Charith Asalanka races past 2,500 ODI runs: Decoding his stats
What's the story
Sri Lankan captain Charith Asalanka has become the latest batter to complete 2,500 ODI runs. He accomplished the milestone with his 14th run in the third and deciding ODI against Bangladesh at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium. Asalanka, who scored a hundred in the series opener, took just 68 innings to get the feat. He slammed a 68-ball 58 in the series decider.
Milestone
Here are his ODI numbers
Playing his 76th match, Asalanka has raced past 2,500 runs as his average is 43.86, as per ESPNcricinfo. Last year, Asalanka became the second-fastest SL batter to accomplish 2,000 runs, having taken 56 innings. He is only behind Pathum Nissanka, who required 52 innings. While Nissanka is an opener, Asalanka has played the majority of his games at number five.
DYK
Highest average for SL in ODIs
Among SL batters with 2,000-plus runs in ODIs, Asalanka is the only one with a 42-plus average. He also has a strike rate of over 91 as his tally includes 16 fifties and five tons, with 127 being his best score. Notably, Asalanka made his ODI debut in June 2021. Last year, he was named SL's skipper in white-ball cricket.
Dissection
Dissecting his ODI numbers
Over 1,800 of Asalanka's ODI runs have come at home (1,823), where he averages 56.96. He has managed just 211 runs in away (home of opposition) ODIs at 15.07. In neutral games, he has scored 510 runs at 42.50. Against Bangladesh, he has raced past 450 runs across nine games at 60-plus. As mentioned, he scored a hundred in the opening ODI.
Knock
Asalanka's knock in 3rd ODI
Asalanka continued his exploits in the 3rd ODI against Bangladesh. The skipper led Sri Lanka's fightback after they were down to 100/3. He added a 124-run stand with centurion Kusal Mendis. Asalanka was eventually dismissed by Taskin Ahmed in the 41st over. He slammed 58 off 68 balls, a knock laced with 9 fours. SL later scored 285/7 in 50 overs.