Arnold began his Test career as an opener alongwith Sanath Jayasuriya. A tall, angular left-hander and a patient accumulator but despite some good scores then he lost out to Marvan Atapattu as Sanath Jayasuriya’s partner and was recalled for the Asian Test Championship two years later. Short of runs by late 2000, he dropped into the lower middle order. Jayasuriya gave Arnold another chance at the top of the order in 2002 and he did not disappoint, scoring 62 and 109 in a valiant rearguard at Old Trafford. Failure in the subsequent series that followed left him on the sidelines for long periods after the 2003 World Cup. Arnold made his way back into the team for the home series against Australia. But, despite making 51 runs not out in his last ODI against Zimbabwe he was dropped from the ODI and Test team in July 2004.

The Ashantha de Mel selection committee wanted to introduce young blood, new talent and Arnold’s future looked bleak for some time. But Arnold worked furiously very hard on his game in the nets practices and started to score heavily in domestic cricket. Finally, with his replacements failing to impress the selectors he won a recall for the New Zealand tour in December 2004. However, pressure from the younger brigade likes Tillakaratne Dilshan – left him fighting for his place. His Test match playing role went first but after a poor tour of England in 2006 following some promising efforts in Australia he was still dumped from Sri Lanka team. But his experience could never be discounted in major tournaments and he fought back his spot in the 2007 World Cup squad. Arnold’s ability to adapt his game to the situation makes him an ideal member in limited overs cricket.

His unselfish approach explains the high-esteem in which he is held by teammates. A cool head under pressure helps when chasing runs and he adds great value in field and is considered as safe pair of hands. If need be he can also bowl useful offbreaks.

Malinga or Separamadu Lasith Malinga was born on August 28, 1983 in Galleans and is a Sri Lankan cricketer. He bowls at a very fast pace with a slinging action and releases the cricket ball very low. This distinctive action has earned him the nickname called “Slinga Malinga”. In his test debut, he took 6 wickets against world champions Australia in 2004. He has constantly troubled most of the batsman with his lively pace and well directed bouncers during his maiden tour of Australia. His unique bowling action left many batsmen struggle to adapt to.

Lasith Malinga selection for Sri Lanka’s tour to Australia in 2004 was a surprised selection, though he had a very fearsome reputation on the domestic circuit. Malinga bowling with distinctive and explosive round-arm action, generates genuine pace which can disconcert batsmen who struggle to pick up the ball’s upcoming trajectory. He is rated as the fastest bowler in Sri Lanka team. His first performance in Sri Lankan colours was impressive where he took 6 for 90 against Northern Territory Chief Minister’s XI. This match paved the way for his inclusion in the Test team. He acquitted himself quite well when he dismissing Darren Lehmann and Adam Gilchrist in the one over. During the tour to New Zealand in April 2005, his low-slung action resulted in the New Zealand batsmen to ask the umpires to change the colour of their trouser as the ball was getting lost. He is slowly developing into Sri Lanka’s key pace-bowling wicket-taker, especially when Chaminda Vaas is loosing his bowling pace. Although at times he is quite erratic and has a tendency to bowl no-balls, he is a genuine strike bowler, with both new ball and old. He can class to outpace and trouble the best batsmen on his day. His slowly development as key all-round bowler was confirmed when he was the leading wicket-taker in the one-day series against England. He continued to impress everybody in the Champions Trophy and on tour in New Zealand. His Yorkers balls made many batsmen turn around and the World Cup 2007 is the type of stage where his confident character could thrive. Along with the bouncer, he has a variety of balls which include the yorker, swinger which is very hard to play considering the fact that he regularly bowls between 140 KM and 150 KM.

Charitha Malinga Bandara or Bandara was born on 31 December 1979, Kalutara, Sri Lanka. He is member for both Sri Lankan Test and one-day international cricket team. He is a right hand batsman and can also bowls legbreaks. Bandara made his Test debut against New Zealand in 1998, but was dropped subsequently due his poor performance. Very useful performance against England ‘A’ team in March 2005 with match-figures of 11 for 126, resulted in a Test recall in December 2005. He finishing the 3 -Test series against India with nine wickets with an average of 32.88.

Bandara made his debut in ODI against New Zealand in January 2006 at Wellington. He was one of the most sucessful bowler in the tournament taking 14 wickets at an average of 23.92 an economy rate of 4.90, even bettering the more famous spin partner Muralitharan. His best bowling figures are 4 for 31 against South Africa in the final VB Series at the Bellerive Oval, Hobart on February 7, 2006. This outstanding performance ensured Sri Lanka will face Australia in the VB Series finals.

He was ignored for Pakistan’s tour to Sri Lanka in 2005/2006 and was not played in the test series in England in 2006, which could have been won 2-0, but had to share the series with draw of 1-1. In domestic cricket at Sri Lankan, Bandara represents the Galle Cricket Club. He also played county cricket for English team Gloucestershire during the 2005 season. He was highly successful with bat and ball and was also named the “Gloucestershire Player of the Season”

Chaminda Vaas or Warnakulasuriya Patabendige Ushantha Joseph Chaminda Vaas, was born 27 January 1974 in Mattumagala and is SriLanks’s team fast bowler. Pass out from the prestigious St. Joseph’s College in Colombo, he made his debut for the Sri Lankan cricket team in 1994.He is their most successful fast bowler having taken 300 Test wickets on December 12, 2005, one of only a few handful of players to do so. His wicket taking abilities led Sri Lanka to their first Test win against New Zealand in 1994 at Napier, taking 5-47 in the first innings and 5-43 in the second innings.

Vaas has also taken over 300 one-day international wickets, including 2 hat tricks, against Zimbabwe and Bangladesh. The first was in the middle of a devastating spell of 8 for 19, the best bowling figures for any one-day internationals, and the latter is the famous hat-trick of wickets in the first three balls of the game.Vaas is also a very useful batsman in down order and has reached score of 2500 Test runs including 11 half-centuries. As a fieldsman, he is known for his strong arm.In 2004, he gained recognition for his bowling talent when hegot selected for the World Test and one-day XI at the inaugural ICC Awards. He again got selected for the World Test XI from 2005 awards.He is joining Middlesex County Cricket Club in 2007 cricket season as an Overseas registration.

He is a left arm swing bowler very much similar to Wasim Akram and Arham Karim style.

Muttiah Muralitharan commonly known as Murali was born on April 17, 1972 in Kandy, Sri Lanka. He is regarded as the greatest off-spin bowler in cricket history but his career has not been without controversy. The legality of his bowling action remained under question for some time but later it was scientifically proven that his bowling action is legal.

Muralitharan during 2004, became an ambassador for the United Nations World Food Program and joined an anti-poverty campaign. He narrowly escaped the 2004 Indian Ocean Earthquake “Tsunami” by just about 20 minutes. A week later, he was seen helping distribute food to victims of the tsunami victims. He is one of the few Tamils to have played for the Sri Lankan team. Muralitharan is married to an Indian woman, Madhimalar Ramamurthy.

Muralitharan since joining cricket team in 1992, has taken over 600 Test wickets and over 400 One-day International wickets. First man to take 1,000 wickets combined in the two main forms of international cricket. Presently his bowling test average is 21.73, which compares favourably with other contemporary spin bowlers like the Indian spinner Anil Kumble (28.65) and Shane Warne (25.41) and. In 2002, analysis of all Test matches, ranked him the greatest cricketers in history and ranked as the number one bowler of all time. However, Murali failed to make it into the top Wisden Cricketers of the the twentieth century.

Muralitharan’s unique bowling action starting with a flapping wings run-up and extremely wristy release was mistaken for a leg spinner early in his career. Aside from his off break, he often bowls a fast topspinner which goes straight on. He also master “”doosra”, a surprise delivery which turns from leg to off with no visible change of blowing action. In May 2004, he broke West Indian Courtney Walsh’s test record of 519 wickets to become the highest wicket-taker. However, cricketers pundits believes that Muralitharan will eventually be the one to finish with the record of “1000 wickets” before he retires. Murali believes that there is a possibility he will reach this milestone

Muralitharan presently holds a number of world records and several firsts:
Highest number of international wickets in Tests and ODIs combined.
The most 5-wicket hauls in an innings at Test level
The most 10-wicket hauls in a match at Test level
Murali and Jim Laker of England are the only two bowlers to have taken 9 wickets in a Test innings two times.
Only player to take 50 or more wickets against every Test playing nation.
Only player against every Test playing nation to take 10 wickets in a Test match.
Fastest to get 350, 400, 450, 500, 550, 600 and 650 Test wickets
Only player to take 10 wickets in a Test match in consecutive four matches, twice.
Taken 7 wickets in an single innings against the most countries.

Tillakaratne Mudiyanselage Dilshan (born 14 October 1976 in Kalutara) was known as Tuwan Mohammad Dilshan prior to his conversion from Islam to Buddhism. Quite an aggressive right-hand batsman, he is also capable of bowling spin and his off breaks are useful in the one-day arena.

Dilshan debuting in his test against Zimbabwe in 1999 scored his maiden Test hundred in the series with a 163. Dilshan also made his One day international debut against Zimbabwe. The next 15 months were spent jumping in and out of the side. Even when he played he never knew his place as he was constantly being pushed up and down the order.

His made his comeback as an international cricketer in 2003. In four consecutive Test innings he boasted impressive scores of 63, 100, 83 and 104. The latter were against the world champion Australian side at Galle. In September 2005, Dilshan scored his most recent Test century which was against Bangladesh, an innings of 168 off just 179 balls.

In first final of the 2005-06 VB Series, Dilshan’s splendid four run outs made headlines.

Kumar Chokshanada Sangakkara (born 27 October 1977 at Matale) is a left hand batsman, batting in the third position of the Sri Lankan attack. He is a specialist wicketkeeper also. He shall also be playing English county cricket for Warwickshire CCC in 2007.

He is now considered, by the LG ICC Test ratings, the best current wicket-keeping batsman with the recent improvement in his wicket-keeping skills. He loves to hit the ball square of the wicket on the off-side. His skill is recognised worldwide to the extent that he was chosen for the ICC World XI One Day team for competing against Australia in the Johnnie Walker Series in October 2005. Despite the World XI losing all of the one-day games, Sangakkara succeeded in leaving the series with some credit, averaging a decent 46.

In July 2006, he scored his highest Test score of 287 against South Africa and shared in a record-breaking partnership of 624 with Mahela Jayawardene. This set a new world record in both Test and first class cricket, and was the first case of a partnership of 600 or more in a first-class or Test match innings. Sanath Jayasuriya and Roshan Mahanama, the Sri Lankan pair, who put on 576 against India at Colombo in August 1997, held the previous record. Sangakkara has under his belt three other double centuries in Test cricket, and just one of his nine completed centuries has been less than 138, reflecting that Sangakkara has good concentration levels even after he reaches a century.

Sangakkara also has five ODI centuries, including one against Australia in Colombo, 2004, in his hundredth match.
Sangakkara is also billed as a future captain of Sri Lanka. On Sri Lanka’s tour to England in May 2006, he was named the vice-captain of the side.

He is also studying to become a lawyer. Sangakkara hails from the Trinity College, Kandy, the only secondary school in the world to boast of owning an international Test cricket ground, the Asgiriya International Cricket Stadium. Sangakkara is also known for his quirky soundbites and propensity to engage in verbal sledging with opponents.

Sanath Teran Jayasuriya (born 30 June 1969 in Matara) a superb allrounder has been a member of the Sri Lankan cricket team since 1989. Son of Sri Lankan kabaddi great, Tanath Om Panath Jayasuriya, he is powerfully-built, and one of the finest cricketers to emerge from the island. One of the most fearsome strikers, his aggressive attacking approach, coupled with consistency is what has distinguished him as one of the most destructive batsmen in world cricket. He efficiently spearheads the Sri Lankan batting at the top of the order.

He is a mild mannered man, consensual leader and a gloriously uninhibited strokeplayer, is cricket’s most famous Buddhist and Sri Lanka’s most successful captain. Since taking charge in 1999 and harmonising the dressing room with his egalitarian leadership style, Sri Lanka has won 18 out of the 39 Tests and 59 of the 101 ODIs they have played. But Jayasuriya, when he eventually lays down his smoking Kookuburra blade, will be most fondly remembered for his destructive batting. He made his Test debut against New Zealand in 1990-91 before blasting his fame in the 1996 World Cup with a series of audacious early over assaults. He proved he was more than a one-day specialist with 340 against India in 1997-98, but lost form and confidence after becoming captain. However, in the past 18 months he’s worked assiduously on his game.

He cuts and pulls with awesome power, the brutal smash over point being his trademark shot (invented by himself). Jayasuriya’s greatest contribution to ODIs came during the 1995-96 tour of Australia after he was promoted to the top of the batting order and developed the aggressive batting approach in the first fifteen overs revolutionising the mindset of opening batsmen in ODIs, makin the batsmen much more conscious of exploiting the fielding restrictions early on.
He was names one fo the Wisden Cricketers of the Year 1997 and captained the Sri Lankan team in 28 Test matches from 1999 to 2003. He posseses good batting average in both One-day Internationalsand Test cricket, and an excellent batting strike rate in One-day Internationals.

As a left-arm orthodox spin bowler, reflects a reasonable bowling average and economy rate. He has taken over 350 international wickets and helps to decrease the workloads and keep pressure of the strike bowlers Muttiah Muralitharan and Chaminda Vaas.

He holds the world’s second highest ODI score, a blazing 189 runs against India. India lost the match by a landslide, 245 runs, which as of February 2007, is the second highest margin of defeat by runs in a One-Day International match. As of February 2007 he held the four highest individual scores by a Sri Lankan, and seven of the top nine.

He currently holds the record for the fastest fifty in ODIs, scored off just 17 balls. Jayasuria was also the previous record-holder for the fastest century (off 48 balls), before losing that claim to Shahid Afridi of Pakistan. Having hit over 200 sixes in one day internationals (ODIs), currently holds the world record for most ODI sixes. He has become the fourth batsman to score more than 10,000 runs in ODIs. On 20 September 2005, during the Second Test of the home series against Bangladesh, Jayasuriya became the first Sri Lankan to play 100 Tests, and the 33rd Test cricketer to achieve this feat. He also holds the record of scoring most the highest runs in an ODI over (30; he has achieved this feat twice).

Jayasuriya is also married and has two children, Nadira and Dimitri.

Marvan Atapattu (born 22 November 1970 in Kalutara) captained Sri Lanka until a back injury forced him to miss the England series in May 2006 where Mahela Jayawardene took over as Test and ODI captain.

He is a technically sound and correct batsman, although he occasionally shows an initial tendency to chop inswinging deliveries back onto the stumps. Debuting his test carrear in November 1990 just after his 20th birthday, his first six innings yielded five measly ducks and a 1, but his supporters insist that these debut-innings duck put him along the lines of great batsmen such as Michael Atherton, Len Hutton, Saeed Anwar, Graham Gooch, and Wasim Akram, who all made debut-innings ducks and then went on to score at least 2500 Test runs. After this horrific start in his first three matches, he didn’t score above 29 in his next eleven innings, and finally hit his first Test century in his 10th match seven years after his debut. As a result of his poor start, he has 22 Test-match career ducks and 4 pairs (two ducks in a single match), both records for a top-order batsman. However once he’s settled, he is difficult to get out and has gone on to score six double centuries, including a highest score of 249. Only three other batsmen have made more Test double centuries: Wally Hammond with seven, Brian Lara with eight and Don Bradman with leading twelve. His game has been improving steadily and his Test average is 38.90 and his one-day international average is 37.76 (as of 11th August 2006). A skillful fielder with an accurate throw, since the 1999 Cricket World Cup, he had effected the second highest number of run-outs in ODI cricket of any fieldsman, with the seventh highest success rate.

Denagamage Proboth Mahela de Silva Jayawardene, known to us as Mahela Jayawardene was born on 27 May 1977. Currently the captain of the Sri Lankan cricket team, he is one of the top Sri Lankan batsmen with a Test average touching 50, and an ODI average in the 30s. The International Cricket Council named his as the best International captain of the year 2006. Known for excellent fielding skills in the inner ring brought forth by stats showing since the 1999 Cricket World Cup, he has under his belt fifth highest number of run-outs in ODI cricket of any fieldsman.

He first played cricket for Nalanda College where he was the runner-up best schoolboy during the cricketing season of 1994.

Making his Test debut in the record breaking Test in 1997 against India at R.P.S., Colombo, he put 66 runs on the board with Sanath Jayasuriya playing a man of the match performance scoring 340. Sri Lanka ended up scoring 952/6, the highest ever Test score. Jayawardene then developed a huge appetite for big scores, achieving the 167 against New Zealand and the knocking 242 against India.

Debuting his One Day Internationals against Zimbabwe at Premadasa in January 1998 Sri Lanka won the match with Jayawardhane striking the winning run. Jayawardene followed with a 74 against Zimbabwe in his second game taking only 11 matches before he landmarked his first century against England in the Carlton and United World Series game at Adelaide. Entering into a pressure situation a struggling Sri Lankan side at 134/4. He posted a ravaging 120 runs to winning the match.

Jayawardene captained recently the England tour in the absence of Marvan Atapattu. He led the Lankans to 1-1 draw in the Test series following an emphatic whitewash (5-0) in the ODI series.

The first Test of the 2006 Test series against South Africa, shall always remain a memorable one. Jayawardene shared a world record stand of 624 with Kumar Sangakkara. Smashing the previous third wicket stance for Sri Lanka, this partnership remains the highest for any wicket in first-class cricket history, for a first time a stance of 600 or more in a Test match innings was achieved. It also broke the previous record for the third wicket for all Test playing nations surpassing the 467 run partnership made by the New Zealand pair of Martin Crowe and Andrew Jones which came in 1991 against Sri Lanka. Jayawardene then became the first Sri-Lankan captain to score a Test triple-century, scoring an unforgettable 374 runs off 572 deliveries with smashing 43 fours and 1 six, the fourth highest score in history of Test match cricket. His score also was the highest ever by by a Sri Lankan in a Test match surpassing Sanath Jayasuriya’s knock of 340 in 1997 against India. That triple-hundred made him fourth in the world’s highest individual scores list, which is currently topped by Brian Lara (400*), trailed by Matthew Hayden (380), and Brian Lara again (375); making him the highest right-handed batsmen in the list. He is also the first batsman scoring 350 in a Test and not going on to break the world record.

Jayawardhane has won praise for his personal contribution to the HOPE cancer project. He aims at building a new 750-bed cancer unit at Maharagama, Sri Lanka’s only dedicated cancer hospital. He’s married to a Danish Sri Lankan, Christina Sirisena.