Nimsala Atharagalla

Nimsara is a bright, seam-bowling talent from Kandy in the Central Sri Lanka. A right-handed lower order batsman that is a capable hitter down the line up, Nimsara is one of Sri Lanka’s most potent young seam bowlers, particularly in white-ball cricket. His Right-arm Fast/Medium swing bowling proving very efficient on wickets not typically too helpful for the new ball bowlers. He is contracted to Chilaw Marians CC in the Sri Lankan domestic system.

Having represented Kandy U23 as a 19-year-old early in the 2018-19 summer, Nimsara pushed his way into the Chilaw Marians Cricket Club senior squad, making his first-class debut in February 2019 against Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo. A steady start in red-ball cricket saw him restricted to just one more 4-day appearance until 2022 with COVID playing it’s part. His Twenty20 debut, also in Feb 2019 saw him bag 5 wickets in 3 games and once normal service resumed in 2021, he’s become a regular 3-format player.

His impact in both white-ball formats has been excellent but it is his red-ball returns that had snuck under the radar, until he was picked for the Sri Lanka Board President’s XI to take on England in Jan 2023. A bit expensive on the economy front, his strike rate of 42.02 balls per wicket sees him sit amongst the very best in the game in term and there is no reason to think he wouldn’t be as dangerous in the UK with favourable seam-bowling conditions.

Looking to play in the UK for the first time in 2026, Nimsara will be an excellent addition to any club’s new ball attack and will no doubt be able to contribute down the order on the odd occasion with a big hitting arc and powerful frame.