DUBAI, Thursday – Whenever Suranga Lakmal passes through a security metal detector at airports around the world there is an alert sound that comes and he has the embarassing task of explaining to security personnel that he is carrying a piece of metal particle imbedded in his left thigh – a result of that shocking attack by terrorists on the Sri Lankan cricket bus at Lahore in 2009.
Lakmal is the sole survivor in the present Sri Lanka team of that ghastly attack.
Sri Lanka is due to return to Lahore in the current series against Pakistan for their final match - a T20 International to be played on October 29 which is still subject security clearance.
Recalling that incident Lakmal said, “That was my first Sri Lanka tour. I don’t like to talk about that day because mentally I was hurt a lot. We could have been dead. We were lucky. Lord Buddha saved us.
“It was like going for a war without weapons. You are inside a bus and four guys firing at you and you are like sitting ducks. I thought I was dead. A splinter pierced into my left leg. The doctors said not to operate. It is still in my leg,” said Lakmal.
“When I am at airports, I get into trouble as the metal detectors won’t let me go through. What happens is the manager comes and explains and then the security people let me go. Why I have not operated is that the operations take a long time to recover and I will miss out on quite a bit of cricket.
“The other problem is that I can’t get an MRI scan done (because of the metal splinter). I don’t know if I will ever remove it. I will ask the doctors and if they feel that it is not a major harm for my body I will let it remain,” he said.
Lakmal said that he is prepared to go to Lahore again if the team wants him to.
“We have to decide as a team and whatever decision the team takes I will abide by it,” said Lakmal. “I have never worked to my whims and fancies. If I get selected and everyone is willing to go I will go.”
A right-arm fast-medium bowler Lakmal has improved in his bowling greatly that he is now the spearhead of the Lankan bowling attack. The ball that he bowled to get rid of Pakistan top bat Azhar Ali in the second innings at Abu Dhabi was something special.
“We had a small target of 136 and we knew that we needed early wickets.
“I wanted to get the team a wicket with the new ball. Glad I dismissed Azhar. What I did was to go wide of the crease and land that delivery.
“He was surprised by the angle of the ball and he nicked it,” said Lakmal. Azhar was dismissed for a second ball duck and Sri Lanka went onto pull off a stunning 21-run win.
Coming after the thrashing the team received at the hands of India, the win was a welcome relief to the players and the entire supporting staff. “Whatever happened in the Indian series toughened us up. We also worked very hard at our games. We changed a couple of things that we had been doing,” said Lakmal. “We tried hard and I think hard work paid off. We need to make sure we maintain the momentum.”
The 30-year-old fast bowler from Matara has had his fair share of injuries that saw him miss the entire Indian series and a significant portion of the series against Zimbabwe.
“I have been playing non-stop for the last two years and only missed the last two series. I am back to normal and I am feeling good. Playing a Test match after five months or so and I am pretty confident that I will be better off in the next game,” said Lakmal.
“I can’t explain how tough it is to play here. The heat is too much and we are only playing two fast bowlers. When you are representing your country you have to be prepared to do whatever that is required from the team.”
Lakmal said that bowling Nuwan Pradeep at the other end has made his task much easier.
“We started our careers together and we chat a lot. When we get to the hotel we speak for about ten minutes how things were. He is my best friend and we played for Sri Lanka at the same time. We share ideas and stuff like that,” said Lakmal who has done some improvements to his bowling.
“I had a decent line and length. Now I am trying to swing the ball. No point of bowling fast, if you don’t swing the ball, the batsmen will find it easy. You have got to also reverse the ball and that will bring you success.”
One of the main areas of concern in the current team is the lack of contribution from the tailenders to the total and Lakmal has been working hard on his batting to rectify it.
“The coaches have been working with my batting. All the players are backing me. I feel that I have made steady progress. I want to contribute as much as possible with the bat,” said Lakmal who averages 10.51 in Tests and has a top score of 42.
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