Ex-SL cricketer Thirimanne meets with major road accident, pic of damaged car surfaces

Sri Lanka's Lahiru Thirimanne on Thursday, March 14, met with a horrific car accident, causing minor injuries to the cricketer. The incident took place at the Thirapanne locality in Anuradhapura. Upon hitting a lorry, the car in which Thirimanne was seated got damaged severely, causing disturbing scenes at the spot where the event took place.

Reportedly, the former cricketer suffered minor injuries and is free from any major amputations, thereby giving a huge sigh of relief to his family and well-wishers. Having retired from cricket in 2022, the 34-year-old has been away from the game and isn't much in the know. However, such a major accident does spread concern among the cricketer's fans, as the batter had played an indispensable part at a stage when Sri Lankan cricket was suffering a major pivot in its squadron.

Thirimanne's career timeline

A solid left-hand batter, Thirimanne was an instant choice for national selectors, once they realized the nearing ouster of Sanath Jayasuriya and TM Dilshan, and hence, the then 21-year-old debuted against India during the Bangladesh tri-series in 2010. Promising starts meant that he became a regular feature in the Sri Lankan squad in his initial few years, although not always in the playing combination.

Soon after Dilshan's retirement, Thirimanne became a go-to batter, but with dynamic batting positions, mostly confined to the top-order. Handful experience and leadership qualities also saw the southpaw lead the national side in the absence of Angelo Mathews.

The times were tough for the island nation, though, as their cricket saw a major slop in dominating oppositions, especially after legends like Lasith Malinga, Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene called it a day. Hence, the Moratuwa-born couldn't flourish much, as there was always a pressure to perform in a side, which not so long ago used to be a formidable force, which the oppositions would look forward to.

The board's decision to revamp the setup and give rebirth to the dominance meant that the top-order saw Kusal Mendis, Avishka Fernando, and Pathum Nissanka get the nod ahead of Thirimanne, who eventually said goodbye to the game in 2022.

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