Wisden overview
A short, stout man, Hettiarachchi pushed himself into Test contention by weight of his performances as a left-arm spinner in domestic cricket for Colts. In three seasons from 1997, he took 32 wickets at 16 apiece, 60 wickets at 17 and 55 wickets at 15; he was placed in the averages fourth, tenth and fifth respectively. He was in the squads against Pakistan and South Africa in 2000 but did not play, having to wait until the final home Test against England to get on the field. He did not score a run but still made an impact, taking the wickets of Trescothick and Hussain in his first spell and conceding 1.5 runs per over in a tight game. Not afraid to give the ball flight, he bowled some of the slowest deliveries of the series (around 45mph). He may get more opportunities after Jayasuriya retires. Simon Wilde

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