Karunaratne to Retire from Test Cricket After Making His 100th Appearance
Dimuth Karunaratne, Sri Lanka’s star opener, is set to retire from Test cricket after playing his 100th Test match this week against Australia in Galle.
The decision comes after several factors influenced his choice. With Sri Lanka scheduled to play only two more Tests until May 2026, there isn’t much long-format cricket for a specialist like Karunaratne to focus on. Additionally, the 36-year-old has struggled for runs over the past 14 months, averaging just 27.05 since the start of 2024. This Test also marks Sri Lanka’s final match of this World Test Championship cycle.
“It was the right time to go, considering there are three or four younger players who could come in for the next WTC cycle,” Karunaratne told ESPNcricinfo. “Plus, this match is in Galle, where I made my debut, so it will be nice to finish things there.”
Karunaratne had made his Test debut in November 2012 against New Zealand at the same ground where he will now retire. Although he was dropped briefly in 2014, he scored his first Test hundred later that year and has since become one of the team’s most reliable players. Over his career, he has scored 7079 runs as an opener at an average of 39.99, becoming Sri Lanka’s highest run-scorer in that position.
By reaching 100 Tests, Karunaratne will join an exclusive club, becoming only the seventh Sri Lankan cricketer to achieve the milestone, joining the ranks of legends like Sanath Jayasuriya, Muthiah Muralidaran, Chaminda Vaas, Mahela Jayawardene, Kumar Sangakkara, and Angelo Mathews.
“Playing 100 Tests is tough, especially when you’re an opening batter doing the dirty work for the team,” Karunaratne said. “If I have regrets, it’s not reaching 10,000 Test runs. I thought I had a good chance in 2017, 2018, and 2019, but then Covid hit and Sri Lanka didn’t play as many Tests.”
Looking back at his leadership, Karunaratne captained Sri Lanka in 30 Tests, and his most successful period came in 2019 when he led Sri Lanka to a historic 2-0 series win against South Africa away from home. Although he also captained Sri Lanka in the ODI World Cup that year, Karunaratne has never appeared in a T20I.
After retirement, Karunaratne, now based in Melbourne, hopes to pursue a coaching career. “I’ll take a bit of a break for myself after so many years of playing cricket. But eventually, I’d like to get involved again,” he said.
The second Test against Australia, which will be Karunaratne’s last, begins on Thursday.
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