Ranasinghe Arachchige Suranga Lakmal was born on 10th March 1987. Lakmal is a right arm medium fast bowler and doubles up as a right handed batsman. Lakmal received his education at Debarawewa Madya Maha Vidyalaya when he was residing in Hambantota District. Then he moved on to study at Richmond College in Galle. At Debarawewa Central,his talent was first recognized by Sri Lanka’s national coaches. His trajectory in Debarawewa through Richmon College and then to Tamil Union was observed up close. His height was a big advantage on his side, though he lacked the stamina of bowling long spells.
Career Highlights:
- He debuted in List A on behalf of Tamil Union Cricket and Athletic Club on November 17th 2007 and picked up 2 wickets.
- Tamil Union Cricket and Athletic Club also debuted him in First Class match against Nondescripts Cricket Club on 17th January 2008 at Colombo where he bagged 1 wicket.
- His Test debut was against West Indies in 2010 at Colombo
- He played his first ODI in Nagpur against India on December 18th 2009
- Lakmal’s first T20I was on 25th June 2011 at Bristol against England. He bagged 2 wickets and Sri Lanka won the match by 9 wickets.
Lakmal has been a part of the Sri Lankan national team since. Other than the national team and Tamil Union Cricket and Athletic Club, he has also played for Basnahira South, Sri Lanka A and Matara Sports Club. Chandika Hathurusingha marked him along with two other players as a gem while he was coaching the Sri Lanka A in 2008.