Kumar Dharmasena is a Sri Lankan umpire and former cricket all-rounder. He hit a right-hander and played a right-arm off-break. He is the only person who has also played and umpired in the Cricket World Cup. He won referee of the year twice and was nominated once. After Ashok de Silva, he is the second Sri Lankan to join the elite club of ICC umpires.
Contents
Wiki/Biography
Kumar Dharmasena was born on Saturday, April 24, 1971 (age 52; as of 2023) in Colombo, Sri Lanka. His zodiac sign is Taurus. He completed his schooling at Campbell International School in Colombo and then graduated from Nalanda College in Colombo, Sri Lanka.
Kumar Dharmasena used to play cricket when he was a child
Physical appearance
Height (approx): 5′8″
Weight (approx): 70 kg
Hair color: black
Eye Color: Black
family
Kumar Dharmasena belongs to a Sri Lankan Sinhalese family.
parents and siblings
Father’s name is Handunetige Dharmasena and mother’s name is Chandrani Dahanayake. Kumar’s father was a government servant and lived in Torrington, Colombo, Sri Lanka.
wife and children
Kumar Dharmasena is married to Dushanthi Gunewardena. The couple has four children, 3 daughters, Ashi, Amanya and Ashalia and a son Kavishka Dharmasena.
Kumar Dharmasena with his wife Dushanthi
Kumar Dharmasena with his wife and children
religion
Kumar Dharmasena is a follower of Buddhism.
Address
He lives in Wijerama Junction, Nugegoda, Colombo, Sri Lanka with his family.
signature/autograph
Career
Cricket
player
Kumar Dharmasena started playing cricket as a child and in 1988 was selected for the under-13 team of his alma mater, Nalanda Vidyalaya, Colombo. From 1988 to 1990, he played the ‘big match’ known as the ‘Battle of the Maroons’ played in college between Nalandalo and Ananda.
Kumar Dharmasena as vice-captain in the Nalanda team in 1989
In 1988, he was the vice-captain of the Nalanda team, and in 1990, he was the captain.
Kumar Dharmasena captained the Nalanda team in the 1990 match
He made his first-class and listed debut in 1988-89 and played for Bloomfield Cricket and Athletic Club, Nondescripts Cricket Club and Moratuwa Sports Club. He played his last List-A match, Nondescripts vs Bloomfield at Colombo (SSC), on 24 December 2005 and his last first-class match, Bloomfield vs Colts at Colombo (Moors), on 3 March 2006.
Kumar Dharmasena poses after the match
He made his Test cricket debut in the match between Sri Lanka and South Africa held at the Sinhalese Sports Club Ground, Colombo, Sri Lanka from 6–10 September 1993. However, his bowling performance was noteworthy as he bowled 45 overs, including 12 maidens, conceding just 91 runs at an economy rate of 2.02. He played his last match against Australia at Galle International Stadium, Sri Lanka between 8–12 March 2004. In his Test match career, he played 31 matches and took 69 wickets and scored 868 runs.
Kumar Dharmasena bowling in his debut Test match
On 24 August 1994, he made his ODI (One Day International) debut in the Sri Lanka-Pakistan match held at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Kumar Dharmasena took 2 wickets at an economy rate of 3.77, bowling 9 overs and conceding 34 runs. He was part of the Sri Lankan team that won the 1996 Cricket World Cup.
Kumar Dharmasena celebrates his maiden ODI wicket with his teammates
In his ODI career, he played 141 matches and scored a total of 1222 runs; His best score was 69/83 at a strike rate of 83.13 against South Africa on 6 November 1997 at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, Pakistan. He took a total of 138 wickets, his best performance coming against South Africa on 21 December 1994, where he took 4/37 at an economy rate of 3.70.
referee
Before he retired from international cricket, Dharmasena had already played several domestic matches, including the Sara Trophy, the premier first-class cricket tournament in Sri Lanka. In 2006, he quit playing and decided to become a referee. He officiated his first ODI match on 28 January 2009 between Sri Lanka and India at the Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium in Sri Lanka. He made his Twenty20 debut on 2 September 2009 in a match between Sri Lanka and New Zealand in Colombo, Sri Lanka, and his Test debut on 4–8 November 2010 against India against New Zealand in Ahmedabad, India.
Kumar Dharmasena talking to Sehwag and others in his debut Test match
In 2011, he officiated several matches at the ICC World Cup and in the same year was appointed to the ICC Elite Panel of ICC Umpires. He was selected as one of the twenty umpires to stand in the 2015 Cricket World Cup matches and umpired the final match. He oversaw the final match of the ICC Twenty20 World Cup 2016 and the 2022 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup between Pakistan and England.
Kumar Dharmasena will referee the World Cup 2015 match
business
Kumar Dharmasena owns Pintanna Plantations Pvt Ltd, a company specializing in the cultivation, inoculation and export of agarwood trees. Apart from the plantation, the company manufactures oud oil, perfumes and other Agarwood related products. Kumar got a license from the state to export these products.
Kumar Dharmasena in his company Pintanna Plantations Pvt Ltd
Confrontation
Controversial decision at the 2019 World Cup
In July 2019, Dharmasena was selected as one of the two umpires for the Cricket World Cup final between England and New Zealand. His controversial decision to give England 6 runs instead of 5 put him at the center of criticism. The match ended in a draw and even the super-over ended in a draw. England eventually won the cup by scoring more boundaries, resulting in a shock loss for New Zealand. Later, Dharmasena admitted the mistake and said in an interview:
I agree it was a lapse in judgment when I see it on TV now. But we didn’t have the luxury of a TV replay on site and I don’t regret the decision I made. So I spoke to the leg referee (Erasmus) through a communication system that all the other referees and the match referee can understand. Although they can’t check the TV replay, they all confirmed that they completed the second run with the sticks. That’s when I made the decision.”
Kumar Dharmasena to officiate 2019 World Cup final match between New Zealand and England
Awards, honors, achievements
- ICC Referee of the Year 2012 and 2018 – David Shepherd Trophy
Kumar Dharmasena with the Best Referee Award 2012
- Deshbandhu Award 1996 (third highest national honor in Sri Lanka)
- 1989 Best Cricket Schoolboy Award
Car collection
He owns two cars, a Porsche and a Jeep.
Kumar Dharmasena poses while driving his Porsche
the chosen ones
- Referee: Srinivasan Venkateraghavan, David Shepard, Steve Bucknor
- Players: Brian Lara, Aravinda de Silva, Salim Malik
Facts/Trivia
- Kumar Dharmasena has the unique distinction of being the only person to have participated in the final of the ICC Cricket World Cup as both a player and an umpire. He was a member of the winning Sri Lankan team in the 1996 Cricket World Cup and officiated the 2015 and 2019 Cricket World Cups as the on-field umpire.
- Her full name is Handunnettige Deepthi Priyantha Kumara Dharmasena.
- Kumar Dharmasena’s ODI jersey number was 66.
- His teammates nicknamed him Unanduwa for his inspirational actions as a team man and for motivating his teammates even in difficult times.
- Kumar Dharmasena’s career came to a halt after the 1998 Oval Test when the ICC questioned his bowling action of stretching to illegal proportions. However, in July 2000, the Sri Lankan Cricket Board invited him back into the game.
- Kumar Dharmasena holds the record for most ODI innings (72) before being dismissed for a duck.
- She appeared on the cover of Youth Observer magazine in the November 2020 edition.
Kumar Dharmasena has been featured on the cover of Youth Observer magazine
- Kumar Dharmasena follows a non-vegetarian diet and occasionally consumes alcohol.
Kumar Dharmasena drinks alcohol with his son and others
- His colleagues and players often jokingly refer to it as the Dharmasena Review System (DRS).
- He was Sri Lanka’s youngest international umpire on his ODI (One Day International) debut in 2009.
- Dharmasena was coached by CH Gunasekera Jr. during his school days and later by Jayantha Seneviratne.
- He says meditation has improved his focus, an important and valuable skill of judgment. Fitness is also crucial for work, so he walks 5-6 km daily.
- After completing his formal education at Nalanda, Kumar Dharmasena got a job at Hetton National Bank (HNB) in Colombo, Sri Lanka, which helped him in his career as a club cricketer and later as an international cricketer.
- He was runner-up for the Observer Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year award three times in 1988, 1990 and 1991.
- He is mentored and trained by Peter Manuel to become a referee.
- Kumar Dharmasena holds the record of umpiring the most matches as a foreign umpire in IPL history.
94 – Kumar Dharmasena holds the record for most matches as a foreign umpire in IPL history.#Kumardmasena #ipl #ipl2021 # referee #Cricket #Cricket #Why not? #csk #msdhoni #Rohitsharma #rcb #India #Dhoni #icc #MumbaiIndians #IndianCricket #bcci #indiancricketteam #msd pic.twitter.com/JdGpcb0SYG
— SportsMint Media (@sportsmint) April 24, 2021
Categories: Cricket
Source: dienchau2.edu.vn
