Charith Asalanka Height, Age, Wife, Family, Biography

Some Lesser Known Facts About Charith Asalanka

• Charith Asalanka grew up in a middle-class family in the semi-rural Sri Lankan town of Elipitiya.
  

  Charith Asalanka in childhood

• Asalanka’s late grandfather always wished to see his grandchildren play cricket for the country, and encouraged him to practise the sport in childhood.

• Charith initially began playing cricket with his friends at home.

• As Elipitiya had limited options to play cricket, Charith moved with his parents to Galle, where he enrolled at Richmond College on a scholarship.

• There, Charith joined the school cricket team and began playing as the opening batsman for the school.

• Soon, he associated himself with many with a number of local cricket clubs and began polishing his skills as a middle-order batsman.

• Charith used to practise at the clubs or extended hours without rest and caught the eyes of various selectors for his playing style.

• In 2014-15, Charith helped his school reach the final in the inter-school twenty-20 competition.

• In the same year, he captained Sri Lanka’s Under-19 team in a series against Australia and Bangladesh. He scored 225 runs at an average of 45 in the five-match series against Bangladesh, becoming the highest run-scorer. He also became the second-highest wicket-taker in the series by claiming 8 wickets.

• In 2015 and 2016, he won the Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year Award, becoming only the seventh player to win the award twice.

• In 2016, he became the 1st player to score a hundred in both the 2-day and one-day matches of Lovers Quarrel.

• On 30 November 2015, Chaarith made his List A debut, playing for Galle CC against Badureliya at Maggona.

• In the same year, Asalanka captained Sri Lanka’s Under-19 team during their series against Pakistan Under-19, scoring 334 runs, including a double century and a century.

• He also led the Sri Lankan team in the 2016 Under-19 Cricket World Cup.

• On 28 August 2016, Charith made his first-class debut for Galle against SL Dev Emerg at Harare. Asalanka scored 114 runs off 123 balls in the second innings of the match, helping his team to reach the score of 295. He also took four wickets in the match, helping his team to win by 4 runs.

• He made his Twenty20 debut for Sinhalese Sports Club against Kurunegala at Colombo on 1 March 2018.

• Later, he was included in Kandy’s squad for the 2018 Super Provincial One Day Tournament and the 2018 SLC T20 League. He took 10 wickets in 6 matches of the league, becoming the top wicket-taker for Kandy’s.

• In 2018, he was included in Sri Lanka’s Test squad for their series against England, though he did not play.

• Charith captained the Sri Lankan Under-19 team at the 2018 ACC Emerging Teams Asia Cup.

• He also captained the team in the 2019 ACC Emerging Teams Asia Cup in Bangladesh.

• He then led the Sri Lankan team at the 2019 South Asian Games, where the team won a silver medal after losing to Bangladesh in the final.

• In October 2020, Asalanka was bought by the Jaffna Stallions for the inaugural Lanka Premier League.

• In March 2021, he captained Sinhalese Sports Club to victory in the 2020–21 SLC Twenty20 Tournament, marking their first win in the competition since 2005.

• He also scored notable centuries in the Major Clubs Limited Over Tournament, including an unbeaten 178 runs against Police Sports Club and a match-winning 101 not out against Colts Cricket Club.

• Asalanka was named vice-captain of the SLC Greys for the 2021 SLC Invitational T20 League and later selected for the Kandy Warriors in the 2021 Lanka Premier League. In a match during the National Super League, he scored a half-century and took two wickets, helping Colombo to a seven-wicket win.

• Charith got a call-up to the senior national squad in June 2021 for Sri Lanka’s tour of England.

• After a disappointing duck in his debut match against England, Charith Asalanka made a strong comeback in the second ODI against India, scoring 65 off 68 balls.

• Alasanka continued his strong performances in the ODI series against South Africa, where he helped Sri Lanka win the series with consistent batting, including a Player of the Series award.

• In his debut T20 International match, Charith scored 44 runs off 26 balls. Although Sri Lanka lost the match, his performance left a mark on the international stage.
  

  Charith Asalanka during a T20I match against India

• During the 2021 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, Asalanka made a major impact, scoring his maiden T20I half-century against Bangladesh with an unbeaten 80 runs.

• He followed up with another impressive 68 against West Indies.

• He finished as Sri Lanka’s highest run-scorer in the tournament, amassing 231 runs at an average of 46.20.
  

  Charith Asalanka during a cricket match

• In 2022, scored several half-centuries in ODIs, including a match-winning 71 against Zimbabwe in January 2022.

• He also scored his first ODI century in June 2022 against Australia, helping Sri Lanka win the match and series.

• In November 2022, he scored another important half-century in an ODI against Afghanistan.

• In 2023, Asalanka continued his good form, scoring several half-centuries in ODIs and T20Is, including a crucial knock of 67 runs in a T20I against New Zealand that helped Sri Lanka win.

• His performances in the 2023 Cricket World Cup also included a 79-run knock against South Africa.

• In January 2024, Asalanka scored his third ODI century, although the match was abandoned due to rain.

• Asalanka was named in Sri Lanka’s squad for the 2024 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.

• The Sri Lankan cricketers Wanindu Hasaranga, Kamindu Mendis, and Dananjaya De Silva, were all his college teammates, who represented the country before him.

• Charith is very particular about his fitness and follows a strict workout regimen. He also rides a bicycle to remain fit.
  

  Charith Asalanka during his workout session

• Asalanka loves collecting watches and has a huge collection of it.

• He is often spotted consuming alcohol on various occasions.