Sri Lanka stand-in captain Dimuth Karunaratne set to play for Hampshire till T20 Blast 2019

Dimuth Karunaratne, the left-handed opening batsman who recently led Sri Lanka to a historic 2-0 win in a Test series in South Africa, is set to join Hampshire as their overseas player till the start of the T20 Blast in July. Karunaratne took over as the stand-in captain as the regular skipper Dinesh Chandimal was dropped for the series to play in domestic cricket to regain form. Karunaratne made history straightaway by leading the first Asian side to win a Test series in the Proteas’ den.

The 30-year-old batsman made his international debut in 2011 and in 60 Tests and 17 ODIs since then, he has scored over 4,000 runs with a more prominent track record in the longer format. He has eight Test tons and 22 fifties with the highest score of 196. His ODI record is though ordinary with just one fifty and an average of less than 16.

Hampshire welcomes Karunaratne

Hampshire welcomed Dimuth Karunaratne’s inclusion with their director of cricket Giles White saying, “It’s a great coup to have him here. Dimuth is a perfect fit for us as a top-order batsman.” The Sri Lankan batsman will be available for the county for 10 games and the 50-over One-Day Cup. Since Karunaratne doesn’t play ODIs for Sri Lanka (he last played an ODI for them four years ago), there is no reason for Hampshire to fear his absence during the WC starting in England in May and White mentioned the same while speaking to BBC Radio Solent.

“Dimuth isn’t involved in Sri Lanka’s white-ball side, so he’ll be with us during that period of the World Cup. Availability and a top-order batsman were the key factors when we were looking for an overseas player, so we’re delighted to welcome him for what will be his first taste of county cricket,” he said.

Sri Lanka have not been in their best of form in recent times with reports of the internal squabble in the team earning it all the more negative publicity. However, the welcome win over South Africa would work as a much-needed booster ahead of the WC.

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