Sometimes, the numbers don’t tell the entire story. Therefore you have got no idea how much the Sri Lankan team will miss Suranga Lakmal.
Those of us who have watched most of his 68 Tests, seen how he trains himself and his leadership role in lifting Tamil Union cricket have a fair idea about the man. He is lionhearted guy who tried to give more than what he had. As a fast bowler, he achieved what even Wasim and Waqar couldn’t achieve; to bowl Sri Lanka to a historic Test series win in South Africa. As captain, he achieved what even Dhoni and Chappells couldn’t, winning a Test match in Barbados, the fortress of West Indies.
In the current team, there’s no better role model than Suranga Lakmal. There were individuals who tried to persuade him to stay on at least till the end of the current World Test Championship cycle, but the two year deal with Derbyshire is quite tempting. It sums up to four years of earnings playing Test cricket.
County Cricket can be a killer for fast bowlers. When you are the team’s overseas professional you are expected to be the x factor anyway. It’s tougher for fast bowlers simply because of the volume of games that you have got to be playing. With Lakmal making himself available for all formats, there’d be hardly any breathing space for him for six months as there’s non-stop cricket all around UK. That’s why you have got to admire Lakmal.
Any player going to turn 35 would have preferred early international retirement and a couple of T-20 leagues where your workload isn’t too demanding. But Lakmal has set his benchmark higher. It’s going to be quite a grind and keeping fit is going to play a big part.
It looks like Mickey Arthur is busy forming the nucleus of Derbyshire side ahead of the season. The first signing he’s done is that of Lakmal and that must be because he knows what exactly to expect from his once trusted fast bowler.
Lakmal had many highs during his Test career that stretched for 13 years. His best memory must be the Port Elizabeth win which gave the team the series win and Sri Lanka became the first and so far only Asian team to win a series in South Africa. With a first innings lead of 68 runs, South Africa were looking to square the series in the second Test having reached 91 for five. Then Lakmal was called up for his second spell and many expected him to do a containing job. But he ran through South Africa’s lower middle order and then the tail. His eight over spell saw him conceding 12 runs and claiming four wickets. There was no turning back from thereon as Sri Lanka sealed the deal chasing a paltry 197.
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Sri Lanka broke tradition when they appointed Lakmal as the Test captain. Never before had there been a fast bowler as their captain although there had been exceptional leaders among quicks over the years.
Before being appointed as Sri Lanka’s Test captain, Lakmal had shown superb leadership qualities in domestic cricket leading Tamil Union to the title. He was a sensation as captain having won three Tests in a row. It started in Barbados and concluded with a 2—0 drubbing of Proteas at home.
Australia perhaps took a leaf out of Sri Lanka’s books by handling the reins to Pat Cummins.
Lakmal’s premature retirement leaves a void that Sri Lanka need to figure out how to fill. They can pick Dushmantha Chameera as their leading quick in Test match cricket but that would be placing too much burden on the injury prone fast bowler. Those are pretty big shoes that Lakmal is leaving as he’s the nation’s second most successful fast bowler in Test match cricket with 168 scalps.
It also sends a strong message to look after players who feature in just one format of the game. The current contract system is performance based and while it looks after well those who engage in multiple formats, the single format players tend to quit early to maximize earnings. It happened with Thisara Perera and Isuru Udana last year and now it has happened with Suranga Lakmal.
Those player who engage in Test match cricket alone are at the receiving end most. Someone like Dimuth Karunaratne was world’s third highest run scorer last year and he was ranked eighth by the ICC. But there is a good possibility that someone who has been not as prolific as him but plays all three formats getter a better contract as Dimuth only plays Tests. If that happens, the authorities at least need to reintroduce seniority payment that was scrapped last year. The nation can not afford to have more premature retirements.
