Sadeera Rashen Samarawickrama, born on August 30, 1995, is a Sri Lankan cricketer who plays professionally and has represented the national team in Test matches, as well as in all other formats of the game. He was a member of the Sri Lankan squad for the 2014 ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup. He received his education at Thurstan College and St. Joseph’s College in Colombo.
| Full Name | Wedagedara Sadeera Rashen Samarawickrama |
| Nick Name | Sadeera |
| Date of Birth | 30 August, 1995 |
| Birth Place | Colombo, Western Province, Sri Lanka |
| Age | 28 years |
| Height | 5 ft 8 in (173cm) |
| Weight | 68 kg |
| Occupation | Professional Cricketer |
| Batting | Right-Handed |
| Role | Middle-Order Batter, Wicketkeeper |
| Zodiac Sign | Virgo |
| Relationship Status | Married |
| Wife | Thilakshi Gamage |
Sadeera Samarawickrama Wife- Thilakshi Gamage
Sadeera Samarawickrama started dating his high school girlfriend Thilakshi Gamage in May 2013. They finally got married on 2 February 2021. At a function held in Colombo.
Sadeera Samarawickrama Parents
There is no information available about the father and mother of Sadeera Samarawickrama.
Sadeera Samarawickrama Career
Sadeera Rashen Samarawickrama achieved the highest run tally during the 2016–17 Premier League Tournament, accumulating a total of 1,016 runs from 10 matches and 19 innings. In November 2017, he was honored as the best batsman in domestic cricket for the 2016–17 season at Sri Lanka Cricket’s annual awards.
In March 2018, he joined Galle’s squad for the 2017–18 Super Four Provincial Tournament and, the following month, he was selected for Galle’s squad in the 2018 Super Provincial One Day Tournament.
Come August 2018, Samarawickrama was featured in Dambulla’s squad for the 2018 SLC T20 League. In February 2019, during the first day of the 2018–19 SLC Twenty20 Tournament, he achieved an unbeaten century while playing for Colts Cricket Club against Police Sports Club.
In March 2019, he was included in Kandy’s squad for the 2019 Super Provincial One Day Tournament. In August 2021, he was named in the SLC Blues team for the 2021 SLC Invitational T20 League tournament. Furthermore, in July 2022, he secured a spot with the Jaffna Kings for the third edition of the Lanka Premier League.
Samarawickrama was a key figure in the Sri Lankan team during the ACC Emerging Teams Asia Cup 2017 tournament, where he played a vital role in the low-scoring final against Pakistan, contributing 45 runs. This win marked Sri Lanka’s first victory in the tournament.
In September 2017, he earned a spot in Sri Lanka’s Test squad for their series against Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates, making his Test debut on October 6, 2017, in Sri Lanka’s first day-night Test match. In his first innings, he scored 38 runs and showcased remarkable stroke play, reminiscent of Mahela Jayawardena, during his partnership with centurion Dimuth Karunaratne.
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During the same month, he was also selected for Sri Lanka’s One Day Internationals (ODI) squad for their series against Pakistan in the UAE. Samarawickrama made his ODI debut on October 20, 2017, although he was dismissed for a duck in both of his first two matches, joining the likes of Sachin Tendulkar and Kane Williamson as one of the few to achieve this.
Subsequently, he was included in Sri Lanka’s Twenty20 International (T20I) squad for their series against Pakistan, making his T20I debut on October 26, 2017, while also taking on wicket-keeping duties.
In May 2018, he was among the 33 cricketers awarded national contracts by Sri Lanka Cricket for the 2018–19 season. Later, in June 2022, he was named in the Sri Lanka A squad for matches against Australia A during Australia’s tour of Sri Lanka.
In April 2023, Samarawickrama returned to the Sri Lanka Test squad after a six-year absence, playing in the series against Ireland. During the first Test, he achieved his maiden century in Test cricket, becoming the first Sri Lankan wicket-keeper to do so since 2016. His score of 104 runs also marked the highest score by a Sri Lankan player batting at Number 8 or lower in Tests.