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Marvan Atapattu
Sri Lanka
Personal information
Batting style	Right-handed batsman (RHB)
Bowling style	Leg-break (LB)
Career statistics
	Tests	ODIs
Matches	89	268
Runs scored	5502	8529
Batting average	39.82	37.57
100s/50s	16/16	11/59
Top score	249	132*
Balls bowled	48	51
Wickets	1	-
Bowling average	24.00	-
5 wickets in innings	-	-
10 wickets in match	-	n/a
Best bowling	1/9	-
Catches/stumpings	57/-	70/-
As of February 17, 2007 Source: [1]

Marvan Samson Atapattu (born 22 November 1970 in Kalutara) is a Sri Lankan cricketer and former Sri Lankan captain. He has joined the Indian Cricket League, and is currently the captain of the Delhi Jets.

Contents 1 Style and International Career 2 Player Statistics 2.1 Career Performance 2.2 Test Centuries 2.3 One Day International Centuries 3 See also 4 References 5 External links

Marvan is a technically correct batsman, although he can occasionally show an initial tendency to chop an inswinging delivery back onto his stumps. Making his Test debut in November 1990 just after his 20th birthday, his first six innings yielded five ducks and a 1, but supporters insist that his debut-innings duck puts him in good company with batsmen such as Michael Atherton, Graham Gooch, Len Hutton, Saeed Anwar and Wasim Akram, who all made debut-innings ducks and went on to score at least 2500 Test runs. After this horror start in his first three matches, he didn't score above 29 in his next 11 innings, before hitting his first Test century in his 10th match, against India, 7 years after his debut. Partly as a result of his poor start, he has 22 Test-match career ducks and 4 pairs (two ducks in a single match), both records for a top-order batsman. Once settled, however, he is difficult to get out A vulnerable starter, Atapattu can show immense strength of character once he gets his eye in. On a lifeless pitch, he is a master of the percentage game, his caution a useful counterpoint to the risks taken by Sanath Jayasuriya, his opening partner almost throughout his Test career. All his big Test innings he has scored six double-hundreds in his career, , including a highest score of 249. Only three batsmen have made more Test double centuries: Wally Hammond with seven, Brian Lara with eight and Don Bradman with twelve. He is a skilful fielder with an accurate throw. A report prepared by Cricinfo 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.^[1] He was controversially 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 [2]. After Sri Lanka lost the series 2-0, Atapattu announced his international retirement after the second Test at Hobart.^[2] 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 will play out the 2007/08 season with Sydney grade club St George.

The following table illustrates a summary of the Test centuries scored by Marvan Atapattu.

• In the column Runs, * indicates being not out
• The column title Match refers to the Match Number of the player's career

Test Centuries of Marvan Atapattu
	Runs	Match	Against	City/Country	Venue	Year
[1]	108	10	India	Mohali, India	Punjab C.A. Stadium	1997
[2]	223	13	Zimbabwe	Kandy, Sri Lanka	Asgiriya Stadium	1998
[3]	216*	27	Zimbabwe	Bulawayo, Zimbabwe	Queens Sports Club	1999
[4]	207*	35	Pakistan	Kandy, Sri Lanka	Asgiriya Stadium	2000
[5]	120	37	South Africa	Kandy, Sri Lanka	Asgiriya Stadium	2000
[6]	201*	42	England	Galle, Sri Lanka	Galle Stadium	2001
[7]	108	47	India	Colombo, Sri Lanka	Sinhalese Sports Club Ground	2001
[8]	201	48	Bangladesh	Colombo, Sri Lanka	Sinhalese Sports Club Ground	2001
[9]	100*	54	Zimbabwe	Galle, Sri Lanka	Galle Stadium	2002
[10]	185	56	England	London, England	Lord’s	2002
[11]	118	64	West Indies	Gros Islet, Saint Lucia	Beausejour Stadium	2003
[12]	118	71	Australia	Colombo, Sri Lanka	Sinhalese Sports Club Ground	2004
[13]	170	72	Zimbabwe	Harare, Zimbabwe	Harare Sports Club	2004
[14]	249	73	Zimbabwe	Bulawayo, Zimbabwe	Queens Sports Club	2004
[15]	133	75	Australia	Cairns, Australia	Bundaberg Rum Stadium	2004
[16]	127	80	New Zealand	Napier, New Zealand	McLean Park	2005

The following table illustrates a summary of the ODI centuries scored by Marvan Atapattu.

• In the column Runs, * indicates being not out
• The column title Match refers to the Match Number of the player's career

One Day International Centuries of Marvan Atapattu
	Runs	Match	Against	City/Country	Venue	Year
[1]	118	27	India	Colombo, Sri Lanka	R.Premadasa Stadium	1997
[2]	132*	50	England	London, England	Lord's	1998
[3]	119*	90	Pakistan	Karachi, Pakistan	National Stadium	2000
[4]	100	96	Pakistan	Dhaka, Bangladesh	Bangabandhu National Stadium	2000
[5]	102*	107	India	Sharjah, United Arab Emirates	Sharjah C.A. Stadium	2000
[6]	101	164	Netherlands	Colombo, Sri Lanka	R.Premadasa Stadium	2002
[7]	123*	170	South Africa	Benoni, South Africa	Willowmoore Park	2002
[8]	101	176	Australia	Sydney, Australia	Sydney Cricket Ground	2003
[9]	124	186	South Africa	Durban, South Africa	Kingsmead	2003
[10]	103*	189	Zimbabwe	East London, South Africa	Buffalo Park	2003
[11]	111	223	Pakistan	Lahore, Pakistan	Gaddafi Stadium	2004

• Ananda College

• Player Profile: Marvan Atapattu from Cricinfo

Preceded by Hashan Tillakaratne	Sri Lankan Test captain 2003-2006	Succeeded by Mahela Jayawardene
Preceded by Sanath Jayasuriya	Sri Lankan ODI captain 2003-2006

v • d • e Sri Lanka squad - 1996 Cricket World Cup (Winners)
1 Ranatunga (c) • 2 Atapattu • 3 Chandana • 4 De Silva • 5 Dharmasena • 6 Gurusinha • 7 Kaluwitharana (wk) • 8 Jayasuriya • 9 Mahanama • 10 Muralitharan • 11 Pushpakumara • 12 Tillakaratne • 13 Vaas • 14 Wickramasinghe • Coach: Whatmore

v • d • e Sri Lanka squad - 1999 Cricket World Cup
1 Ranatunga (c) • 2 De Silva • 3 Jayasuriya • 4 Kaluwitharana (wk) • 5 Mahanama • 6 Atapattu • 7 Jayawardene • 8 Tillakaratne • 9 Vaas • 10 Chandana • 11 Upashantha • 12 Muralitharan • 13 Hathurusingha • 14 Kalpage • 15 Wickramasinghe • Coach: Dias

v • d • e Sri Lanka squad - 2003 Cricket World Cup
1 Jayasuriya (c) • 2 Atapattu • 3 Jayawardene • 4 Sangakkara (wk) • 5 De Silva • 6 Arnold • 7 Mubarak • 8 Tillakaratne • 9 Muralitharan • 10 Vaas • 11 Fernando • 12 Gunaratne • 13 Gunawardene • 14 Nissanka • 15 Buddhika • Coach: Whatmore

v • d • e Sri Lanka squad - 2007 Cricket World Cup
1 Jayawardene (c) • 2 Atapattu • 3 Jayasuriya • 4 Tharanga • 5 Sangakkara • 6 Dilshan • 7 Arnold • 8 Silva • 9 Maharoof • 10 Vaas • 11 Fernando • 12 Malinga • 13 Kulasekara • 14 Muralitharan • 15 Bandara • Coach: Moody