He was educated at South. Thomas" College, Mount Lavinia, where, initially appearing in 1954 aged fourteen, he captained the Thomian cricket team at the Royal Thomian Test series which is known as The Battle of the Blues on two occasions in 1957 and 1958.
He made his first-class debut in March 1959, in the annual Gopalan Trophy encounter with Madras. He played three ODIs in the 1975 World Cup. A stalwart of Sri Lankan cricket, he managed the national team between 2005 and 2007.
The West Indies and Sri Lanka Test series was named as Sobers-Tissera Trophy, with the honor for the service of both cricket legends.
