Danushka Gunathilaka, 30, retires from Test cricket

The left-handed batsman wants to focus on the shorter formats

January 08, 2022 05:47 pm | Updated 05:47 pm IST - Colombo

Danushka Gunathilaka’s eight appearances in Tests fetched him 299 runs, two half-centuries and a career-best score of 61.

Danushka Gunathilaka’s eight appearances in Tests fetched him 299 runs, two half-centuries and a career-best score of 61.

Sri Lanka's aggressive opening batter, Danushka Gunathilaka, has decided to retire from Test cricket at the age of 30 to focus on the white-ball formats, the country's apex cricket body said on Saturday.

Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) said the batter "will now be focusing on the shorter formats".

The development comes close on the heels of another 30-year-old batter, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, announcing his decision to retire altogether from international cricket and a day after the board lifted a one-year bio-security breach suspensions on Gunathilaka, Kusal Mendis and Niroshan Dickwella with immediate effect.

Gunathilaka, who stated that he has taken the decision after evaluating all aspects, hasn't played a Test since 2018, with his eight appearances getting him 299 runs, two half-centuries and a career-best score of 61.

He has got a better record in limited-overs cricket.

In 44 ODIs, he has scored 1520 runs at an average of 36.19, while in T20Is, he has 568 runs in 30 matches at a strike rate of 121.62.

The trio of Gunathilaka, Mendis and Dickwella was handed a one-year ban from international cricket for a bio-security breach during Sri Lanka's tour of England last year.

The ban also included a six-month suspension from domestic cricket, and a fine of approximately $50,000.

Gunathilaka frequently ran into problems with the SLC over disciplinary issues. Since his international debut towards the end of 2015, Gunathilaka has served three separate suspensions, the latest being the one for breaching bio-bubble protocols.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.