COLOMBO: Sri Lanka allrounder Wanindu Hasaranga on Tuesday announced his retirement from Test cricket to extend his limited overs playing career.
The 26-year-old player made his Test debut in December 2020 against South Africa and has featured in only four Tests. His last Test was against Bangladesh at home, more than two years ago in April 2021.
Hasaranga informed Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) of his decision to retire on Tuesday and the board accepted it. “Sri Lanka men’s all-rounder Wanindu Hasaranga has informed Sri Lanka Cricket that he will retire from playing test cricket. Informing his decision, Hasaranga said the reason behind the move is to prolong his career as a limited-overs specialist”, Sri Lanka Cricket said.
“We will accept his decision and are confident that Hasaranga will be a vital part of our white-ball programme going forward”, said Ashley De Silva, CEO of Sri Lanka Cricket.
Hasaranga has represented his country in 48 One-Day Internationals and 58 T20I games, picking up a total of 158 wickets and scoring 1,365 runs.
Hasaranga has been Sri Lanka’s white-ball specialist since his ODI debut in 2017 and is a vital part of their limited-overs set-up.
Recently, Hasaranga was instrumental in Sri Lanka qualifying for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023. They won the Qualifier in Zimbabwe with the all-rounder ending as the tournament’s highest wicket-taker with 22 scalps. (ANI)