Sri Lankan cricketer Lahiru Thirmanne’s international career is filled with ups and downs. For a once highly-regarded talent, his performances for Sri Lanka never achieved the consistency that was expected of him. Thirimanne made his first-class debut in 2008 for Ragama Cricket Club. It was, however, in the next season that he caught the attention of the Lankan public and the cricket board. In that season, he scored over 700 runs from just eight games. This led to him being offered a place in the ODI team, and he made his international debut against India in 2010. Thirimanne made his Test debut against England in 2011. In a generation of Sri Lankan cricketers who are hard-hitters of the ball, he stood out with his calm and composed nature and a knack for playing freely after wearing down the bowling attack. Equally strong on both feet, he was once compared to Kumar Sangakkara for his temperament, but the lack of consistency always hurt him. He was out of the team from 2016 to 2018, and since his return, he has been considered as a Test specialist. Thirimanne has also been the stand-in captain for the team on various occasions.