Sri Lankan players being reported for suspect bowling actions isn’t a new thing and Ruchira Perera is one player whose career bore the brunt of this. A strapping left arm fast-medium bowler who could curve the ball late into the right-hander, Ruchira was a fine potential, with his ability to create havoc with the new ball. He also had a few variations up his sleeve, which meant that he could excel in both Tests and ODIs. His feats in domestic cricket across the two formats were indicative of this fact and his start to international cricket was also impressive but once he got reported for illegal bowling action, things were never the same again. He worked hard with technical guidance to correct it but in the process, became fragile mentally. Ruchira made a surprise comeback years later, in Sri Lanka’s tour of England in 2006 but it was a one-off appearance and he barely featured thereafter. A dedicated personality, he was hugely popular among his teammates for his jovial character.

Written by Hariprasad Sadanandan