Lakhmal gains place at coaching camp

Lakmal Kasturiarachchige, who was one of the youngest players at the ECC European Championships has been rewarded for the promise he has shown at ECC tournaments, both in youth tournaments and for the senior national team, by being awarded one of three places available at Terry Jenner's coaching clinic in London to be held in early January.

Lakhmal, whilst originating from Sri Lanka, has learnt his cricket during his time in Austria, where he has become an automatic choice for his club Concordia CC. He broke into the National Team in 2002, with an impressive spell against MCC during their tour of Austria in June 2002 showing his calibre. Despite being one of the youngest players in the ECC Championships, he was unfazed by the demands of the tournament, despite it being his first experience of grass wickets, where he was Austria's leading wicket-taker along with fellow youth team player Aman Deep, 16.

Gary Palmer, Austrian National Coach, described Lakhmal as having great natural ability and strong technique, showing a great dealer of promise as a genuine all-rounder rather than just as a legspin bowler. He also commended Lakhmal's willingness to learn, and believes that it is only a matter of time before Austria really sees his full potential as a matchwinner.