Ifield is delighted to announce the re-signing of Sri Lankan star, Raminda Wijesooriya, for their 2024 Sussex League campaign.

Wijesooriya is an exciting batting talent playing for Pandura Sports Club following his move from Burgher Recreation Club in 2022/23.

Playing in the top tier (A) of domestic cricket, alongside several international players including Tharindu Kaushal, “Wije” has impressed, particularly in red-ball cricket scoring 1,235 runs at 30.12 with 4 hundreds.

Wije has spent five seasons in domestic cricket, making his debut as a teenager for BRC. After a couple of matches in 2017/18, he excelled the following summer, hitting 2 of his 3 centuries amongst 465 runs at 38.75. Wije then backed up with another strong 2019/20 campaign, finishing as BRC’s third-leading run-scorer (behind Rajapaksha and fellow CricX client Shanuka Dulaj) with 442 runs at 24.55. COVID struck, putting pay to a season, but Wije returned to domestic cricket in 2022/23 and having joined Panadura, scored 294 runs at 36.75 to include his career best 125.

The Sri Lankan star has also enjoyed several run-filled seasons in the UK with clubs including Old Elizabethans (Worcestershire Premier League), and Ifield (Sussex League).

During the former (2019), he scored 495 runs at 27.50 with 4 half-centuries, but his past two seasons with Ifield (2022-23) have shown what a class player Wije is. During his first stint, he belted 807 runs at 50.44 alongside 25 wickets at 24.04 with his left-arm spin. He produced similar returns in 2023, including a remarkable 196* from 111 balls to chase down Billinghurst’s 352 in only 37.4 overs.

Wije enjoyed an impressive 2023 season in the UK. Not only did he excel at Ifield, but he starred for Gagan in the National Cricket League (Elite Division) belting 263* from 137 with 21 sixes. This innings came days after two outstanding knocks for CricX against the Italian National side in prep for their ICC World Cup European qualifiers in Scotland (July 2023). In the first T20 he top scored with 73 from 42 balls, before coming in at 9 to strike 4, and 6 off the final two balls to win the second T20 (chasing down 187). He also proved very useful taking important wickets with his left-arm spin.

It’s fair to say Wije is in our “good books” having impressed during these CricX games and is someone, as both a cricketer, and person, we strongly recommend.

For 2024, though, Wije will return to Ifield for his third Sussex League stint and will be hoping to continue his run-spree.