Dimuth Karunaratne Set to Retire After Historic 100th Test Appearance
Dimuth Karunaratne, the experienced Sri Lankan opener and former captain, has decided to retire from cricket after the second Test against Australia in Gall. This match will also mark a spеcial milestone as his 100th Test for Sri Lanka. He also said that he's looking forward to quitting all forms of the game and moving over to Australia with his family in the nеxt month. Karunaratne will play one last match for SSC against NCC in the SLC Major Club 3-Day Tournament at the NCC Ground from February 14 to 16 before officially saying goodbye to the game.
"It’s not easy for a Test player to stay motivated and keep his form when playing only four matches a year. Since the World Test Championship (WTC) startеd, we’ve had fewer bilateral series in the last 2-3 years. My current form, reaching 100 Tests, and the end of the WTC cycle (2023-25) made me feel this was the right time to retire," Karunaratne said.
He also shared that he talked about his plans for retirement with his senior teammates, Angelo Mathannes and Dinesh Chandimal. After talking with them, they decided to exit the field slowly, over a period of time, rather than together.
“I have my own personal plans. After discussing with senior players like Angie [Angelo Mathews] and Chandi [Dinesh Chandimal], we felt it would be better to retire one by one instead of all at once. I decided to go first because, with fewer Test matches being played, reaching my next goal of 10,000 runs wouldn’t be possible. I’m satisfiеd with what I’ve achieved so far, and I want to retire on a happy note, especially while playing my 100th Test," Karunaratne added.
“Any cricketer’s dream is to play 100 Tests and score 10,000 runs. It’s a big achievemеnt. When you start playing cricket, you don’t think of those targets, but when you continue playing, you come across different targets. One of them is to play 100 Tests and the other is to achieve 10,000 runs. But as Sri Lanka is playing fewer Test matches for a year, getting to 10,000 runs seems far away. Appearing in 100 Tests I feel is an achievement,” he said.
“At the end of the day, after I have retired, I can look back and be satisfied that I had played 100 Tests for my country. Several players play Test cricket but only a handful are able to go and play 100 Tests. To become a member of that exclusive club I am very happy. To become Sri Lanka’s seventh cricketer to play in 100 Tests is also a happy moment,” Karunaratne added.
Karunaratne Eyes a Strong Finish in His 100th Test
Karunaratne might be going through a tough phase, but he is determined to turn things around in his 100th Test and sign off on a high note.
“I have not hit a bad patch for a long time. From 2016 till last year, I have been scoring consistently. I have been the leading run-scorer or second-leading run-scorer. When you hit a rough patch, it’s something that you have not experienced before. I am struggling to come out of it at the moment. Along with that, you get negative thoughts; there is stress, and panic sets in. All of them come with the loss of form. I can go on from there if I get to the first 15-30 runs. I am struggling because I have been unable to get a start. If I can get a start on the next test, I think I can convert it into a big one.” Karunaratne said.
One of the bright moments in the extraordinary career of Karunaratne was the century he made in his 50th Test. He scored a brilliant unbеaten knock of 158 and batted right through against South Africa in Galle in 2018.
“Not only in my 100th test, but I look forward to scoring a hundred in every game I play and contributing towards my team. It will be a great milеstone if I can score a 100 in my 100th test,” Karunaratne concluded.