Sri Lanka's Dilruwan Perera retires from international cricket

Sri Lanka's Dilruwan Perera has announced his retirement from all forms of international cricket with immediate effect. The bowling all-rounder represented the country in 43 Tests, 13 ODIs and three T20Is across 14 years since making his debut in 2007. The off-spinner collected 177 wickets and 1456 runs across formats.

According to reports in local media, the 39-year-old communicated his decision via email to the CEO of Sri Lanka Cricket, Ashley de Silva, saying the time was right for him to call it quits. He, however, also confirmed that he will continue playing domestic cricket for a while longer. In a statement, Dilruwan said:

“Sri Lanka Cricket has been a source of great inspiration and support throughout my time and I remain grateful to you, the executive committee, and my coaches past and present."

He added:

“I will continue to play domestic cricket for a while longer but for now I think the time is right to call it curtains on my international cricket journey... I’ve had the privilege and honour of playing with some of the best in the game, I leave with fond memories and a heart full of joy."

Dilruwan last played for Sri Lanka in January 2021 against England in Galle where he picked up a wicket and scored 71 runs. Known for his subtle arm ball, he spent most of his Test career in the shadow of the great Muttiah Muralitharan.

In his career of 43 matches since 2014, he has picked 161 wickets as an off spinner, is one of only 5 Sri Lankans to take 150+ Test wickets and holds the record for the fastest Sri Lankan to reach 50 wickets (11 matches). Happy retirement Dilruwan Perera👏🏻

Source - Ceylon Sports https://t.co/RuZUE704eY

He made his Test debut seven years after playing his maiden ODI game but it didn't take long to make an impact. In December 2017, he broke Muralitharan's record to become the fastest player in his country and seventh overall to 100 Test wickets.

Sri Lanka to tour Australia for five T20Is

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They'll then arrive in India for a two-Test and three-T20I series, which is slated to begin on February 25.