Sports
Time to go under the knife Lakmal
by Rex Clementine
Sri Lanka ‘A’ tour of South Africa in 2008 was a resounding success and coach Chandika Hathurusinghe earmarked three players to have an impact with the senior side. Less than a year later, two of those players – Tharanga Paranavithana and Suranga Lakmal were taken to Pakistan on their maiden tour. Literally, it was a baptism of fire as the Sri Lankan team bus came under a terroist attack at Liberty roundabout in Lahore.
Both Paranavithana and Lakmal were badly hurt. Medical experts advised Lakmal to take a break from cricket to remove the splinters on his right arm from the gunfire. Lakmal asked how long he will be out of cricket. Doctors opined that he will be out for close to two years as it was a complicated surgery with splinters spread all around his leg. It was a killer blow as Lakmal had barely started his career. In desperation, Lakmal asked for a second opinion, he was told that he could continue playing cricket as the ‘foreign objects’ are not life threatening and that he could eventually go under the knife when he is done with cricket. Lakmal chose that path. And he was a sensation.
Lakmal has a few tricks up his sleeves. Over the years, he has given us a few surprises. Last night as sports reporters were quietly retiring to taste their arrack came the news that Lakmal is retiring from all forms of international cricket at the end of the upcoming tour of India later this month. And the good news is having waited for 13 long years, he will finally go under the knife.
Carrying ‘foreign objects’ in his body had many challenges. During Lakmal’s overseas travels he needed to take with him all sorts of medical reports as he faces numerous obstacles passing security. He can not go pass metal detectors as they warn of presence of ‘foreign objects’ in the body and security thoroughly check him. Being from rural Debarawewa in the Hambantota district, Lakmal is not the most fluent in English and often the team manager has to come to his rescue.
Lakmal has been a terrific servant of Sri Lankan cricket. His 168 Test wickets is the fourth highest among Sri Lankans and he is the second most successful fast bowler produced by the nation.
A son of a farmer, Lakmal came to Colombo to try his luck in cricket. He was fortunate to meet President’s Counsel Dinal Philips, who was a father figure to him and he looked into every need of the youngster. Soon as Lakmal cemented his place in the side following the retirement of Chaminda Vaas money and fame followed him. It was thanks to Philips that he didn’t go out of track. Temptations for a youngster coming from a rural village to go astray in the city are many. Lakmal firmly focused on his cricket.
Lakmal has been a loyal servant of Sri Lankan cricket. He’s been an absolute team player and hugely popular among the playing group. His biggest achievement in the sport came at Kensington Oval in 2018 when he skippered Sri Lanka to a thrilling four wicket win. He is the only captain from Asia to have won a Test match in Barbados, the fortress of West Indies cricket.
The only blemish in Lakmal’s career remains his involvement in card games in Galle as Sri Lanka were slipping to a painful defeat against England last year. It was a rare moment of indiscretion. Overall, he has been a terrific bloke, champion bowler, inspirational captain and above all a good human being.
Delhi Capitals’ (DC) signing of Bangladesh fast bowler Mustafizure Rahman for the remainder of IPL 2025 has hit a snag, with the BCB stating that it hasn’t been approached for a no-objection certificate (NOC).
Usually, the IPL only announces signings after a player has received an NOC from his home board. According to its CEO Nizamuddin Chowdhury, however, the BCB had yet to receive a request for one.
“Mustafizur is supposed to go with the team to the UAE according to the schedule,” Chowdhury told ESPNcricinfo on Wednesday. “We have not received any communication from IPL officials. I have also not received any such official communication from Mustafizur either.”
Mustafizur is part of the Bangladesh T20I squad that is due to play back-to-back away T20I series against UAE and Pakistan, both of which clash with the IPL. On Wednesday, hours after the IPL announced his signing as a replacement for Jake Fraser-McGurk, Mustafizur flew out to Dubai with the rest of Bangladesh’s squad.
Bangladesh are due to play two T20Is in the UAE on May 17 and 19, followed by five in Pakistan on May 25, 27 and 30, and June 1 and 3. Those two series are in conflict with the IPL; DC are set to play their last three league matches on May 18, 21 and 24, followed by the playoffs should they get there.
ESPNcricinfo has sought a response from DC on this development.
[Cricinfo]
Sprinter Aruna Dharshana who is undergoing treatments for an injury he sustained during the World Relays, is racing against time to recover for the Asian Athletics Championships which will be held in South Korea later this month.
The 400 metres specialist is one of the two sprinters slated to compete in the one lap race. He is also a key member of the men’s 4×400 metres and 4×400 metres mixed relays alongside Kalinga Kumarage.
“Currently Dharshana is undergoing treatments. We are hopeful that he will recover in time for the Asian Championships,” Dharshana’s coach Asanka Rajakaruna told ‘The Island’.
“Sri Lanka Athletics will conduct a fitness test before the Asian Championships. Hopefully he will be ready by that time,” said Rajakaruna.
Sri Lanka Athletics earlier said that a fitness test will be held to assess the strength of the 20 strong team selected for the biennial event.
Sri Lanka fielded only a mixed relay team for the recently held World Relays in Guangzhou, China where an injury to Dharshana cost them a chance to achieve a top performance and a probable ticket to the World Championships in Tokyo later this year.
Sri Lanka won a historic gold medal in the men’s 4×400 metres at the last edition of the Asian Athletics Championship in Bangkok Thailand where the team inclusive of Dharshana beat India to the second place with a new championship record time of 03:01.56 seconds.
Kalinga Kumarage who did the anchor leg and Dharshana are the only members from that gold winning team selected for the upcoming event.
Dharshana is the only Sri Lankan athlete to have clocked sub 45 seconds in the 400 metres after legendary Sugath Thilakaratne.
Dharshana and Kumarage hold the second and third places respectively in the list of fastest times achieved in the 400 metres by Sri Lankan athletes. Dharshana has a personal best of 44.99 seconds achieved during the last Olympic games.
by Reemus Fernando
110th Colombo Championships
Dinara de Silva bagged her second title of the Colombo Championships as she partnered Inuki Jayaweera to record straight sets victory in the women’s doubles final played at the Sri Lanka Tennis Association clay courts on Wednesday.
Dinara and Inuki beat Venuli Jayasinghe and Sandithi Usgodaarachchi 6-2, 6-3 in the doubles final.
Incidentally, it was the second title of the tournament for both Dinara and Inuki.
While Dinara won the women’s singles and doubles titles, Inuki was the winner of the mixed doubles and the women’s doubles.
Women’s doubles results
Semi-finals
Dinara de Silva and Inuki Jayaweera beat Dulkini Ranasinghe and Tania Doloswala 6-3, 6-2
Venuli Jayasinghe and Sandithi Usgodaarachchi beat Bovindee Imihamy and Siyara Devappriya 6-3, 6-0.
Quarter-finals
Venuli Jayasinghe and S. Usgodaarachchi beat Tuvini de Alwis and Hasali Gajaba 6-4, 5-7, 10-3.
Dinara de Silva and Inuki Jayaweera beat Nimasha Shehara and Arushi Thomas 6-1, 6-3.
Dulkini Ranasinghe and Tania Doloswala beat Diyansa de Silva and Lihini Jayakody 4-6, 6-3, 10-6.
Bovindee Imihamy and Siyara Devappriya received a walkover from Gehansa Methnadi and Akeesha Silva.
Second lot of luxury and decommissioned vehicles owned by the Presidential Secretariat sold
President approves establishment of Anti-Corruption Investigation Units in Provincial Councils and LG Institutions
Seven new envoys to Sri Lanka present credentials to the President
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