Dhammika Prasad, for one last go in Tests?

Dhammika Prasad was probably a name that was fading in the local cricket circuit, but after a number of injuries to the Sri Lankan fast bowling contingent, there is a buzz around a comeback for the veteran seamer.

Sri Lanka’s front line seamers have all suffered injuries in the recent past, resulting in Suranga Lakmal, Lahiru Kumara and Kasun Rajitha all missing the second and final Test against the South Africans in the New Year. This meant Asitha Fernando was handed a debut in the recent Test, while Dushmantha Chameera returned to the playing XI after a long hiatus. It was fair to say Vishwa Fernando led the attack decently in the second Test as Sri Lanka also made good use of their fast bowling all-rounder, Dasun Shanaka.

Sri Lanka have really dug deep in these trying circumstances to look for fast bowling stock, as they have even recalled Nuwan Pradeep to a red ball training squad ahead of the England series. Pradeep had opted only to play white ball cricket for Sri Lanka in order to prolong his career.

Prasad, 37, last played intentional cricket for Sri Lanka in October, 2015, in a Test against the West Indies. In fact it was the year that he was probably in the form of his life in Test cricket as he went on to capture 41 wickets in just 9 Tests finishing among the top ten wicket takers in 2015.

It all went down hill since then for the former the De Mazenod College cricketer, as a serious shoulder injury sidelined him for a couple of years before he slowly started to make a comeback.

The fighter that Prasad is, he made sure he worked hard to get fitter along with plenty of rehab work for his shoulder, as he played more regularly for his club, SSC and a bit of mercantile cricket for MAS Unichela in last couple of years.

He was also picked up by the Colombo Kings in the recently concluded Lanka Premier League (LPL), though he only featured in a couple of games for his franchise.

It feels like  time is running out for Prasad but his experience could be key as Sri Lanka look to recover from the dark memories of a 0-3 loss in their last home Test series against the Englishmen.

Sri Lanka will take on England in the first Test of the series on the 14th of January, while the second and final Test will be played from the 22nd to the 26th of January. Interestingly, both Tests are set to be played in Galle and Sri Lanka are likely to go in to the Tests with two specialist fast bowlers.