Dan Vettori? Taradale’s Sri Lankan import names his hardest Black Cap to bowl to

Sri Lankan Sachin Jayawardena will play club cricket for Taradale this summer. Photo / Paul Taylor.

With a name like his, Sachin Jayawardena was always destined to be a cricketer.

The Sri Lankan batting allrounder arrived in Hawke’s Bay on Thursday and will make his premier men’s club cricket debut when new club Taradale meets Napier Technical Old Boys, at Nelson Park on Saturday.

“That was my father and mother naming me after Sachin Tendulkar,’’ Jayawardena said.

He’s no relation, however, to former Central Stags star Mahela Jayawardene. The spelling probably gives that away.

This is the 28-year-old top-order batter and left-arm orthodox bowler’s first time in New Zealand, although he does have one notable connection to this country.

As a teenager, Jayawardena was employed as a net bowler when Sri Lanka hosted the 2012 Men’s T20 World Cup.

“I was playing for the Sri Lankan under-19 team at the time and I actually bowled at New Zealand and the West Indies, Zimbabwe and Pakistan.’’ .

The Black Cap he found hardest to bowl at might not be one you expect.

“I think it was Dan Vettori. I got [Brendon] McCullum out, like, three times, but Dan Vettori just kept sweeping me and smashing me down the ground, because I’m a left-arm spinner and I was turning it into him.

“He knew how to play me.’’

Jayawardena comes to Hawke’s Bay from England, where he was the overseas professional for a club in the Lancashire Premier League.

Ordinarily, he’d now be playing first-class cricket in Sri Lanka, where the major domestic competitions usually run from October to March. This year it’s June until November, meaning a change of plans for Jayawardena and other players of his ilk.

That includes bowling-allrounder Vinodh Perera, who’ll play for Cornwall this season once some final visa issues are sorted out.

As an age-group international, Sachin Jayawardena bowled to the Black Caps. Photo / Paul Taylor.

Unlike New Zealand, where first-class cricket is played by major associations such as Central Districts, it’s a club-based system in Sri Lanka.

Perera is a player Jayawardena knows well, having been both teammates and opponents back home.

“We played for the same first-class team [Bloomfield Cricket Club] in 2016 and 2017. That’s the club where Sanath Jayasuriya plied his trade when he was playing for Sri Lanka.

“He [Perera] is a decent allrounder. He bowls right-arm fast and bats middle order. He’s a good cricketer.

“When I scored my first first-class century he was playing for a different club and I think I scored my 100th run against him.’’

The pair will renew that friendly rivalry in time. For now, Jayawardena is expecting to bat at number three when Tardale comes up against Tech.

Cornwall, minus Perera, open their season against Napier Old Boys’ Marist at Nelson Park, while Central Hawke’s Bay host Havelock North at Ongaonga.