Thilan Samaraweera

Sri Lanka batsman Thilan Samaraweera has kept the "lucky" bullet which injured him in the attack in Lahore.

The middle-order batsman was shot in the thigh when the team bus was ambushed by heavily armed terrorist gunmen on its way to the Gaddafi Stadium during the second Test in Lahore in March. Samaraweera was the worst hit, and his injury kept him bed-ridden for six weeks after surgery to remove the bullet which struck just above the knee.

"I've kept the bullet safe," Samaraweera, who has recovered to return for the first Test against Pakistan, which began in Galle on Saturday, told Ten Sports. "The doctors gave it to my wife, and I've kept it with me."

He added: "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 in the aborted series against Pakistan, feared the injury would end his career.

"It was a horrible incident, and I feared for my career," he said. "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."

Several Sri Lankan players suffered injuries although none of them seriously, while three policemen were killed in the attack.