Not everyone can debut with wicket in first over in all formats: Eranga

By Bipin Dani

MUMBAI (TheSportsNext) August 8, 2012: Sri Lanka's 26-year-old right arm medium fast bowler, Shaminda Eranga had no words to express his joy when approached for his comments on becoming the only player to have achieved the wicket in the first over of debut matches in all formats of the game.

"I am very very happy and can't express my feelings", he said over interpreter, Rajit Fernando's telephone from Colombo. "It is not  that every one can achieve this feat and I feel proud about it", he said.

"It is good for my country and will certainly inspire me to do better. I am prepared to take the burden of the entire team", he added.

"I dedicate this special record to my mother, Shrimati. She has been the force behind my career. She has taken interest in my cricket and I am brought up by her in the absence of my father, who passed away some 13 years ago".

"Yes, she was present when I took the wicket of Ricky Ponting in the very first over on my debut ODI (Hambatota, August 2011). She also witnessed my debut Test (SSC ground, Colombo), where again in the first over, I took the wicket of Shane Watson. She could not resist the temptation to be at the Pallakale Stadium yesterday, where playing my first ever Twenty20, I grabbed the wicket of Gautam Gambhir, again in the very first over", he added.

Eranga's local coach, Mahesh Wickramsinghe has words of praise for him. "Shaminda Eranga's first spell is always impressive. We have been advising him to be more consistent in the remaining spells also and this will enable him to grab more wickets in the match", he said.