Warnapura and the entire team pivoted around his astute captaincy as he finished the season scoring 950 runs and grabbing 65 wickets with his medium paced cutters.
The gutsy all-rounder had the distinction of hitting 159 in the big match against St. Joseph’s and followed it up with 122 against the same school in the one-dayer.