Nuwan Kulasekara announces retirement from Test cricket

The 33-year-old Nuwan Kulasekara has been a successful bowler for Sri Lanka over the years. He is considered to be a bowler with a lot of discipline and has got the ability to swing the ball. Not being a regular member of the team in the longest format of the game, the seamer decided to hang his boots and concentrate more in the shorter versions of the game.

He had a traditional open-chested action and bowled 140-plus kmph more often than not. In a 11-month period starting April 2008, he was also ranked as the no.1 bowler in ICC ODI rankings. Kulasekara was quite handy with the bat too. Batting in the lower order, the Sri Lankan scored his maiden Test fifty against England at Lord’s in 2006.

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Kulasekara was quoted saying, “I would like to retire from playing Test cricket with immediate effect.” He also added, “After much thought I believe it is the right time to retire and I hope it will allow me to better prepare for ODI and T20 cricket, which I would like to continue playing for Sri Lanka subject to good performance and selection.”

The right-arm seamer made his Test debut in 2005 against New Zealand at Napier. In the two innings of that game, he bowled 36 overs and took just a single wicket conceding 89 runs. In a Test career spanning over a decade, he had played 21 tests for Sri Lanka and picked up 48 wickets at an average of 37.37 with an impressive economy rate of 3.01.

He has been more effective in the shorter formats of the game. He had donned 173 ODIs and 50 T20Is for Sri Lanka. He has picked up 186 wickets in ODIs at an average of 34.08, with an economy of 4.86. Kulasekara also has 5 international half-centuries against his name.