Lakmal and Thirimanne to join tottering tourists
View(s):By S.R. Pathiravithana
To realign the leaning tower of Sri Lanka cricket the selection committee have picked fast bowler Suranga Lakmal and up and coming batsman Lahiru Thirimanne to join the Lankan touring squad with an eye for the Third Test which will begin at the Sydney Crcket ground, Australia.
This situation arose after left arm paceman Chanaka Welagedera broke down with a hamstring injury during the second Test while Kumar Sangakkara and Prasanna Jayawardena were hit by the Aussie bouncers and ended up with broken fingers.
Lahiru Thirimanne is due to leave the island today while Lakmal will leave for Australia tomorrow.
Thirimanne who has played in seven Test matches is seen as a Lankan next generation player and has a top score of 68 against Pakistan in Abu Dhabi last year.
However he was left out of the Australian tour after he had a poor run with the bat against New Zealand just prior to their departure.
Twenty five year old paceman Suranga Lakmal was out of the national squad with injury since the England series which was played at home in April. Lakmal has played twelve Tests for the country and has captured nineteen wickets with a best of 3 for 55 against Australia in Galle last year.
It is also reported that at least three elected members of Sri Lanka Cricket are in Australia at present enjoying an all paid rest which includes a US$ per diem.
Meanwhile Sri Lanka coach Graham Ford talking to the Australian Associated Press has reserved judgement on whether his side’s woeful second Test batting display was due to a lack of character.
Rarely has a side left the MCG in a more sorry state than Friday’s third day of play as Australia bowled Sri Lanka out for 103 to claim victory by an innings and 201 runs.
Lahiru Thirimanne (L) is considered as a next generation batsman for Sri Lanka while Suranga Lakmal (R) will have an opportunity to stamp his authority as a fast bowler.
The ICC’s 2012 Test player of the year Kumar Sangakkara retired hurt on 27 with a broken finger that required surgery and will keep the left-handed batsman out of action for two months.
Wicketkeeper Prasanna Jayawardene (fractured thumb) and tailender Chanaka Welagedara (hamstring) didn’t even bat in the second innings and both are in doubt for the third Test in Sydney starting on January 3.
Sri Lanka trail 2-0 in the three-match series and are desperately seeking more soldiers to throw into battle against Australia’s fired-up pace attack led by Mitchell Johnson, who claimed 4-63 and 2-16 in Melbourne.
The left-arm quick, who caused the injuries to Sangakkara and Prasanna Jayawardene, said tourists simply didn’t like it short on Australia’s bouncy pitches and were intimidated.
“I was surprised because I have often spoken about the fight that Sri Lankan cricketers show,” Ford said on Saturday.
“Right now it feels like the worst Test match I’ve been involved in. I don’t think I’ve been involved in a defeat inside of three days.
“Our batsmen did find some of the bounce difficult and they had the bowlers to really exploit that.
“I’d like to think that it wasn’t the fact that they didn’t show character. It’s something that we’ll have to talk about a bit over the next few days.
“He (Johnson) certainly looked very hostile. The conditions suited him and he was possibly highly motivated because of being left out once or twice.
“Generally the feeling is that when he’s on song, he really is a major handful.”
Sri Lanka have a world-class paceman of their own currently in Australia but Lasith Malinga has retired from the five-day game and at 29 is plying his trade for Melbourne Stars in the Twenty20 Big Bash competition.
“We certainly need him. As far as I know he’s contracted to play in the Big Bash at the moment so not available to us,” Ford said.
Pace bowler Nuwan Kulasekara didn’t play in Melbourne because of a cracked rib which he suffered in the first Test in Hobart and he’s also in doubt for Sydney.
Dinesh Chandimal is expected to play as a wicketkeeper/batsman in Sydney in what will be the 23-year-old’s fifth Test.
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