Kumar Dharmasena is a Sri Lankan umpire and former all-round cricketer. He bats with his right hand and bowls with his right arm at break. He is the only person to have both participated in and refereed the Cricket World Cup. He has won the Referee of the Year award twice and been nominated once. After Ashok de Silva, he is the second Sri Lankan to join the elite club of ICC referees.
Wiki/Biography
Kumar Dharmasena was born on Saturday, April 24, 1971, in Colombo, Sri Lanka (age 52; as of 2023). His zodiac sign is Taurus. He completed his schooling at Campbell International School, Colombo and then graduated from Nalanda College, Colombo, Sri Lanka.
Kumar Dharmasena played cricket as a child
appearance
Height (approximately): 5′8″
Weight (approximately): 70kg
Hair color: black
Eye color: black
family
Kumar Dharmasena belongs to a Sri Lankan Sinhala family.
Parents and siblings
His father’s name is Handunettige Dharmasena and mother’s name is Chandrani Dahanayake. Kumar’s father is a government servant living in Torrington, Colombo, Sri Lanka.
wife and children
Kumar Dharmasena is married to Dushanthi Gunewardena. The couple has four children, three daughters: Ashi, Amanya and Ashalya, and a son, Kavishka Dharmasena.
Kumar Dharmasena and his wife Dushanthi
Kumar Dharmasena with his wife and children
religion
Kumar Dharmasena was a follower of Buddhism.
address
He lives with his family in Wijerama Junction, Nugegoda, Colombo, Sri Lanka.
Signature/Autograph
Profession
cricket
player
Kumar Dharmasena started playing cricket at an early age and was selected for the under-13 team of his alma mater, Nalanda Vidyalaya, Colombo, in 1988. From 1988 to 1990, he participated in the “Big Match” popularly known as the “Battle of Maroons”, which was played between Nalanda College and Ananda College in Colombo, Sri Lanka.
In 1989, Kumar Dharmasena served as the vice-captain of Nalanda team
In 1988, he was appointed as the vice-captain of the Nalanda team and in 1990, he was appointed as the captain.
Kumar Dharmasena captained Nalanda in 1990
He made his First Division debut in the 1988-89 season and played for Bloomfield Cricket and Sports Club, Nondescripts Cricket Club and Moratuwa Sports Club. The last First Division matches he played were Nondescripts against Bloomfield on 24 December 2005 in Colombo (SSC) and the last one at Colombo (Morse) on 3 March 2006 Division I, Bloomfield vs. Colts.
Kumar Dharmasena poses for photos after the match
He made his Test debut against South Africa from 6 to 10 September 1993 at the Sinhala Sports Club Stadium in Colombo, Sri Lanka. While batting, he scored 5 runs off 18 balls. However, his bowling performance was noteworthy, conceding just 91 runs off 45 balls, including 12 maidens, with an economy rate of 2.02. He played his final match against Australia at the Galle International Stadium in Sri Lanka from 8 to 12 March 2004. During his Test career, he played 31 matches, took 69 wickets and scored 868 runs.
Kumar Dharmasena bowls in his first Test match
He made his ODI (One-Day International) debut in Sri Lanka against Pakistan at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, Sri Lanka on 24 August 1994. Kumar Dharmasena took 2 wickets with an economy rate of 3.77, bowled 9 overs and conceded 34 runs. He was a member of the 1996 Cricket World Cup winning Sri Lanka team.
Kumar Dharmasena celebrates maiden ODI wicket with teammates
In his ODI career, he played 141 matches and scored a total of 1222 runs; his best score was 69/83 against South Africa on 6 November 1997 at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, Pakistan. The goal percentage is 83.13. He took a total of 138 wickets, his best performance being against South Africa on December 21, 1994, where he took 4/37 wickets with an economy rate of 3.70.
referee
Before retiring from international cricket, Dharmasena had already umpired several domestic matches, including the Sala Trophy, a major first-class cricket tournament in Sri Lanka. In 2006, he retired and became a referee. On January 28, 2009, he officiated his first ODI match between Sri Lanka and India at the Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium. He made his Twenty20 debut on 2 September 2009 in a match between Sri Lanka and New Zealand in Colombo, Sri Lanka, and played in a match between India and New Zealand in Ahmedabad, India from 4 to 8 November 2010. Test match debut.
Kumar Dharmasena talks to Sehwag and others during first Test match
In 2011, he officiated several games at the ICC World Cup and was appointed to the ICC Elite Panel of Referees in the same year. He was selected as one of the 20 umpires to play in the 2015 Cricket World Cup and refereed in the final. He oversaw the finals of the 2016 ICC T20 World Cup and the 2022 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup between Pakistan and England.
Kumar Dharmasena officiates 2015 World Cup matches
Business
Kumar Dharmasena owns Pintanna Plantations Pvt Ltd, a company specializing in the cultivation, inoculation and export of agarwood trees. In addition to its plantations, the company also produces agarwood oil, perfume and other agarwood-related products. To export these products, Kumar has obtained a license from the government.
Kumar Dharmasena at his company Pintanna Plantations Pvt Ltd
dispute
Controversial decisions from the 2019 World Cup
In July 2019, Damasena was selected as one of the two on-field umpires for the Cricket World Cup final between England and New Zealand. His controversial decision to convert England’s score from 5 to 6 made him the focus of criticism. The match ended in a draw, and even the Super Over was tied. The England team eventually won the championship due to more goals, while the New Zealand team unexpectedly lost. Later, Dharma Sena admitted his mistake in an interview and said:
I agree there was an error in judgment when seeing it on TV reruns now. But we didn’t get a chance to watch the replay live on TV and I don’t regret the decision I made. So I did consult the stage referee (Erasmus) via a communication system that all other referees and match referees could hear. While they were unable to view the TV replay, they both confirmed the batsman had completed the second over. This is when I made my decision. ”
Kumar Dharmasena officiates New Zealand’s 2019 World Cup final against England
Awards, Honors, Achievements
- ICC Referee of the Year 2012 and 2018 – David Shepherd Tr0phy
Kumar Dharmasena wins Referee of the Year Award 2012
- 1996 Deshbandhu Award (Sri Lanka’s third highest national honor)
- Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year Award 1989
car collection
He owns two cars, a Porsche and a Jeep.
Kumar Dharmasena poses while driving his Porsche car
Favorites
- Referees: Srinivasan Venkatragavan, David Shepherd, Steve Bucknor
- Players: Brian Lara, Aravinda de Silva, Salim Malik
Facts/Trivia
- Kumar Dharmasena holds the unique reputation of being the only individual to play in an International Cricket World Cup final as a player and umpire. He was a member of the 1996 Cricket World Cup-winning Sri Lanka team and officiated as an on-field umpire in the 2015 and 2019 Cricket World Cups.
- His full name is Handunnettige Deepthi Priyantha Kumara Dharmasena.
- Kumar Dharmasena’s ODI T-shirt number is 66.
- His teammates nicknamed him “Unanduwa” because of his inspiring behavior as a team player who motivated his teammates even during difficult times.
- Kumar Dharmasena’s career was halted after the 1998 Oval Test when the ICC questioned his bowling action as overextended and illegal in proportion. However, in July 2000, the Sri Lanka Cricket Board allowed him to play again.
- Kumar Dharmasena holds the record for most ODI innings (72) before being dismissed for a duck.
- He is on the cover of the November 2020 edition of Young Observer magazine.
Kumar Dharmasena appears on the cover of Youth Observer magazine
- Kumar Dharmasena follows a non-vegetarian diet and drinks alcohol occasionally.
Kumar Dharmasena drinks with his son and others
- His colleagues and players often nicknamed him the “Dharmasena Review System” (DRS).
- In 2009, he made his ODI (One-Day International) debut and became Sri Lanka’s youngest-ever international umpire.
- Dharmasena was coached by CH Gunasekera Jr. during his school days and later by Jayantha Seneviratne.
- According to him, meditation improves his concentration, an important and valuable skill for referees. Physical fitness is also important for work, so he walks 5-6 kilometers every day.
- After completing his formal education in Nalanda, Kumar Dharmasena found a job with Hatton National Bank (HNB) in Colombo, Sri Lanka, which helped him pursue a career as a club cricketer and then became An international cricketer.
- He was runner-up for the Observer’s Student Cricketer of the Year award three times, in 1988, 1990 and 1991.
- He became a referee under the tutelage of Peter Manuel.
- Kumar Dharmasena holds the record for officiating the most matches as a foreign referee in the history of IPL.
94 – Kumar Dharmasena holds the record for most games as foreign umpire in IPL history.#kumardharmasena #ipl #ipl2021 #referee #cricket #cricket #viratkohli #csk #msdhoni #rohitsharma #rcb #India #dhoni #OOO #mumbaiindians #Indiacricket #BCCI #indiancricketteam #msd pic.twitter.com/JdGpcb0SYG
— SportsMint Media (@sportsmint) April 24, 2021
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education