Kulasena makes moves from Subbies to Cricket Southern Bayside
After leading Endeavour Hills to the T20 crown last season, Brian Kulasena has been named captain of McKinnon, which has picked up two other classy recruits.
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Out of the Hills and into the Heat.
Endeavour Hills Sub-District captain-coach Brian Kulasena has transferred to McKinnon in Division 1 of Cricket Southern Bayside.
As captain-coach Rohan Best moves on, all-rounder Kulasena assumes two key roles with the Heat: First XI captain and junior coach.
He will also work with batting coach Jason Watts and bowling coach Andrew Van Den Dungen as McKinnon looks to put a greater focus on developing the skills and knowledge of its younger players across all grades.
Watts and Van Den Dungen are both former players at the club.
In his only season at Endeavour Hills, Kulasena led the Hills to the Twenty20 title, their first major achievement in the Sub-District cricket.
He’s also had stints in the Ferntree Gully and West Gippsland association.
His middle-order batting and spin bowling will strengthen a Heat team that finished third in 2019-20.
McKinnon has also recruited opening bowler Praveen Dilanka and batsman Aruna Dharmasena.
Dilanka played with Vermont South in the Box Hill Reporter association last season, taking 27 wickets. He was previously at Templestowe, where he also showed his ability with the bat by making a century.
Dharmasena, 26, has been a heavy scorer in the North Metro Cricket Association, no surprise given he played first-class cricket in Sri Lanka.
McKinnon president Paul Cox said the recruits were experienced cricketers and would compliment the club’s group of young players.
Dilanka will help the Heat overcome the loss of opening bowler Malan Mudasanka, who jagged 26 wickets at 13.35 last season.
The Heat have re-signed all-rounder Wade King for two more years.
Living in regional Victoria, King hasn’t trained in the McKinnon nets for a minute, but he was superb last season with 399 runs, including an innings of 150, and 25 wickets.
He also played for the Victorian indigenous XI at the national championships, well enough to be selected in the ‘Black Caps’ team of the tournament.
King has now moved to Melbourne.
The Heat have another emerging player in all-rounder Dylan Thomas, the son of former Cricket Victoria chairman Russell Thomas.
McKinnon has four turf teams and six junior sides.
Kulasena will coach the junior one night per week, rotating between the Under 12, 14 and 16 teams.
Cox has been involved with the club for many years and has been president for two.
He never thought he’d be navigating the Heat through a pandemic.
“Pre-season training is booked and we’re all ready to go,’’ he said. “It’s just a matter of waiting to see what we can actually do. We’re in the hands of the government.’’
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