Dimuth Karunaratne retires after 100 Test matches: Decoding his stats
What's the story
The International Cricket Council (ICC) paid tribute to former Sri Lankan captain Dimuth Karunaratne after his retirement from the game following his 100th Test. The 36-year-old cricketer ended his international career with a match against Australia in Galle, the same venue where he made his debut in 2012. Although he had a disappointing last outing with 36 and 14 runs as Australia won by nine wickets, Karunaratne's overall contributions to cricket cannot be ignored. Here are further details.
Praise
ICC chairman lauds Karunaratne's contributions to cricket
In a release, ICC Chairman Jay Shah praised Karunaratne's dedication and contributions to cricket. He said, "Dimuth has had a very fine career during which he excelled as a batter in the most traditional format of the game." Shah added Karunaratne's "commitment has been second to none and he has been a great ambassador of the game." Notably, Karunaratne is one of the 7 Sri Lankan players to play 100-plus Test matches.
Retirement plans
Karunaratne's future plans and emotional farewell
In his farewell speech, Karunaratne said he would like to take up coaching after spending some time with his family. "I intend to take up coaching," he said. "I want to get qualified... I will start coaching either here or overseas." He also reminisced about his long career and the strong bonds he formed with his teammates, saying this team will always hold a special place in his heart.
Numbers
Breaking down Karunaratne's Test stats
Having made his Test debut in 2012, Karunaratne ended up with 7,222 runs from 191 innings at 39.25. He slammed 16 tons and 39 fifties with the best score of 244. In 44 home Tests, he scored 3,834 runs at 48.53 (100s: 11, 50s: 17). In 51 away matches (home of opposition), he bagged 2,884 runs at 30.04, hammering 4 tons and 20 fifties. Across 5 neutral venue matches, he managed 504 runs at 56 (100s: 1, 50s: 2).
Summary
Karunaratne enjoyed facing these nations in Test cricket
Against the likes of Bangladesh, Pakistan and New Zealand, Karunaratne scored 1,000-plus runs. As per ESPNcricinfo, he scored 1,141 runs versus Bangladesh at 47-plus (100s: 3, 50s: 6). Against Pakistan, he scored 1,147 runs at 44.11. He slammed two tons and six fifties. Lastly, against New Zealand, he scored 1,078 runs at 44.91 with the help of two tons and 8 fifties.
Do you know?
Bowlers to dismiss Karunaratne most times in Tests
Former New Zealand ace Tim Southee dismissed the batter nine times from 22 innings. Australia's Mitchell Starc owns 9 dismissals as well from just 21 innings. South African speedster Kagiso Rabada is next (8 dismissals in 15 innings).
Twitter Post
Twitter Post
.@IamDimuth has had a very fine career during which he excelled as a batter in the most traditional format of the game, becoming only the seventh @OfficialSLC player to feature in 100 Tests.
— Jay Shah (@JayShah) February 9, 2025
On behalf of the @ICC, I would like to congratulate him for an outstanding career and… pic.twitter.com/6bn5wdcgj0