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Weerahandige Inol Avishka Fernando, is a hard-hitting right-handed batsman who emerged from the Sri Lankan school cricket system. Hailing from Colts Cricket Club, Fernando started scoring hundreds from a very young age and went on to score a 1000 runs as a 14-year-old in 2015. Avishka was initially picked for the Sri Lankan U19 tour of Australia and stamped his worth by scoring a century to secure a place in the Lankan squad for the U19 World Cup in 2014. He then recorded the most runs in Youth ODI for Sri Lanka and also has the most number of centuries for his nation in Youth ODI history. At the age of 18, without playing any domestic game, he got fast-tracked and debuted for Sri Lanka in 2016 against Australia. The young man got the treatment from Mitchell Starc and couldn’t face the Australian spearhead, and got back to the pavilion after facing just two balls. After that, he made his First Class debut against a touring West Indies A team to gain some experience under his belt. In 2018, he made a comeback and toured South Africa but failed to impress, yet again. Just before the 2019 World Cup, when the Lankan struggled to find fit and in-form players, Fernando got another opportunity against Ireland and scored 74 runs to get picked for the ICC event. He just got four games and made most out of it. He showcased himself when he scored a century in the World Cup game against West Indies. He is one of the brightest young prospects in the country and Sri Lankan Cricket should be looking to invest more in Fernando and get most out of his talent to revive themselves in their state of transition. (As of March 2021)
