It was not the sort of farewell Suranga Lakmal would have wished but the former Sri Lanka captain still drew huge applause from both India and Sri Lanka players.
“One of the best I have seen in my career. I am very happy for him that he’s going to county cricket and I know he will do very well there as well,” captain Dimuth Karunaratne, whose masterly 107 couldn’t save Lanka from defeat on the third day, said.
On Sunday after the end of India’s second innings in Bangalore, India head coach Rahul Dravid, and former captain Virat Kohli congratulated Lakmal on his career.
Lakmal played 69 Tests, taking 170 wickets at an average of 36.4. He has five-wicket hauls in three of the SENA countries, barring England. There’s no doubt that his absence will leave a gaping hole in their attack.
His biggest success as captain was winning the pink-ball Test in Bridgetown. Also being part of the squad, which blanked Australia 3-0 under Angelo Mathews at home in 2016, will stand out.
Lakmal bowled only eight overs in India’s first innings in the second Test where he picked up the wicket of Ravindra Jadeja. In the second innings, he bowled ten overs and conceded 34 runs without taking a wicket.
“I’ve played for 13 years, and now I’m 35. Rather than sticking around for a couple more years, I thought I’d give my place to someone younger. This is the best time to take my leave of Sri Lanka cricket,” Lakmal said in the lead-up to the final Test.
Lakmal said he didn’t wish to drag his career in pursuit of 200 wickets since he wanted youngsters to make use of the opportunity.
Jasprit Bumrah, who cleaned up Lakmal in his final Test innings on Monday, immediately ran up to the Sri Lanka pacer after the dismissal and congratulated him on a fantastic career. Other Indian players also joined in. The gesture drew applause from the Chinnaswamy crowd.
The Lanka pacer will now join Derbyshire and there’s also a possibility of his playing in Australia. “If I can do something for Sri Lanka’s cricket, I’m very happy to do that. I’m not a legend, but whatever little I can do I will do,” he said.
