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Sri Lankan fast bowler Suranga Lakmal had announced that he will bid farewell to international cricket after the Test series against India. As soon as he got out in the second innings of the Bengaluru Test, Team India players were seen congratulating Lakmal on his successful career for the Island Nation.
It was Jasprit Bumrah who started it off, running towards Lakmal after dismissing him. Lakmal then shook hand with rest of the Indian players. The 35-year-old was also given a guard of honour at the boundary line by his Sri Lankan teammates, before he walked back to the pavilion.
Here’s the video:
https://twitter.com/addicric/status/1503349115857514498
Lakmal played 69 Tests, 86 ODIs and 11 T20Is in his 13-year-long international career. He had made his debut during an ODI against India in Nagpur in 2009. The right-arm pacer picked up 287 wickets across formats.
‘Best time for me to leave’
“More than thinking about my performance, I thought about what I can do for my team. 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 was quoted as saying to ESPNcricinfo.
“We’re all playing for this (World) Test Championship and a lot of service is expected of me there, but a lot of the Tests we will play in the rest of the year are in Sri Lanka. We all know that we prepare spinning pitches there. Even if there are just one or two-seamers playing, you have the opportunity to groom someone new,” he added.
