The left-arm orthodox is all set to make his Test debut at 30 years 131 day and bowl in tandem along side Sri Lanka's veteran Rangana Herath in the second Test against India at the SSC ground, Colomobo, from today.
Thirty is the age when most international cricketers start making plans for life after cricket. But, for Sri Lanka's Malinda Pushpakumara it could be just the beginning.
The left-arm orthodox is all set to make his Test debut at 30 years 131 day and bowl in tandem along side Sri Lanka's veteran Rangana Herath in the second Test against India at the SSC ground, Colomobo, from today.
While Herath is a veteran with 385 Test scalps, Malinda, it would be OK to call him rookie in international cricket, comes with an experience of 558 First Class wickets in 99 games. A number that the Indians cannot take lightly.
A look at his profile on the social media may not reveal all about this champion bowler, but can definitely point to how hungry this bowler is to showcase his talent at the highest level. Otherwise, how could someone with wickets in bulk carry on despite being repeatedly snubbed by selectors?
If Herath comes across as an unorthdox left-arm spinner someone whose strength is his pace and accuracy, Pushpakumara is a genuine spinner with good flight and variation with a different action.
"Malinda Pushpakumara can take over from me, and I totally agree on that. If you take his First-Class career, he has taken more than 500 wickets. Those statistics say that he is a very good bowler. Whether I am retired or not, I am sure he is the second option as a left arm spinner," Herath had said of Pushpakumara before the first Test against India last week.
The Colombo-born tweaker is a product of the famous school cricket in Sri Lanka — Lumbini.
"I started playing cricket from Under 13 and captained all the age groups including Under 19. My first tour was with Sri Lanka Under 15 for the Asia Cup," he had told a Sri Lankan newspaper in an interview in 2013.
Pushkumara, who made his First Class debut for Singha Sports Club in Sri Lanka's Premier League Tournament, has appeared for his country in ICC Youth World Cup in 2006 under the captaincy of Angelo Mathews.
However, the cricketer's hard work of 11 years finally got appreciated later after he performed against England A in the two unofficial Test matches where he took 21 wickets. From then on, he has been picked in the squad only for Tests against Bangladesh, Zimbabwe and India.
It will be a case of better late than never for Pushpakumara in achieving his dream of representing Sri Lanka today if he makes it to the playing XI for the second Test against India.
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