21-year-old Victoria opener Ashley Chandrasinghe got everyone’s attention on day one of the Sheffield Shield final, as he batted through the entire first day to finish unbeaten on 46. The innings took in 266 balls but saw him hit just four boundaries. This is the slowest 46 scored in the 130-year history of the Shield.
The opener was not expected to start the final after a lean run of form, but was promoted from his usual No.3 to open the batting following an injury to Travis Dean.
Here is everything you need to know about Ashley Chandrasinghe
Ashley Philip Chandrasinghe (born 17 December, 2001) is an Australian cricketer of Sri Lankan origin who plays first- class cricket for the Victoria cricket team.
Chandrasinghe attended Berwick Grammar School in Officer, Victoria as a kid. Chandrasinghe was a brilliant talent ever since he was a kid. His talent is evident from the fact that the batsman hit a superb century in his debut match for Casey-South Melbourne Cricket Club in the 2019-20 season. In August 2022 Chandrasinghe set a new record by hitting five consecutive centuries in the Darwin Premier League. This was just the beginning of his career as on 28 October, 2022, Chandrasinghe made his first-class debut for Victoria and on the second day he completed his debut century and finished 119 not out.
Chandrasinghe’s only international appearance came on December 29 2022, when he appeared as a substitute fielder for Australia in their Boxing Day Test Match against the South African cricket team.
Ashley Chandrasinghe is young and has great talent. There is no doubt that he may emerge as one of the greatest cricketers for Australia in the future.