They say ‘attitude is everything’. A ‘never-say-die’ attitude and fighting character has made Sri Lanka’s bowling spearhead Dhammika Prasad something to reckon with.
He will look right in the eye of the batsman with a grin on his face but try to fright them with his bulging eyes. Prasad will keep running-in hard and hit the deck continuously as the captain demands. Over after over he will give it his all with aggressive intent and untiring effort which is the make-over of this lion-hearted 32-year old right-arm speedster.
During the 3rd Test against India, Prasad used the advantage of a greenish track to ask several questions from the Indian batsmen. He regularly troubled them around the fourth-stump line with a meticulous spell despite having an issue with his neck.
Hailing from a town called Ragama, few kilometers outside Colombo, Prasad started his cricketing journey from De Mazenod College as a top-order batsman. Due to the unavailability of a quality bowler to take the new ball at his alma-mater, Prasad was prompted to open bowl and later found a place in the Sri Lanka under 19 squad for the ICC Youth World Cup in 2002.
Four years later, he made his ODI debut after consistent performances for his club, Sinhalese Sports Club. Prasad’s first-class career speaks volumes of bowling he has done for the last 15 years on a flat track at SSC taking over 300 wickets with an average of 28.00
Prasad became a Test player in 2008 against India where he took a match bag of five-wicket. He played 12 Test matches over the span of 5 years as the first part of his career was hampered by various injuries. During those games he captured 22 wickets but was not a regular member of the Sri Lanka Test team.
“My injuries were the reason I had to continually leave the team in the past, so I talked with the physiotherapist and trainer and figured out what I had to do to stop getting injured. We did work on that. I improved because I bowled a lot in the nets, working on my bowling fitness.” Prasad told on how he was able to curtail the injuries though he missed out the opportunity to play the ICC World Cup in 2015 when he was struck in the hand by a ball bludgeoned back at him by Thisara Perera during training.
Prasad’s career took a serious turn in 2014 when he toured England. His match-winning spell of 5 for 50 in the Leeds Test helped Sri Lanka achieve its first ever Test series win in the British Isles.
Since the Leeds Test, he has taken wickets at every match with an interesting record of scalping a wicket in his very first over on 8 occasions from the last 11 innings. Interestingly, Prasad has captured over 40 wickets during the last 11 Test appearances.
He is a rare find for Sri Lanka because he is able to stanchly hit the seam hard and extract anything out of the surfaces in the island nation which lately has shown some assistance to the faster bowlers. “Bowling on pitches here in Sri Lanka is very tough but presently there is always something for the fast-bowlers” Prasad said.
Many have compared Prasad to Ausralia’s Peter Siddle, both with same approach and attitude to the game. Prasad will always give 110% to the team under any circumstances. Lately, Mathews has turned to Prasad every time he needs a wicket and the quickie has brought home the bacon most times.
After the World Cup, Prasad was drafted back into the squad for the Test series against Pakistan. During the 3-match series, he captured 14 wickets to become the leading wicket-taker for the hosts and Sri Lanka’s only win at P. Sara came due to a terrific 7-wicket match bag by the man with a big heart.
A passionate team player, Prasad recently completed a lifting hat-trick when he became the official lifter of the Sri Lanka team by carrying Muttiah Muralitharan (2010), Mahela Jayawardene (2014) and Kumar Sangakkara (2015) on his shoulders after the legends played their final Test match.
“To play with those three cricketers is my good fortune. They are the three best cricketers from Sri Lanka, I gave them the respect that I could give them.” Prasad told why he keeps on lifting his team mates during their final lap of honour.
In a transition period, Prasad’s services are vital for the Lankans in order to groom a strong Test outfit for the next couple of years. If he is able to save his body from injuries and play passionately putting heart on all what he does as presently, Prasad will no doubt be the leader of the Sri Lanka bowling attack in the years to come.
He also teaches a little lesson to sportsmen and women of what can be achieved when you put your heart and soul into the game.
