After the Ireland Matches later this month, Dimuth Karunaratne wants to leave his position as Test captain. The Sri Lankan selection committee is still in discussion with him and has not yet accepted his resignation. Karunaratne, who turns 35 in April, has held the position for four years, but with a new World Test Championship (WTC) cycle approaching and the Ireland Matches not being a part of the current WTC, he wishes to pass the reins to a new captain for the next cycle.
“I’ve discussed resigning as captain following the Ireland series with the selectors. You must complete two years in the upcoming WTC cycle, according to Karunaratne. “I believe it would be better for a new captain to complete the entire cycle rather than only accomplish half and hand over. I’ve discussed this with the selectors, but I haven’t heard back yet. After the following series, I prefer to give over to a new leader.
From the previous chaotic time, Karunaratne has guided Sri Lanka to some stability. His 2-0 victory in South Africa in 2019—during his maiden series in the position—remains his biggest triumph as captain. South Africa has never been defeated at home by a team other than Australia and England.
His overall record as captain thus far is composed of ten victories, ten defeats, and six ties. Only Sanath Jayasuriya, Arjuna Ranatunga, Mahela Jayawardene, and Angelo Mathews have captained Sri Lanka in at least 34 Tests and had more victories as the team’s captain. Since that Sri Lanka will only play two Test series in the next WTC cycle, part of his intention to stand aside as captain may be to concentrate on his batting and maybe pursue possibilities abroad.
Before the New Zealand series, which finished earlier in the day when Sri Lanka lost by an innings and 58 runs in the second Test in Wellington, Karunaratne has played grade cricket in Australia since his most recent Test. After a lengthy break from playing in Tests, he nevertheless got three fifties in four innings throughout this series. Just four of Sri Lanka’s six planned Test matches in 2023 will count toward the subsequent WTC.
I participated in Tests eight months later. In the meanwhile, I only got to play one inning in a four-day game, Karunaratne claimed. “Because I like to score large after making a start, I believe that I lack patience at the present and must return to domestic cricket to regain it.
“After eight months, even though I made a few runs here, I believe I could have accomplished more. I believe that twice, but for my squandering, I could have changed half-centuries into hundreds.
