Vidanda Galgamuwa - The gift that keeps on giving

Vidanda Galgamuwa is undoubtedly one of Edgware Cricket Club's finest success stories. A rare-wicket taking ability, capable of producing consistent match winning performances has made him a truly extraordinary find for Edgware cricket. Therefore, it's perhaps surprising that Vidanda has played only 20 matches for Edgware, but why? His story in truth can be mirrored to many amateur sportsmen up and down the country, a prodigious talent plagued by competing interests and a lack of time.

In some ways, it's easy to forget that Vidanda is actually one of the club's originals. He made his debut in the club's first season in 2015 against Monken Hadley and despite not playing any cricket for several years, Vid remarkably took 2/22 off 6 overs in a convincing 50 run win for Edgware. For most players, an outstanding performance like that would usually suggest the start of a promising cricket career. However, competition for places and a lack of availability meant that Vidanda would go on to make just two appearances between 2016 and 2017, as he fell down the pecking order of Edgware Cricket Club's bowling arsenal.

That was of course until 13 May 2018, when Vidanda truly cemented his place in the Edgware team, tearing through the Theydon Bois top order to register figures of 4/20 off 7 overs in an incredibly tight game that ended in Theydon Bois securing a 1-wicket win. Vid would go on to take 18 wickets in the 2018 season, finishing joint leading wicket taker at an impressive average of 13.44 and a strike rate of 19.00.

Vid's finest contributions in 2018 though were perhaps best witnessed in the league, where he took 9 of his 18 wickets including 5/31 against Greenwood Park to all but secure promotion from the Chess Valley League Division 5. Just a month later, a career best 20 not out in the same league against local rivals Belmont & Edgware secured a nail biting and famous Edgware win which ultimately saw Edgware promoted undefeated as champions.

2019 saw Vidanda temporarily move to Holland for University before returning in 2020. However, this Vidanda was no longer bowling medium pace, but instead, leg spin. I sat down with Vidanda in March to chat all things cricket and learn a little more behind was inspired his decision to switch and the impact on the team as a result.

Q: What inspired you to switch from pace to leg spin, given you had such an exceptional record?

VG: I have always thought of spin bowling as a bit of a dark art. I remember watching Muttiah Muralitharan and Shane Warne and being mesmerised by the way they bamboozled the batsmen. Although I watched in awe I never had the confidence to give it a go until the stars aligned. Years of bowling at extreme pace took a heavy toll on my shoulder and prevented me from reaching the colossal speeds I was used to, which in turn made me reassess and give leg spin a go. To my surprise, I had a bit of a knack for it which I started to build on and I improved slowly and finally built the confidence to bowl in a game with some success.

"With some success" is a pretty big understatement. In fact, the statistics suggest that in some ways Vidanda has actually been more effective bowling spin. A surprising fact given his impressive record bowling pace.

The graph above represents Vid's average and strike-rate when bowling pace (22 wickets) and spin (12 wickets). Remarkably, the strike-rate is more or less identical, Vidanda tends to take a wicket every 3 to 3 and a half overs, which would put him on par with the likes of Rashid Khan and Mitchell Starc from international cricket (stats-wise). The average is marginally higher for his spin bowling, but still excellent and it should be noted that leg spin is very hard, more so than off spin. Due to the release point, bowlers who bowl leg spin tend to have less control than their off-spin counterparts, meaning they at times can be a lot more expensive (which in turn increases the average). However, the potential to turn the ball big makes this an acceptable compromise. Vidanda went for 5.76 runs per over bowling spin in 2020, compared to 4.18 bowling pace and no doubt this will improve as he increases his control and variations.

Despite being slightly more expensive, the graph below indicates that Vid has created more match winning performances bowling spin. In fact, in just 7 matches bowling spin, Vid has taken 3 wickets or more in a match, three times. In 13 matches bowling pace, he managed this just twice. The table below therefore clearly outlines the importance Vid's spin brings to the team. His ability to take wickets is vital and also solves a long standing balance issue within the Edgware side which has meant the squad has not had a front line spinner (who is not a batsman) since 2017.

Q: What has been the main challenges if any to adopting spin? How has the switch changed your approach to bowling?

VG: The main challenges are consistency and variation. I find myself being able to maintain decent accuracy for the first couple of overs but then find my bowling to be a little inconsistent as I progress through the spell, particularly my line and length which is frustrating. When it comes to variation I simply haven't developed a whole lot and this can mean I get hit out of the ground quite often. The switch has made me take a more measured approach to bowling and has helped me control my emotions a bit better. I have accepted that I will get hit the odd ball but need to adapt without losing my head and go again.

Needless to say, it will be interesting to see how Vidanda progresses in 2021 against better opposition in the Chess Valley League Division 3. However, I've tended to notice over time that anyone who has a habit of scoring runs or indeed taking wickets will always find a way to do that even as the opposition improves. Vidanda currently sits third on the all-time list for wickets taken by Edgware spinners (below) and no doubt the hunt is on for Sunny Halai's place in second. It should be an entertaining year and I wish all of the Edgware boys the best of luck!