'I love staying here in Warrnambool': Import feels at home in seaside city

For the past four years, during the Australian summer, the 27-year-old has followed his passion for cricket and played the game he loves in the south-west, venturing from his homeland in Sri Lanka to feast on opposition teams.

"I really love being here in Warrnambool," he told The Standard ahead of his club's Warrnambool and District division one match against Allansford-Panmure.

"It's a very quiet, peaceful place and it's in the countryside so it's very beautiful.

"I love staying here in Warrnambool. I've really enjoyed it so far."

The talented all-rounder crossed to the Bulls this season in a bid to further challenge himself at a higher level.

He's coming off a successful 2022-23 season with Fernando clinching the association's division two league best and fairest, snaring 18 wickets and making 436 runs playing for Nirranda.

He first played in Australia in 2019-20 with Wangoom in the now-defunct Grassmere association, spending two seasons with the club before crossing to the Knights.

He said he wanted to improve his game and do the best he could for his new team where he has hit 298 runs at 29.80 and taken 10 wickets so far this season.

"With Brierly (Christ Church) I want to make sure I'm giving 100 per cent to the team this year," he said.

"I want to do my best as an all-rounder. Division one is a lot different to division two. I'm aiming to be the best batsman in division one.

"I'm really enjoying it, there's some good pace bowlers and some good turf wickets. It's been a good season so far.

"I want to be the best batsman in the league. I don't know whether I'll be able to do that but I'll try."

Fernando said it was always a tough test coming from the pitches back home in Sri Lanka to the faster, harder Australian decks but he enjoyed the bigger grounds.

"It's very different, in Sri Lanka it favours the spin bowlers more, they are a lot drier pitches to play on," he said.

"In Australia, it is not like that at all. The grounds here are beautiful, the pitches are very good. Everything is really good but it is different."

The Bulls, currently sitting ninth on the division one table, host the top-of-the-ladder Gators at home from 12.30pm on day one on Saturday, January 20.