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Just In: Dimuth Karunaratne Announces Retirement From International Cricket

Aakash Saini

Dimuth Karunaratne [Source: @ICC/x]Dimuth Karunaratne [Source: @ICC/x]

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Sri Lanka's ageing veteran Dimuth Karunaratne has announced his retirement from international cricket. The left-handed opening batter confirmed that Sri Lanka's upcoming series-deciding second Test match against the visiting Australia will mark the final international match of his career.

Notably, the impending Test also marks the 100th Test of Karunaratne's 13-year-long journey for the Sri Lankan cricket team.

Dimuth Karunaratne to retire after second Test

Former Sri Lankan captain Dimuth Karunaratne is set to retire from international cricket after Sri Lanka's second and final Test of the home series against Australia at the Galle International Stadium between February 6 and 10.


The 36-year-old, soon to be 37, recently returned with scores of just seven and 0 for Sri Lanka against the Australian bowlers in the first Test of the series played at the same venue last week.

Dimuth Karunaratne career stats

Dimuth Karunaratne made his international debut with an ODI match for Sri Lanka back in July 2011. However, the elegant left-handed batter only went on to make sporadic appearances for his country in the format until he played the last of his 50 ODIs during the 2023 World Cup in India.

He scored 1,316 runs in 50 overs internationals at an average of 31.33, plundering 11 half-centuries and an additional ton in the process.

Karunaratne enjoyed more success in Test cricket, considering he has hauled 7,172 runs in his 99-match career so far. With a batting average of nearly 40 (39.40 to be exact), the senior played tallied 16 Test hundreds and 39 half-centuries between his November 2012 debut to date. Notably, his debut Test was also hosted by the Galle International Stadium, albeit against New Zealand.

Under the leadership of Dimuth Karunaratne, Sri Lanka recorded a historic 2-0 Test series win in South Africa back in early 2019, making him the only Asian captain to do so.