Deivarayan Muthu … in ..https://www.cricinfo.com/story/for-amshi-de-silva-home-is-where-the-art-is-1548562 .. 6 August 2026 … where the title runs thus: “For Amshi de Silva, home is where the art is”
The Sri Lankan bowler had to make a choice between cricket and family when he moved to the US. Now he has both Amshi de Silva‘s dream was to play international cricket for Sri Lanka. He took a step closer to it when he broke into the Under-19 side for the 2020 U-19 World Cup and the Sri Lanka A side soon after. However, in 2023, he reached a point where he had to choose between a Sri Lanka cap or moving to the USA to be with his family.
De Silva took 13 wickets for Texas Super Kings this season, the most for the side •Sportzpics
De Silva’s father, Amarajith, emigrated there in 2008, seeking a brighter future for the family. He worked at a gas station before serving as a missionary chaplain. But de Silva’s mother, older brother and sister remained with him in Sri Lanka. While de Silva’s rise through the ranks, from Galle’s Richmond College, was fairly swift, it came at the cost of being away from his father.
His mother had declared, “If Amshi is not coming to the USA, then I’m also not coming.” So, to reunite his family, de Silva gave up hopes of a career in Sri Lankan cricket in 2023 and moved to the USA. With his family by his side, he began to chase a new dream: the American Dream.
After slogging away in local tournaments and the Minor League, de Silva made his MLC debut for Texas Super Kings in MLC 2026, in front of his family, and emerged as the season’s breakout star, picking up 13 wickets in ten innings at an economy rate of 8.70. It grabbed the attention of LA Knight Riders head coach Dwayne Bravo, who has now brought him to Trinbago Knight Riders for this year’s CPL.
“It’s like a dream come true for all of us as a family to be together and then for them to see me playing cricket on one of the biggest stages, especially in the USA,” de Silva says. “The MLC month was unforgettable because everyone got to visit some places that we hadn’t visited before and travel together and all of that. We haven’t done it for 16-17 years. “In Sri Lanka I was playing alongside Dilshan Madushanka and Matheesha Pathirana [at the U-19 level]. I wanted to play for the national team at the time, but I believe God had a different plan and was leading me to the USA. So I was confident enough to come to the USA with my family and start the journey from scratch again.”
When de Silva tried to hide a back-of-the-hand slower variation outside off, Powell caught up with it and launched it for a 102-metre six. The second ball was an inch-perfect yorker, and the next was a 142kph thunderbolt that rushed Powell and wrecked his stumps. Bravo, looking on, all but locked in his new recruit for TKR, where too he is head coach.
“Yeah, the first ball, [Powell] got me over my head,” de Silva recalls. “The yorker is my stock ball in the death overs – my plan is to hit the shoe, heel or the stumps. The second ball went good, and I felt Powell was waiting for another fuller ball. So I pulled the length back and wanted to go hard with the scramble-seam. It skidded through and hit the stumps.
“After that game, Bravo spoke to me and said I would be getting more opportunities. He gave me hope about the CPL and gave me a call afterwards, about joining TKR. I think the Knight Riders’ team will be happier with me in the team than me taking wickets against them,” he laughs. “CPL is one of the leagues I was looking forward to because of the experience I could gain. [Nicholas] Pooran, [Kieron] Pollard, Bravo – many great West Indies cricketers and playing alongside them will be huge for me.”
De Silva had produced his standout MLC performance against San Francisco Unicorns in Oakland in June. He blasted out openers Finn Allen and Lhuan-dre Pretorius with the new ball en route to figures of 4 for 28 in his four overs, which enabled TSK to defend 161.
“Playing the MLC is a huge privilege for me,” de Silva says. “There are many great players involved in the league and taking out one of the best T20 batters in the world [Allen] is a great boost for my confidence. Even in the CPL, I will have some great batters to bowl against and it gives me confidence.”
De Silva also caught the eye in the field in that game, dashing across to his left from sweeper cover, swooping down on the ball and nailing an incredible direct hit to dismiss Sanjay Krishnamurthi.
Watch THIS Piece of Fielding: https://www.instagram.com/reels/DaA5OUOFIn1/
“I love fielding in the outfield. I always love to stop the ball and do hard throws,” de Silva says. “And as soon as I caught the ball, I saw Krishnamurthi was running the second run and I wanted to have a full flat throw on top of the stumps. It hit the wickets and I was really glad that it was one of my greatest moments in the field too.”
He later watched replays of that direct hit, which would have made his hero, Tillakaratne Dilshan, proud.
“I really loved seeing TM Dilshan play because of his fielding and attitude in the field,” de Silva says. “His batting, bowling, fielding – everything. I was excited seeing him playing in the 2011 ODI World Cup, especially the caught-and-bowled he took of Virat Kohli. His Dilscoop inspired me since I was a child. I love seeing him play even now in the Legends League.”
De Silva believes that staying alert on the field has rubbed off on his batting and improved his overall cricketing IQ.
“I always wanted to be a good fielder who has energy throughout the innings,” he says. “[Whether] it’s a T20, 50-over, or five-day Test cricket, I always wanted to keep that energy in the field. When it comes to batting also, when I’m in the dugout, I always want to keep watching the game and to analyse the bowlers and fielders. I want to become a player who has game awareness. I know there are plenty of talented cricketers, skillful cricketers, but I always want to be a player who is thinking ahead of other players.”
Working with Bravo, who is regarded as one of the best bowling strategists in T20 cricket, will help. During the MLC, Bravo had Jason Holder and Shadley van Schalkwyk operate from round the wicket to shut down batters. Will de Silva perform a similar role for TKR?
“Bravo has been playing this game for a long time,” de Silva says. “He has experience, especially playing for Chennai Super Kings in the IPL. Definitely [I will gain] more [knowledge] of tactics, more skills and more game awareness from him, which will be huge for my career going forward.”
With Andre Russell moving to Jamaica Kingsmen, defending champions TKR will look up to de Silva and local seam-bowling allrounder Justin Greaves to balance their line-up. A good season for TKR in the CPL could give wings to de Silva’s American Dream. After all, there aren’t too many bowlers in the USA who possess the range of variations he currently does.
“I’ve already got some invitations to play some local open tournaments, which is a big deal here in the USA because we have only a few turf tournaments after MLC and Minor League,” he says. “There’s CPL for TKR and hopefully I get to play more global tournaments after that.
“Many cricketers come up to me now and ask if I actually see a way to play for the national team? I would confidently say there’s a way, but we have to go through the process.”
At one point, de Silva feared that the long and winding road from Galle to Dallas might result in a dead end, but the leap of faith he took for his family is now beginning to open up new paths.
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