A potent left arm seamer with the knack of extracting swing in the dust bowls of Sri Lanka, Nuwan Zoysa remained a story of what might have been rather than what he was. Through a decade long career blighted with injuries and inconsistencies, Zoysa in his occasional bouts of brilliance on the field, stood out carving a name for himself in the fast bowling circles.

Like most promising youngsters climbing up the ranks of school cricket in Sri Lanka in the 1990s, Zoysa too was spotted was Arjuna Ranatunga and fast tracked to play for the Sinhalese Cricket Club and by 1997 found himself in the national side. Lanky and boasting of a clean, smooth action, he was a massive threat on his day. One such day came in 1999, when only in his eighth Test, Zoysa notched up a hat-trick.

There never really is a good time to get injured but just when he was supposed to be at his peak, a stress fracture in his back saw him struggle for form and fitness. He lost his pace and also his place in the side. This was the phase he discovered the hard hitting batsman in him. On his return, he was a handy package, a wily old bowler and a finisher. Along with Chaminda Vaas, a threatening partnership was sealed in the mid-2000s.

A dodgy knee then flared up to cut short the remainder of his career just before the team departed to the Caribbean for the 2007 World Cup. A few matches with the Deccan Chargers in the inaugural season of the IPL followed but that was the end of his career at the highest level. Nevertheless, he remains one of the brighter spots in the list of Sri Lanka's fast bowlers.

Vineet Anantharaman