Dimuth Karunaratne Retires From International Cricket

Sri Lankan Cricketer Dimuth Karunaratne is all set to retire from international cricket after the second Test against Australia in Galle. The test match also marks the 100th test appearance for the veteran opener. Karunaratne's decision comes on the back of poor returns in the format in recent times where he has just scored 182 runs in 7 innings with a solitary half-ton against New Zealand in September last year.

Karunaratne started his international career at the very same venue back in 2012 against the visiting kiwi side. In his first innings, he scored a duck, he returned with a solid 60 in the second essay and helped Sri Lanka to win the match by 10 wickets.

End Of An Era!

Karunaratne has amassed 7172 test runs with 16 tons in his 99-test match career so far. Karunaratne recorded his highest test score of 244 against Bangladesh in 2021. Karunaratne, known for his brilliance, particularly in the longest format of the game has still gone on to represent the Sri Lankan side in the white-ball side with 50 ODI caps & 34 T20I caps. Karunaratne has one ODI ton against Ireland in 2023.

Karunaratne has been of the most solid batters in the test arena in the past decade, Karunaratne scored his maiden ton in 2014 against New Zealand in Christchurch. It was in 2015 that he found his touch as he amassed runs for fun in the red-ball format. Soon he became the permanent opener of the national test side.

He had scored a brilliant196 against Pakistan in a day-night Test in 2017, and in 2019 became captain of the Sri Lankan side. He led Sri Lanka to a famous away series win in South Africa (2-0) becoming the only Asian side to date to have registered a series win on the South African shores.

Due to his great performances with the bat, Karunaratne was also named thrice in the ICC Test Cricket Team of the Year in 2018, 2021, and 2023.