Pubudu Dassanayake

Pubudu Bathiya Dassanayake (/dəsəˈnaɪəkə/ də-sə-NY-ə-kə; (පුබුදු දසනායක Sinhala) born 11 July 1970) is a Sri Lanka-born Canadian former international cricketer and coach who represented both Sri Lanka and Canada internationally. He has coached Everest Premier League side Bhairahawa Gladiators, and the national teams of the United States, Canada, and Nepal.^[1]

Dassanayake was born in Kandy, Sri Lanka. A wicket-keeper, he made his debut in first-class cricket in 1990, aged 19. Dassanayake's international debut came in August 1993, against South Africa. He spent just over a year as Sri Lanka's first-choice wicket-keeper, with his last international matches coming on a 1994 tour of New Zealand. In total, Dassanayake represented Sri Lanka in 11 Tests and 16 One Day International (ODI) matches. His domestic career, which was played mostly for the Bloomfield Cricket and Athletic Club, continued until the 2000–01 season.

After emigrating to Canada, Dassanayake made his international debut for Canada at the 2005 ICC Trophy. He also represented the team in the 2005 and 2006 editions of the ICC Intercontinental Cup. After his retirement as a player, he was appointed head coach of the national team in August 2007, having earlier spent several months as acting head coach. Dassanayake oversaw Canada's successful qualification for the 2011 World Cup, resigning as coach after the tournament's completion. He was appointed coach of Nepal in October 2011, and served until October 2015, coaching the team at the 2014 World Twenty20. Dassanayake was appointed U.S. head coach in September 2016, but resigned in July 2019.