Samaraweera keeps 'lucky' bullet

Samaraweera: Good to be back

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Sri Lankan Thilan Samaraweera has revealed he has kept the "very lucky" bullet which injured him in the terrorist attack in Lahore.

The batsman feared his career was over after he was shot in the thigh as the Sri Lankan team bus was ambushed on its way to the Gaddafi Stadium during the second Test in March.

After undergoing surgery to remove the bullet which struck just above the knee, he was then bed-ridden for six weeks.

But he has recovered sufficiently to return for the first Test of the current series against Pakistan, which began in Galle on Saturday.

Safe

Speaking beforehand, Samaraweera told Ten Sports: "I've kept the bullet safe.

"The doctors gave it to my wife, and I've kept it with me. It's a very lucky bullet because it didn't injure me very badly.

"Doctors said it neither damaged a bone nor any of the nerves."

Samaraweera, who hit back-to-back double-centuries against Pakistan before the series was aborted, added: "It was a horrible incident, and I feared for my career.

"The first month was terrible and difficult. I didn't think I would ever play again.

"But then I began to recover - and a couple of weeks ago I played two three-day games and everything was fine. It's good to return to international cricket."