Tharanga Paranavitana is a tall, upright opening batsman who came into prominence during the Emerging Team Trophy in Sri Lanka in 2003. A run of consistent scores on the domestic scene followed, but it was Paranavitana's career-best 236 off 392 balls that helped Sinhalese SC clinch the 2007-08 Premier League Tier A title which furthered his opportunities at the international level. He made three hundreds during SSC's successful campaign and finished as the leading run-getter for the season with 893 runs at 74.41, and followed up with a century and two half-centuries in the unofficial Tests that Sri Lanka A played in South Africa. Named after that tour by coach Chandika Hathurusingha as a future prospect for Sri Lanka, Paranavitana earned a maiden Test cap in Pakistan in early 2009.