Marvan Atapattu

Deshabandu Marvan Samson Atapattu (Template:Langx, {{#invoke:IPA|main}}, born 22 November 1970) is a Sri Lankan cricket coach, commentator and former professional cricketer. He played international cricket for the Sri Lankan cricket team from 1990 to 2007.<ref name=ci>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

A top-order batsman, Atapattu's batting style was considered reliable and technically sound. His Test career began inauspiciously with five ducks in his first six innings, but he went on to appear in 90 Tests and score six double centuries, with a career Test batting average of 39. In One-Day Internationals, Atapattu played 268 matches and won the 1996 Cricket World Cup; he captained the Sri Lankan team that won the 2004 Asia Cup.

After retiring as a player, Atapattu became the batting coach of the Canada national cricket team, then the head coach of Singapore.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He was appointed the batting coach of Sri Lanka in 2011, then promoted to head coach in April 2014, but resigned in September 2015.<ref name="news.biharprabha.com">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="espn1"/>

Early life

Marvan Atapattu started his cricket career as a teenager at Mahinda College, Galle, where Major G. W. S. de Silva was his first cricket coach.<ref name=A>Template:Cite news</ref> Then he moved to Ananda College, Colombo, where he was subsequently coached by P. W. Perera.<ref name=A/>

International career

Making his Test debut in November 1990 just after his 20th birthday, Atapattu's first six innings yielded five ducks and a 1,<ref name="OTD">Template:Cite news</ref> and he was the first Sri Lankan batsman to be dismissed for a pair on debut.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> After this difficult start in his first three matches, he did not score above 29 in his next 11 innings, before hitting his first Test century in his 10th match, against India, seven years after his debut. He has 22 Test-match career ducks and four pairs (two ducks in a single Test), both records for a top-order batsman.

He made his One-Day International debut against India at Nagpur. He was appointed as captain of the one-day team in April 2003. He registered his highest Test score of 249 against Zimbabwe in 2004, sharing a 438-run partnership with Kumar Sangakkara for the second wicket. Atapattu scored a century in the first innings of the Second Test during his team's tour of Australia in 2004 in Cairns, Queensland. His third century in five innings, he made 133.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> A "determin[ed]" Atapattu, ESPNcricinfo wrote, "pull[ed] authoritatively ... tuck[ed] in neatly behind the ball."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He finished the two-match series scoring 156 runs at an average of 39.00 and was the top-scorer for his side.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Atapattu was a skilful fielder with an accurate throw. A report prepared by ESPNcricinfo in late 2005 showed that since the 1999 Cricket World Cup, he had effected the second highest number of run-outs in ODI cricket of any fieldsman, with the seventh-highest success rate.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He was controversially<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> left out of the squad for the 2007 Cricket World Cup, and as a result, asked for his removal from the list of Sri Lanka contracted players. Atapattu was to miss the 2007–08 tour of Australia, but was added to the squad after the intervention of Sri Lankan Sports Minister Gamini Lokuge. Atapattu played solidly in the First Test, but subsequently angrily labelled the selectors: "A set of muppets, basically, headed by a joker," at a post-stumps press conference.

After Sri Lanka lost the series 2–0, Atapattu announced his international retirement after the second Test at Hobart.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He finished with 5,502 Test runs at an average of 39.02 in 90 Tests with a One-day International average of 37.57 after hitting 8,529 runs in 268 matches. Atapattu scored six double centuries and sixteen centuries in his Test cricket career.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He has scored centuries against all Test-playing nations.

International centuries

File:Marvan Atapattu Graph.png

Marvan Atapattu's test batting record

Atapattu scored his first test century in 1997, seven year after his debut, against India, and in that cricket match he made 108 runs as the match was played at the Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium in Mohali.<ref name="Atapattu Test records">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

His highest Test score of 249 came against Zimbabwe in 2004 at Bulawayo.<ref name="Atapattu Test records"/> His score of 127 in 2005 against New Zealand was his last Test century.<ref name="Atapattu Test records"/> As of August 2015, Atapattu is sixth in the list of most double hundreds scored in Test matches.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Atapattu scored his first ODI century in 1997 when he scored 118 in 2-run victory against India at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.<ref name="Atapattu ODI records">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> At Lord's in 1998, Atapattu scored 132 not out against England, his highest score in this format of the game.<ref name="Atapattu ODI records"/> He also scored two centuries in the 2003 Cricket World Cup: against Zimbabwe he scored 103 not out and against South Africa, only the 19th tied ODI in cricket history, he made 124. He was selected as man of the match on both occasions.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> His innings of 111 against Pakistan in 2004 was his last ODI century.<ref name="Atapattu ODI records"/>

Test centuries scored by Marvan Atapattu

No.	Score	Opponent	Venue	Date	Ref
1	108	Template:Cr	Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, Chandigarh, India	19 November 1997	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
2	223	Template:Cr	Asgiriya Stadium, Kandy, Sri Lanka	7 January 1998	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
3	216 not out	Template:Cr	Queens Sports Club, Bulawayo, Zimbabwe	18 November 1999	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
4	207 not out	Template:Cr	Asgiriya Stadium, Kandy, Sri Lanka	28 June 2000	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
5	120	Template:Cr	Asgiriya Stadium, Kandy, Sri Lanka	30 July 2000	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
6	201 not out	Template:Cr	Galle International Stadium, Galle, Sri Lanka	22 February 2001	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
7	108	Template:Cr	Sinhalese Sports Club Ground, Colombo, Sri Lanka	29 August 2001	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
8	201	Template:Cr	Sinhalese Sports Club Ground, Colombo, Sri Lanka	6 September 2001	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
9	100 not out	Template:Cr	Galle International Stadium, Galle, Sri Lanka	12 January 2002	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
10	185	Template:Cr	Lord's, London, England	16 May 2002	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
11	118	Template:Cr	Beausejour Cricket Ground, Gros Islet, Saint Lucia	20 June 2003	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
12	118	Template:Cr	Sinhalese Sports Club Ground, Colombo, Sri Lanka	24 March 2004	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
13	170	Template:Cr	Harare Sports Club, Harare, Zimbabwe	6 May 2004	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
14	249	Template:Cr	Queens Sports Club, Bulawayo, Zimbabwe	14 May 2004	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
15	113	Template:Cr	Cazalys Stadium, Cairns, Australia	9 July 2004	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
16	127	Template:Cr	McLean Park, Napier, New Zealand	4 April 2005	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>

ODI centuries scored by Marvan Atapattu

No.	Score	Opponent	Venue	Date	Ref
1	118	Template:Cr	R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo, Sri Lanka	17 August 1997	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
2	132 not out	Template:Cr	Lord's, London, England	20 August 1998	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
3	119 not out	Template:Cr	National Stadium, Karachi, Pakistan	13 February 2000	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
4	100	Template:Cr	Bangabandhu National Stadium, Dhaka, Bangladesh	7 July 2000	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
5	102 not out	Template:Cr	Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates	27 October 2000	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
6	101	Template:Cr	R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo, Sri Lanka	16 September 2002	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
7	123 not out	Template:Cr	Willowmoore Park, Benoni, South Africa	1 December 2002	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
8	101	Template:Cr	Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney, Australia	9 January 2003	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
9	124	Template:Cr	Kingsmead, Durban, South Africa	3 March 2003	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
10	103 not out	Template:Cr	Buffalo Park, East London, South Africa	15 March 2003	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
11	111	Template:Cr	Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore, Pakistan	14 October 2004	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Coaching career

In 2009, Atapattu had a coaching stint with the Fingara Cricket Academy, a coaching facility in Sri Lanka. He had a short stint as Canada's batting coach in early 2009,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> subsequently helping them qualify for the 2011 World Cup. In 2010, he was named as head coach of the Singaporean cricket team for a one-year period, which was his first full-time assignment of a coach of a national side. His first task was World Cricket League Division 5 in Nepal where the team finished third in the group stage and remained in division 5 for 2012 World League.

In April 2011, after the World Cup, Atapattu was named as the batting coach of Sri Lankan national team and joined interim coach Stuart Law, Champaka Ramanayake and Ruwan Kalpage for the tour of England. Meanwhile, he was considered for the head coach job of the team, which eventually went to Paul Farbrace, in 2013. Atapattu was promoted to the post of an assistant coach. Following Farbrace's early unexpected exit in 2014, he was appointed as interim head coach of the team.<ref name="news.biharprabha.com"/> During this period, Sri Lanka won its first Test series in England in 16 years, with a 1–0 win in its 2014 tour.<ref name="espn1">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He officially took over as head coach in September 2014, and was the team's first local coach in 15 years. A 5–2 ODI series win during England's 2014 tour of Sri Lanka was the only series win for Sri Lanka after he formally took over. After consecutive Test series defeats against India and Pakistan, he resigned in September 2015.<ref name="espn1"/>

See also

• List of Sri Lanka national cricket captains

External links

• Template:ESPNcricinfo