Former Sri Lanka captain and opening batsman Dimuth Karunaratne is about to play his final international match within the upcoming second Test against Australia, marking his a hundredth appearance within the format. The left-handed opener, who has been a mainstay at the highest of the order for Sri Lanka, has been off form recently.
As reported by NewsWire, Karunaratne has informed the Sri Lanka Cricket Board of his decision. In the primary Test against Australia in Galle, he managed just seven runs, including a duck within the second innings, where he was bowled by a Nathan Lyon delivery that grazed the highest of the off stump after he left it.
The batter has been scuffling with form for a while, along with his last century coming in April 2023 against Ireland. Before the Australia series, he had a tricky time during Sri Lanka’s whitewash by South Africa, managing just 27 runs across 4 innings.
He also stepped down as captain following the series defeat to Pakistan within the early stages of the 2023-2025 World Test Championship (WTC) cycle.
Karunaratne Accumulates 7,172 Runs in 189 Innings at 39.40 Average in Tests
Dimuth Karunaratne made his Test debut in 2012 and progressively became a fixture at the highest of the order for Sri Lanka. Although he was dismissed for a duck in his first match, he soon began to make a mark along with his solid performances.
While he has played in white-ball formats, Karunaratne is predominantly generally known as a red-ball specialist. He has been named within the ICC’s Test Team of the 12 months thrice and have become Sri Lanka’s highest run-scorer as an opener, surpassing Sanath Jayasuriya’s record in 2023.
With 16 Test centuries to his name, including a career-best 244 against Bangladesh in 2021, Karunaratne has cemented his legacy. The second Test between Sri Lanka and Australia begins on February 6, with Australia leading the series 1-0 after a dominant win in the primary match.
Get the newest cricket news here, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter and Instagram for more such updates.
