More Shrapnel Removed from Ajantha Mendis - More Surgery is Performed

Ajantha Mendis required another round of surgery recently when scans revealed more shrapnel lodged in his scalp and back.

With his head almost completely wrapped in bandages, Mendis celebrated his 24th birthday today at the Nawaloka hospital in Colombo surrounded by friends and family.

He was still feeling some pain as the pain killers wore off.

A heavy security presence was also noted outside Ajantha’s room.

Pakistan are yet to make a breakthrough in their investigation. According to the Times Online the perpetrators may have already fled to the lawless tribal areas of Pakistan's North Western border with Afghanistan.

The sources said they feared that the rest of the 12 gunmen who attacked the Sri Lankans’ convoy on Tuesday had fled to Pakistan’s northern tribal areas, from where al-Qaeda and Taleban militants operate.

It is said that this is the same region where Bin Laden evaded capture many times. What chance does the Pakistani government have of capturing these individuals when the US with all their technology and man power could not find the tallest man in the region - A journalist who met bin Laden in the 1990s described him as 6 feet 4 inches in height.

So it seems inevitable the criminals who tarnished Pakistan's image and almost took the lives of Sri Lanka's national cricketers may never be brought to justice.

Ajantha Mendis still in hospital

Star spinner Ajantha Mendis, who underwent surgery on returning home after last Tuesday’s terror strike in Lahore, is still in Colombo’s Nawaloka Hospital.

While the Sri Lanka cricketers don’t have national engagements till the ICC World T20 meet in the first week of June, Mendis (and some of his compatriots) have Indian Premier League commitments to fulfil from next month.

Mendis is on the rolls of the Shah Rukh Khan-owned Kolkata Knight Riders. He was taken on board rather late in the inaugural season, last year, but is expected to be one of the impact-players in edition No.2.

“I can’t give you the exact date for Ajantha’s discharge… Perhaps, in another couple of days… The area (lower part of the head, right side) requires regular dressings, something which can’t be done in his house,” the premier hospital’s medical administrator told.

Source : The Telegraph
__________________

Real close shave for Ajantha Mendis | Sri lankan Team attacked in Pak

Ajantha Mendis, who made such a splash on his Sri Lanka debut last year and is a Shah Rukh Khan Knight, had a much closer escape than reported in the hours immediately after Tuesday morning’s terror strike in Lahore.

“The doctors haven’t confirmed, but it’s feared that a bullet grazed the right side of Ajantha’s head… It’s not that he was struck by shrapnel only,” Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) chief executive Duleep Mendis told.

Speaking from Colombo on Wednesday evening, Mendis added: “Ajantha’s in hospital, as are four others… There’s some concern over (Thilan) Samaraweera, who took bullets in his leg and has undergone surgery, but the others should be discharged in a couple of days…”

Ajantha, Samaraweera, captain-in-waiting Kumar Sangakkara, Tharanga Paranavitana and assistant coach Paul Farbrace have all been admitted to the Nawaloka Hospital in Colombo, Sri Lanka’s premier medical institution.

While Mendis didn’t say that Ajantha too had been operated upon, a spokesman for the hospital conveyed that in as many words.

“I don’t have details, but Ajantha has also undergone surgery… His wound necessitated that,” a gentleman who identified himself as being from the “administrative side,” said around 10 pm.

Ajantha, an armyman, is days away from his 24th birthday.

Meanwhile, according to Mendis, SLC intends “doing something” for the team bus driver, Mohammad Khalil, who kept calm and drove the vehicle to safety.

From Sangakkara to Muttiah Muralidharan, everybody has praised Khalil for his courage and presence of mind.

“We’ll be doing something for the driver… We’re very appreciative of the role he played… Right now, though, our priority is to see that the injured are quickly back to good health,” Mendis pointed out.

Mendis, a former captain, too had gone to Lahore on the special flight which brought the Mahela back home.

The Sri Lanka cricketers don’t have international commitments till the World T20 meet in England, which begins on June 5.

So, there’s time to recover from the wounds, both physical and emotional.

Source : The Telegraph.