Former Sri Lanka captain Dimuth Karunaratne is ready to retire from worldwide cricket after taking part in his one hundredth Check, which would be the second and remaining match towards Australia beginning on Thursday. The 36-year-old, one of the crucial prolific batters for Sri Lanka, has scored 7,172 runs at a mean of just below 40, with 16 centuries and 34 half-centuries in 99 Assessments over practically 14 years. He has additionally featured in 50 ODIs, scoring 1,316 runs with one century and 11 fifties.
“It’s troublesome for a Check participant to maintain himself motivated to play 4 Assessments for a yr and keep his type,” Karunaratne, who made his Check debut in 2012, was quoted as saying by ‘Each day FT’.
“Within the final two-three years after the WTC (World Check Championship) was launched, we’ve got been having little or no bilateral collection. My present type is one more reason; finishing my 100 Assessments, the top of the WTC cycle (2023-25), I believed is the precise time to retire.” Karunaratne plans to relocate to Australia along with his household subsequent month. Having made his first-class debut for Sinhalese Sports activities Membership (SSC) in 2008, he’ll play his remaining match for them towards NCC within the SLC Main Membership three -Day Match from February 14-16.
“I’ve some private plans of my very own. I’ve determined to retire after chatting with different senior gamers like Angie (Angelo Mathews) and Chandi (Dinesh Chandimal),” he stated.
“Moderately than the three of us retiring on the identical time, it is going to be higher for us to go one after the other. I believed I’ll retire first as a result of I do know I can’t go for my subsequent goal – 10,000 runs – with the lesser variety of Assessments being performed.
“I’m proud of what I’ve achieved to date. I need to announce my retirement with a contented second like taking part in in my one hundredth Check.” Karunaratne has been struggling for type of late, managing scores of seven and 0 within the first Check towards Australia wherein Sri Lanka slumped to an innings and 242 run defeat to go 0-1 down within the two-Check collection.
“Any cricketer’s dream is to play 100 Assessments and rating 10,000 runs. It is a large achievement. Once you begin taking part in cricket, you do not consider these targets, however whenever you proceed taking part in, you come throughout totally different targets,” he stated.
“However as Sri Lanka are taking part in much less Check matches for a yr, attending to 10,000 runs appears distant. Showing in 100 Assessments I really feel is an achievement,” he added.
He would look again at his profession as a glad man on account of its sheer longevity ” A number of gamers play Check cricket however solely a handful are in a position to go and play 100 Assessments. To turn into a member of that unique membership I’m very blissful. To turn into Sri Lanka’s seventh cricketer to play in 100 Assessments can be a contented second,” he signed off.
(Apart from the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV workers and is printed from a syndicated feed.)
Subjects talked about on this article
