#2 Kumar Dharmasena
Dharmasena tasted the International waters for the first time in 1994, at the age of 22, against South Africa. That was the time when Sri Lanka were going through a rough patch and Dharmasena was the bowler that fit the bill for the then Sri Lankan team – with his quick off-spinners delivered with a slight unorthodox action.
Especially in Sri Lankan conditions, he would feel home and give his opponents cold feet in supporting role to the spin wizard - Muttiah Muralitharan. However, his cricketing career came to a standstill after the Oval Test in 1998, when the ICC questioned his bowling action but was cleared to play again in 2000.
Being a member of the Sri Lankan 1996 Cricket World Cup winning squad, Dharmasena wished to stay close to the game that he loved. And hence, following the announcement of his retirement in 2006, he spoke out about his plans to become a competitive umpire. He officiated for the first time as an umpire in 2009 overseeing a One Day International between India and Sri Lanka and remains the youngest ever Sri Lankan to umpire an International match.
His appointment to the Elite Panel came after he successfully adjudicated in the 2011 World Cup in India, where he was part of the panel of 18 umpires selected for the series. Last year, Kumar became the first cricketer to umpire and play in a World Cup final (2015 and 1996 respectively) during his career.
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