OTD| Thilan Samaraweera, who took a bullet in the leg during the Lahore terror attack on the Sri Lankan team bus in 2009, was born in 1976

Thilan Samaraweera was born on this day in 1976. The former Sri Lankan cricketer was known for his ability to save his side from difficult scenarios. He will also be remembered as ‘Bullet Samaraweera’ for taking the bullet in the terror attack on the Sri Lankan team bus in Lahore in 2009. Samaraweera was one of the grittiest batters of his time.

Thilan was born in Sri Lanka’s Colombo and made his Test debut in August 2001 against India. His last Test was against Australia in January 2013. He made his ODI debut in November 1998 against India and retired after playing the final against the same team in the ODI World Cup 2011. He will be known as one of the best Sri Lankan batters.

Thilan had a great record in Tests for Sri Lanka. Especially at home, it was not easy to dismiss him. Samaraweera played 81 Tests and scored 5462 runs at an average of 48.76. He smashed 14 hundreds and 30 fifty-plus scores with a best score of 231. His limited-overs career wasn’t as fancy. Thilan had a great record in FC cricket.

In the domestic format, he played 271 matches and scored 15501 runs at an average of 48.59. He smashed 43 tons and 76 fifty-plus scores for his team. In FC cricket, he particularly had a good record with the ball. Thilan claimed 357 wickets at an impressive bowling average of 23.43. At the highest level, SL did not require his services as a bowler.

In ODIs, Samaraweera played 53 matches and scored 862 runs. He averaged 27.80 as a batter and scored 2 hundreds. Barring the two big knocks, he was inconsistent in the shorter format and hence did not get as many chances. Thilan was the runner-up in the ODI World Cup 2011 which was won by India. He has coached teams like Bangladesh, Australia, New Zealand, and Sri Lanka at the highest level.

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