'The best time to leave, I think more about the team than myself' - Suranga Lakmal ahead of final Test

Sri Lankan veteran pacer Suranga Lakmal will be drawing curtains on his career after playing the second Test match against India starting from March 12 (Saturday) at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru. The right-arm pacer had previously announced that the the upcoming tour of India in February-March 2022 will be his last assignment as a player.

The 35-year-old will look to end his career on a high while helping the visitors to level the series against India. Sri Lanka surrendered in the first Test match against the home side by losing with an innings and 222 runs and will look on to put on a competitive show against the mighty Indians.

Lakmal has represented Sri Lanka in 69 Test matches so far

Lakmal who has represented Sri Lanka in 69 Test matches so far has scalped 170 wickets with an average of 36.37. The 35-year old four five-wicket and seven four-wicket haul while playing for his country. The right-arm pacer goes by an economy of 3.01 in the longest format of the game. Talking about his limited-over career, Lakmal has represented Sri Lanka in 97 matches including both ODIs and T20Is. The veteran pacer has scalped a total of 117 wickets in the white-ball format.

Lakmal emphasised on the fact that he thinks more about the team than his personal performance. “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 told ESPNcricinfo.