Sri Lanka Cricketer Dimuth Karunaratne to Quit International Cricket after Historic Test Match

Veteran Sri Lankan cricketer and former captain Dimuth Karunaratne will retire from international cricket after the completion of the last two days of the second test at Galle. It is going to be a landmark test match for the cricketer as he is going to appear in his 100th test match on this occasion. The 36-year-old opener today announced that he has taken the hard decision to leave the game due to his lack of form over the last few months, particularly in the top order.

In his last seven Test matches, Karunaratne had failed to get into any kind of a rhythm and could muster only 182 runs in total. His only real contribution during this period is that he had made a half-century in an ODI against New Zealand in September 2024. It is the recent run of bad form that made Karunaratne feel that it was time to call it quits-ending a distinguished career, for the batsman has been one of Sri Lanka's most reliable Test openers.

In Test cricket, he started in 2012 as he first batted in the same Galle ground against New Zealand. In that game, it was an unforgettable day as he made it an unbeaten 60 with a duck in the same game to take Sri Lanka toward a 10-wicket win. From the Test, he scored runs for his island nation since then as the total adds up to 7,172 runs in 99 Test matches with 16 centuries. Last year in 2021 he managed a good 244, proving he's got it all when dominating against the longest of all games format- Test- for his capability against Bangladesh in their recent home encounter.

Even though Karunaratne has been an integral part of Sri Lanka's Test side for more than a decade, it should be remembered that his performances have not been restricted only to red-ball cricket. He has also appeared in 50 ODIs and 34 T20Is for Sri Lanka. Perhaps one of his most notable innings occurred when he scored his first and only ODI hundred for Sri Lanka in 2023 against Ireland.

Though not much seen in ODIs and T20Is, Karunaratne will be remembered for his Test cricket career. He has been one of the most consistent openers around the world throughout his career in this format. Karunaratne's ascent to becoming a part of the top-order batting began in 2015. It was the year he began getting back in form, and it was on the Test played in Christchurch against New Zealand in 2014 that he first scored a Test century. He then continued to score many memorable innings for the rest of the series.

His career has had one remarkable highlight with his bright performance of 196 against Pakistan in a day-night Test in the year 2017. He further achieved more significant milestones when he was appointed Test captain of Sri Lanka in the year 2019, which marked another important history of his as the team under his test captaincy went on to beat South Africa 2-0 in their historic Test series. It was a remarkable win as Sri Lanka was the first Asian team to win a Test series in South Africa.

Surely, leadership and batting talent have made Karunaratne a cricketing icon. Three times he featured in the ICC Test Cricket Team of the Year-2018, 2021, and 2023-making him one of the greatest Test batsmen of his era.

Karunaratne will walk out with tenacity, reliability, and leadership as he steps out in the field for the last time of his last Test match at Galle. An era of Sri Lanka cricket ends with retirement, but the contributions will always be remembered by Sri Lanka for years to come. The retirement of Karunaratne after his 100th Test would be a great tribute to the glorious career, and even if his form might have dipped in the last few months, the place in the cricketing history of Sri Lanka is well secured.