Thaindian News

Sydney, Mar 6 (ANI): Sri Lankan batsman Thilan Samarweera, who sustained the worst injuries among Lankan cricketers during a terrorist attack on team bus near Lahores Gaddafi Stadium on Tuesday, is happy to be in Colombo and will resume playing in June.

Samaraweera, who scored successive Test double-centuries in Pakistan, was admitted to a private hospital in Colombo with a bullet injury.

Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene said the decision to remove the bullet was made to protect Samaraweeras long-term playing career.

The bullet, which fortunately missed all nerves, was relatively close to the knee joint so the safest course of action was to remove it, Jayawardene said.

Samaraweera will spend the rest of the week recuperating in hospital and is only expected to resume physical training in two months. He was in good spirits following the operation and clearly relieved to be home.

I am feeling better and Im very happy to be back in Colombo with my wife Erandathie and my children. This has obviously been a very difficult time for them, but we are all relieved the operation was successful, the Sydney Morning Herald quoted Samaraweera, as saying.

The surgeon told us that it must have been a lucky bullet because somehow it missed all the important bits of nerve tissue, tendons and ligaments. I certainly feel lucky to have survived and I would also like to sincerely thank bus driver Mohammad Khalil for showing such courage to get the team bus away from the gunmen, he added.

Others to have minor surgery were Kumar Sangakkara and Ajantha Mendis, who suffered shrapnel wounds. Sangakkara was released from hospital on Thursday and is fine.

Mendis, though, was in surgery for two hours. While he is stable, the 23-year-old spinner has remained in hospital as the wounds were to his head and back. Doctors do not expect him to play cricket for at least a month.

Doctors continue to monitor Tharanga Paranavitana and assistant coach Paul Farbrace. Both are stable and under observation. (ANI)