Former Sri Lankan cricket team captain Dimuth Karunaratne is on the verge of announcing his retirement from international cricket, as he is set to play in his 100th Test, which will be the second and, most likely, final game between Sri Lanka and Australia, commencing in Galle on Thursday.
He is one of Sri Lanka’s finest batsmen, having scored 7,172 runs in 99 Tests, with an average of just under 40, including a total of 16 hundred and 34 fifties, over nearly fourteen years. He has also been active in 50 ODIs, aggregating 1,316 runs, with a hundred and 11 fifties.
“The past couple of years, broadly due to the World Test Championship, have seen very little in ways of bilateral series. I am retiring in my form after 100 Tests, with the ending of the current WTC cycle, 2023-2025,” Karunaratne told Daily FT.
“I moved to Australia with my family next month. I made my first-class debut for Sinhalese Sports Club in 2008, and I will play my final match for them against NCC in the SLC Major Club three-day tournament from February 14 to 16.”
“I have some personal plans of my own. I decided upon retirement only after I talked with some senior players like Angelo Mathews and Dinesh Chandimal.”
“I feel it is better for the three of us not to retire at the same time, but rather one by one. I thought I will retire first because I know I cannot go for my next target of 10,000 runs with the number of Tests being played now.”
“I think I have achieved more or less what I had aimed at. It is just fitting that I bid farewell with a happy moment such as playing in my 100th Test.”
It can be remembered that Karunaratne was recently out of form with scores of 7 and 0 for Sri Lanka in the first Test against Australia, where they suffered a humbling defeat by an innings and 242 runs to be down 0-1 in the two-Test series.
“The dream of every cricketer is to play 100 Tests and to reach the milestone of 10,000 runs in international cricket-a big achievement for that matter. When you start playing cricket, no one thinks of those goals, but when you continue to play, you have to pass different targets,” he said.
“But as Sri Lanka played fewer Test matches each year, reaching 10,000 runs seems like far-fetched. I feel it’s a huge achievement to reach 100 Tests,” he said.
For him, looking back on his career, it would be one of near-satisfaction due to its longevity.
“Many cricketers play Test cricket, but only a few manage to make a hundred appearances in their careers. Joining that elite club gives me immense satisfaction. It is a proud moment to become Sri Lanka’s seventh cricketer to reach the 100-Test mark,” he concluded.
