It was on the 11th delivery that he faced in international cricket that debutant opening batter Nuwanidu Fernando scored his first runs for Sri Lanka in the ongoing second ODI against India in Kolkata.
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Sharing surname with his opening partner in Avishka Fernando (20), Nuwanidu faced 10 dot balls against Indian new-ball bowlers namely Mohammed Siraj and his namesake Mohammed Shami.
It was on the third delivery of the fifth over when Nuwanidu punched a Shami delivery through the off-side to get off the mark at the highest level with a boundary. Having once found a gap between a ring of fielders inside the 30-yard circle on the off-side, there was no stopping Nuwanidu starting his career with four runs.
Avishka, who hit four boundaries during his 17-ball stay, failed to convert his start after becoming the first Sri Lankan batter to get out today. Perhaps wanting to play another boundary shot, Avishka ended up playing on a Siraj delivery on to his stumps in the sixth over.
Avishka Fernando brother name
It was among the rare occasions in international cricket that two batters with the same surname opened the batting for a team. Fernando, a common surname in Sri Lanka, has produced quite a few international players in the history of Sri Lankan cricket.
Having said that, for those mistaking Avishka and Nuwanidu to be brothers, it is worth a mention that the two right-handed batters aren’t related in any manner.
Nuwanidu, however, is the younger brother of Sri Lanka pacer Vishwa Fernando. Seven years elder to Nuwanidu, Vishwa has played 26 matches for Sri Lanka across formats but it not part of the current squad for this tour.
Nuwanidu Fernando ODI stats
While there are no stats for Nuwanidu with respect to international cricket, his List A numbers are pretty ordinary. In 21 innings during his three-year old career, Nuwanidu has scored 748 runs at an average of 34.61 and a strike rate of 86.57 with the help of two centuries and four half-centuries.
