Tillakaratne Dilshan facts for kids

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In this article, the family name is Tillakaratne Mudiyanselage.

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Tillakaratne Dilshan

Personal information

Full name

Tillakaratne Mudiyanselage Dilshan

Born

14 October 1976 (age 48)
Kalutara, Sri Lanka

Nickname

TM, Dilee, Mr. Pallekele

Batting

Right-handed

Bowling

Right-arm off spin

Role

Opening batter

Relations

Tillakaratne Sampath (brother)

International information

National side

Sri Lanka (1999–2016)

Test debut (cap 79)

18 November 1999 v Zimbabwe

Last Test

16 March 2013 v Bangladesh

ODI debut (cap 102)

11 December 1999 v Zimbabwe

Last ODI

28 August 2016 v Australia

ODI shirt no.

T20I debut (cap 2)

15 June 2006 v England

Last T20I

9 September 2016 v Australia

T20I shirt no.

Domestic team information

Years

Team

1996–1998

Kalutara Town Club

1997–1998

Singha Sports Club

1998–2000

Sebastianites C&AC

2000

Bloomfield C&AC

2007–2016

Basnahira South

2008–2010

Delhi Daredevils

2010

Northern Districts

2011–2013

Royal Challengers Bangalore

2012

Basnahira Cricket Dundee

2013

Dhaka Gladiators

2013–2014

Tamil Union C&AC

2014

Sydney Thunder

2014

Surrey

2015

Derbyshire

2015

Guyana Amazon Warriors

2015

Chittagong Vikings

2017

Peshawar Zalmi

Career statistics

Competition	Test	ODI	T20I	FC
Matches	87	330	80	233
Runs scored	5,492	10,290	1,889	13,979
Batting average	40.98	39.27	28.19	38.8
100s/50s	16/23	22/47	1/13	38/59
Top score	193	161*	104*	200*
Balls bowled	3,385	5,880	258	6,501
Wickets	39	106	9	90
Bowling average	43.87	45.07	29.66	36.16
5 wickets in innings	0	0	0	1
10 wickets in match	0	0	0	0
Best bowling	4/10	4/4	3/16	5/49
Catches/stumpings	88/–	123/1	31/2	356/23

Medal record

Men's Cricket

Representing Sri Lanka
ICC Cricket World Cup
Runner-up	2007 West-Indies
Runner-up	2011 India–Bangladesh–Sri Lanka
ICC T20 World Cup
Winner	2014 Bangladesh
Runner-up	2009 England
Runner-up	2012 Sri Lanka

Source: ESPNricinfo, 9 September 2016

Tillakaratne Mudiyanselage Dilshan (Sinhala: තිලකරත්න මුදියන්සේලාගේ ඩිල්ෂාන්), born on October 14, 1976, is a famous former cricketer from Sri Lanka. He used to be the captain of the Sri Lanka national cricket team. Many people think he was one of the best Sri Lankan players for chasing runs in ODI games. He was also known for being very creative in his playing style.

Dilshan was the top scorer in the 2011 Cricket World Cup, making 500 runs. He even scored a century against England in the quarter-final match. He was a rare player who was good at everything in cricket: batting, bowling, fielding, and even keeping wickets. He was an aggressive right-handed batsman. He invented a special shot called the Dilscoop, where he hits the ball over the wicket-keeper's head. Besides being an opening batsman, he could also bowl off-breaks. He was very energetic in the field, often playing at the point position. He was part of the Sri Lankan team that won the 2014 ICC World Twenty20.

Dilshan played his first Test and ODI matches in 1999 during Sri Lanka's tour to Zimbabwe. He was also the second player to play for Sri Lanka in Twenty20 Internationals. He is the first cricketer ever to score centuries (100 runs or more) in all three types of cricket (Test, ODI, and T20I) while being a captain.

He won the Twenty20 International Performance of the Year award in 2009 for his amazing 96 runs off 57 balls against West Indies. This was during the semi-final of the 2009 ICC World Twenty20 in England. He was also named the best player of that tournament. Dilshan was a key part of the team that won the 2014 ICC World Twenty20. He also helped his team reach the finals of the 2007 Cricket World Cup, 2011 Cricket World Cup, 2009 ICC World Twenty20, and 2012 ICC World Twenty20.

Dilshan is the fourth Sri Lankan player and the eleventh player overall to score 10,000 runs in ODI matches. He was the first Sri Lankan and third player overall to score 1,500 runs in Twenty20 Internationals. He was also the first player to hit 200 fours in T20I matches. Dilshan scored 1000 or more ODI runs in a year four times. From 2009 to 2015, he always scored at least 800 runs each year. His score of 104 not out is the highest T20 score by a Sri Lankan player.

At the start of his career, Dilshan was often seen as an ordinary player when he batted lower down the order. But when he started opening the batting, he became one of the best cricketers in the world. His stats show how much he improved: after becoming an opener, he scored 21 ODI centuries and all his Test and T20I centuries.

In August 2016, Dilshan announced that he would stop playing ODI and T20I cricket after the series against Australia. He played his last ODI on August 28, 2016, and his last T20I on September 9, 2016.

Early Life and Family Background

Dilshan was born on October 14, 1976, in Kalutara, Sri Lanka. His father was Malay, and his mother was Sinhalese. He grew up with five brothers and sisters. He went to school in Jaffna for primary education. Later, he attended Kalutara Vidyalaya, where he began his cricket journey as a teenager.

Dilshan changed his religion to Buddhism when he was 16 years old. Before that, he was known as Tuwan Mohammad Dilshan. His childhood coach said that Dilshan and his siblings followed their mother's religion even before the official change.

Dilshan has children from a previous marriage. He is now married to Sri Lankan actress Manjula Thilini. They got married in India during the 2008 IPL series. Dilshan and Manjula have two daughters and two sons. Their daughters are Resandi Linama Tillakaratne and Lasadi Dihasansa Tillakaratne. Their elder son is Dihela Dinhath Tillakaratne, and their younger son was born in 2017.

Dilshan's brother, Tillakaratne Sampath, is also a first-class cricketer in Sri Lanka.

Dilshan is a very popular person in Sri Lanka. He has taken part in many local events and TV shows. He was a special judge on a TV show called Sirasa Superstar. He also appeared in entertainment shows because his wife is a well-known actress.

After he invented his famous "Dilscoop" shot, Dilshan even created his own fashion line named 'Dil Scoop'. In 2014, he opened a small luxury hotel called "Hotel 'D Pavilion Inn'" in Kirulapana. The former president of Sri Lanka, Mahinda Rajapaksa, was there for the opening.

After he stopped playing international cricket, Dilshan and his wife released a video song called Hema Sansaraye. In 2021, he released another music video called Hitha Hadana Kena. Dilshan also started acting on TV. He appeared in an episode of the drama Kopi Kade in 2017. He also acts with his wife in a TV show called Mithuu. He was one of the judges on the reality show Sri Lanka's Got Talent.

Amazing Cricket Career

Dilshan played his first Test match against Zimbabwe on November 18, 1999. He scored 9 runs in that match. However, he scored his first Test century in the very next match, making 163 runs not out. He was named player of the match for helping Sri Lanka win. His highest Test score was 193 runs against England at Lord's cricket ground.

His first ODI match was also against Zimbabwe in 1999, where he scored 31 runs. His first ODI century came against the Netherlands in 2006. He scored 117 runs not out, helping Sri Lanka make a huge score of 443 runs. This was the highest ODI score at that time.

One of Dilshan's most memorable innings was against India in 2009. Sri Lanka was chasing a massive target of 414 runs. Dilshan opened the batting and scored a very fast century off just 73 balls. He made 160 runs, full of powerful shots and his unique Dilscoop. Sri Lanka almost won, losing by only 3 runs. This innings was called one of the best chases in cricket history.

He was chosen for the 'Team of the Tournament' for the 2009 T20I World Cup. His 96 runs not out against West Indies was also nominated as one of the best T20I batting performances of the year. The ICC also named him in the World ODI XI team for his great performances in 2009.

Becoming an Opening Batsman

For many years, Dilshan played as a middle-order batsman. This means he batted later in the innings. But by 2007, he started opening the batting with Sanath Jayasuriya in ODI games. This is when he really showed his skills as an aggressive and dangerous opening batsman. From then on, he became a permanent opening batsman for Sri Lanka. He also bowled useful off-breaks in ODI and T20I matches.

Dilshan is famous for inventing the Dilscoop shot. He came up with it and made it perfect during the Indian Premier League in 2009. This creative shot is recognized by many cricket experts. It helped him become known as one of the most aggressive batsmen ever. Besides the Dilscoop, Dilshan was great at hitting balls pitched outside the off-stump for runs. He also had a powerful cover drive against fast bowlers.

Dilshan playing against England in 2011

2011 Cricket World Cup Success

Dilshan was the top run-scorer in the 2011 Cricket World Cup. He made 500 runs in nine matches. His best score was 144 runs against Zimbabwe. In the quarter-final against England, Dilshan and Upul Tharanga made a huge partnership of over 200 runs for the first wicket. This was the best ever chasing partnership in a World Cup quarter-final. During the tournament, he scored two centuries and two half-centuries. He was named in the 'Team of the Tournament' for the 2011 World Cup by the ICC.

Leading the Team as Captain

After the 2011 Cricket World Cup, Kumar Sangakkara stepped down as captain. Dilshan was then chosen to lead the Sri Lankan team in all types of cricket. He later said he didn't really want to be captain, but the Sri Lanka Cricket board asked him to do it for six months. He agreed, but the team faced many challenges like players retiring and getting injured. This made it hard for him to perform at his best.

His time as captain was tough, with losses to England, Australia, Pakistan, and South Africa. He resigned in January 2012, and Mahela Jayawardene took over. Dilshan felt he didn't get enough support from former captains and coaches.

Despite the challenges, Dilshan achieved a big milestone as captain. He became the fifth player in international cricket to score centuries in all three formats of the game. In 2011, during a series against Australia, he scored an amazing 104 runs not out off just 54 balls in a Twenty20 match. He hit 12 fours and 5 sixes, even getting his century with a Dilscoop shot. This was the highest T20 International score by a Sri Lankan player at the time.

For his great performances in 2011 and 2013, the ICC included him in the World ODI XI team. In December 2011, Sri Lanka won its first-ever Test match in South Africa under Dilshan's captaincy. In 2012, he was the second-highest ODI run-scorer in the world, with 1119 runs.

Tillakaratne Dilshan batting at Lord's 2011

Retiring from Test Cricket

Dilshan announced his retirement from Test cricket on October 9, 2013. His last Test match was against Bangladesh. He played 87 Test matches, scoring 5,492 runs and taking 39 wickets. He also scored 16 centuries in Test matches.

Later Career Highlights

On December 16, 2014, in his 300th One-Day International match, Dilshan scored his 18th ODI century. He also passed 9,000 runs in ODIs, becoming the fourth Sri Lankan and 15th player overall to reach this milestone. He also took 3 important wickets in that match against England, helping Sri Lanka win the tournament. He won both the man of the match and man of the series awards.

TM Dilshan on his way to his 18th ODI century

On January 23, 2015, Dilshan scored his 20th One-Day International century against New Zealand. This made him the 10th batsman to score 20 ODI centuries.

2015 Cricket World Cup

On February 26, 2015, Dilshan scored an amazing 161 runs not out against Bangladesh in the 2015 Cricket World Cup. This was his highest score in an ODI match. It was also the highest score by a Sri Lankan in Cricket World Cup history. He shared a 206-run partnership with Kumar Sangakkara for the second wicket.

On March 1, 2015, during a match against England, Dilshan took his 100th ODI wicket. This made him the third Sri Lankan player to score over 3000 runs and take 100 wickets, after Sanath Jayasuriya and Aravinda de Silva. In a match against Australia, Dilshan hit six consecutive fours off one over from Mitchell Johnson. This was a first in World Cup history.

After the World Cup, his teammates Sangakkara and Mahela retired from ODI cricket. Dilshan said he would keep playing for a couple more years until Sri Lanka found a good opening batsman.

Post-World Cup Achievements

On July 26, 2015, Dilshan passed 10,000 ODI runs during a match against Pakistan. He became the fourth Sri Lankan and eleventh player overall to reach this huge milestone.

Dilshan in his last ODI

Dilshan was the second player after Sanath Jayasuriya to score over 4000 ODI runs after the age of 35. By 2015, he had scored 4,674 ODI runs after turning 35, which is the most by any player.

On November 9, 2015, Dilshan became the highest run-scorer for Sri Lanka in Twenty20 Internationals, passing Mahela Jayawardena's record. He also became the first Sri Lankan and third player overall to pass 1,500 T20I runs.

In 2015, Dilshan was the highest ODI run-scorer for Sri Lanka and the third highest in the world. He scored 1,207 runs in 25 ODI matches, with 4 centuries and 6 half-centuries. He was named in the World ODI XI by the ICC for his performances in 2015.

In the 2016 ICC World Twenty20, Dilshan scored an unbeaten 83 runs against Afghanistan. He was named man of the match for his performance. Sri Lanka was eliminated from the tournament early, but Dilshan was their highest scorer with 133 runs.

Results in international matches
	Matches	Won	Lost	Drawn	Tied	No result
Test	87	33	28	26	0	–
ODI	330	174	139	–	-	17
T20I	80	43	35	-	1	1

Retirement from Limited Overs Cricket

On August 25, 2016, Dilshan announced he would retire from international cricket after the series against Australia. He played his last ODI match on August 28, 2016, at Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium. He scored 42 runs in his final ODI innings. The stadium was filled with messages like "Thank You Dilshan" and "A Legacy of the Dilscoop."

He played his last Twenty20 International match on September 9, 2016, at R Premadasa Stadium. He took two important wickets in his last match, ending his 17-year international career with a wicket on his very last ball. At the time he retired, Dilshan was the second-highest T20I run-scorer of all time.

Road Safety World Series

In 2020, Dilshan became the captain of the Sri Lanka Legends team for a charity T20 cricket tournament called the Road Safety World Series. He performed very well in the tournament. In the first match against Australia Legends, he scored 14 runs and took 3 wickets, winning the man of the match award. Sri Lanka Legends won most of their matches and reached the finals.

In the final against India Legends, Sri Lanka lost by 14 runs. However, Dilshan was named the Player of the Series because of his excellent all-round performances. He was the highest run-scorer in the tournament with 271 runs and also the highest wicket-taker with 12 wickets. He also hit the most boundaries (47) in the tournament.

Beyond Cricket

On August 1, 2015, Dilshan and fellow Sri Lankan cricketer Muttiah Muralitharan were chosen as special representatives for a task force to fight kidney disease. This was done by the President Maithripala Sirisena.

Dilshan has also been involved in politics. He publicly supported Mahinda Rajapaksa in the 2015 Presidential Election. In 2018, Dilshan announced that he had joined Mahinda Rajapaksa's political party, the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna.

Music and Acting

After retiring from international cricket, Dilshan and his wife released a video song called Hema Sansaraye. In February 2021, he released another music video called Hitha Hadana Kena.

Dilshan made his first TV appearance in an episode of the drama Kopi Kade in 2017. He also acts alongside his wife in the TV show Mithuu. He was one of the three judges on the reality show Sri Lanka's Got Talent on Sirasa TV.

International Records and Achievements

Test Matches

He holds the record for the highest score by a Sri Lankan at Lord's Cricket Ground, scoring 193 runs in 2013.
He was part of the highest fifth-wicket partnership for Sri Lanka, scoring 280 runs with Thilan Samaraweera against Bangladesh in 2005.
He is the only Sri Lankan to score centuries in both innings of his 50th Test match.

One-Day Internationals

He scored the most runs as an opener for Sri Lanka in a calendar year, with 1207 runs in 2015.

Twenty20 Internationals

He is the highest run-scorer for Sri Lanka in T20Is, with 1,889 runs in 80 matches.
When he retired, he was the second-leading run-scorer in all T20I matches.
He holds the record for the highest individual score in a T20I by a Sri Lankan, with 104 not out against Australia in 2011.
He has the most catches in T20Is by a Sri Lankan, with 31 in 80 matches.
He was part of the highest first-wicket partnership for Sri Lanka, scoring 124 runs with Sanath Jayasuriya against West Indies in 2009.

World Cups

He holds the record for the highest individual score by a Sri Lankan in a World Cup, with 161 not out against Bangladesh in 2015.
He was part of the highest opening partnership in a World Cup, scoring 282 runs with Upul Tharanga against Zimbabwe in 2011.
He is the oldest cricketer to score a century in a World Cup, making 104 runs against Scotland in 2015.

International Centuries

Dilshan batting

Dilshan has scored 16 centuries in Test matches, 22 centuries in One-Day International (ODI) matches, and 1 century in Twenty20 International (T20I) matches. A century means scoring 100 or more runs in a single innings. He is the first cricketer ever to score centuries in all three formats of the game while being a captain. He is also the second Sri Lankan and fifth player overall to achieve international centuries in all forms of the game.

His 16th and last Test century was scored on March 18, 2013, against Bangladesh. His 17th ODI century was scored at his favorite ground, Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, against South Africa in 2013. This is also where he scored his only Twenty20 International century against Australia in 2011.

In Test matches, Dilshan has scored centuries against almost all Test-playing nations. He is seventh on the list of leading Test century makers for Sri Lanka. He has scored centuries at ten different cricket grounds, with six of them being outside Sri Lanka.

In ODIs, Dilshan has scored centuries against all Test-playing opponents except West Indies. His first ODI century was against the Netherlands in 2006. He is third among Sri Lankan players for most centuries in ODIs. Nine of his 22 ODI centuries were scored in Sri Lanka, and thirteen were scored in other countries.

Dilshan scored his only T20I century against Australia in 2011. He scored 104 runs off 57 balls. This is the highest individual score by a Sri Lankan in Twenty20 Internationals.

Test Match Centuries
No.	Score	Opponent	Venue	Date	Result
1	163	Zimbabwe	Harare Sports Club	26 November 1999	Sri Lanka won
2	100	England	Asgiriya Stadium	10 December 2003	Draw
3	104	Australia	Galle International Stadium	8 March 2004	Sri Lanka lost
4	168	Bangladesh	P. Saravanamuttu Stadium	20 September 2005	Sri Lanka won
5	125	India	Sinhalese Sports Club Ground	23 July 2008	Sri Lanka won
6	162	Bangladesh	Chittagong Divisional Stadium	3 January 2009	Sri Lanka won
7	143	Bangladesh	Chittagong Divisional Stadium	3 January 2009	Sri Lanka won
8	145	Pakistan	Gaddafi Stadium	1 March 2009	Draw
9	123 not out	New Zealand	Galle International Stadium	18 August 2009	Sri Lanka won
10	112	India	Sardar Patel Stadium	16 November 2009	Draw
11	109	India	Brabourne Stadium	2 December 2009	Sri Lanka lost
12	193	England	Lord's	3 June 2011	Draw
13	101	Pakistan	Galle International Stadium	22 June 2012	Sri Lanka won
14	121	Pakistan	Sinhalese Sports Club Ground	30 June 2012	Draw
15	147	Australia	Bellerive Oval	14 December 2012	Sri Lanka lost
16	126	Bangladesh	Galle International Stadium	8 March 2013	Draw

One Day International Centuries
No.	Score	Opponent	Venue	Date	Result
1	117	Netherlands	VRA Ground	4 July 2006	Sri Lanka won
2	137 not out	Pakistan	Gaddafi Stadium	24 January 2009	Sri Lanka won
3	106	South Africa	SuperSport Park	22 September 2009	Sri Lanka won
4	160	India	Madhavrao Scindia Cricket Ground	15 December 2009	Sri Lanka lost
5	123	India	Vidarbha Cricket Association Ground	18 December 2009	Sri Lanka won
6	104	Bangladesh	Shere Bangla National Stadium	4 January 2010	Sri Lanka won
7	108 not out	Zimbabwe	Harare Sports Club	9 June 2010	Sri Lanka won
8	110	India	Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium	28 August 2010	Sri Lanka won
9	144	Zimbabwe	Pallekele International Cricket Stadium	10 March 2011	Sri Lanka won
10	108 not out	England	R. Premadasa Stadium	26 March 2011	Sri Lanka won
11	160 not out	India	Bellerive Oval	28 February 2012	Sri Lanka lost
12	106	Australia	Adelaide Oval	6 March 2012	Sri Lanka won
13	119 not out	Pakistan	Pallekele International Cricket Stadium	9 June 2012	Sri Lanka won
14	102 not out	New Zealand	Pallekele International Cricket Stadium	6 November 2012	Sri Lanka won
15	113 not out	Bangladesh	Mahinda Rajapaksa International Stadium	23 March 2013	Sri Lanka won
16	125	Bangladesh	Pallekele International Cricket Stadium	28 March 2013	Sri Lanka lost
17	115 not out	South Africa	Pallekele International Cricket Stadium	28 July 2013	Sri Lanka won
18	101	England	R. Premadasa Stadium	16 December 2014	Sri Lanka won
19	116	New Zealand	Seddon Park	15 January 2015	Sri Lanka won
20	116	New Zealand	University Oval	23 January 2015	Sri Lanka lost
21	161 not out	Bangladesh	Melbourne Cricket Ground	26 February 2015	Sri Lanka won
22	104	Scotland	Bellerive Oval	11 March 2015	Sri Lanka won