BARNARD Castle’s Sri Lankan pro Hashan Dumindu has arrived at the club.
After six fraught weeks in which his visa application was trapped in Home Office red tape, he arrived in the UK in time for last weekend’s fixtures.
At 22, Hashan has already scored five first-class centuries in Sri Lanka. He was a star player for Gurukula College, where schools cricket draws crowds of thousands.
His performances earned him selection for Sri Lanka U19s at the 2014 World Cup in which his 113no against UAE took the team to the quarter-finals.
In 2016 he toured South Africa and Zimbabwe with his country’s Emerging Players squad and scored 105 against South Africa Emerging Players at Pretoria. Last December he made his highest first-class score, 167no for Colombo Colts against Bloomfield.
This was followed by a dip in form, which he rectified in March with 101 in a limited overs match when he and Avishka Fernando put on 195 for the first wicket. He followed it up with 2-6 with his off spin.
Hashan has batted at all places in the top four, usually as opener but almost as frequently at three.
Although he played against England Lions on their tour of Sri Lanka last year, his stint as overseas pro for Barney is his first visit to England.
“I have looked forward to coming for my first visit to England,” he said. “My mum has been giving me cooking lessons.”
Culinary challenges apart, he will probably find the pitches slightly different from those he has experienced at home and it may take him an innings or two to settle to the different rhythms of the game here. But his pedigree is not in doubt and he should thrive on the warm reception he will undoubtedly receive in Barney.
