Who is Janith Liyanage? Sri Lanka's Latest Batting Sensation

image-lr937pj7Janith Liyanage in action against Zimbabwe in January 2024 (AP)

Sri Lankan batting prodigy Janith Liyanage received his maiden ODI cap in January 2024 during his side’s three-match home series against the visiting Zimbabwe unit. While the cricketer failed to make much impact on his debut, the elegant right-hander shot himself to unprecedented fame with a run-chase masterclass in his following outing at Colombo.

Batting at number four, the 28-year-old unfurled a run-chase masterclass by scoring a tactical 95 in a winning cause for Sri Lanka. As he strengthens his stature as a potential star in the making, here at OneCricket, we take a look at his journey from domestic cricket to senior level.


Who is Janith Liyanage?

Born in Colombo on July 12, 1995; Janith Liyanage made his competitive debut for Ragama Cricket Club through a 50-overs game at Sri Lanka’s Premier Limited Over Tournament in December 2014. Opening the innings for his side in his maiden game, the cricketer scored just 13 runs in the innings. He did list an imperial half-century later in the tournament, and eventually concluded his first competition with 81 runs from three innings.

The following month, in January 2015, Liyanage received his maiden first-class cap by the Ragama Cricket Club for their Premier League Tournament three-day match against Bloomfield. In a high-scoring draw, the then-youngster pumped out 64 runs off his own from 164 deliveries.

Up until January 2024, Janith Liyanage has played 64 first-class matches and another 78 List A games.

As far as his T20 profile is concerned, he made his international debut at the iconic MCG back in February 2022 with an away match against Australia. The cricketer is yet to leave his mark in the format’s international level, having secured just 28 runs from three innings at a substandard average of 9.33 so far.

Liyanage, however, has proven himself a useful all-round commodity in several Sri Lankan domestic T20 tournaments, including the Lanka Premier League (LPL). As of now, he has played a handful of LPL matches out of his overall 51-match T20 career, which is glittered with 844 runs and 31 wickets through his occasional medium pacers.