Sri Lankan cricketer Chamara Kapugedera retires from all forms of cricket

Sri Lankan cricketer and a former ODI skipper, Chamara Kapugedera has announced his retirement from all forms of the game. The news was confirmed by Sri Lanka reporter Azzam Ameen. He has been an important part of Sri Lankan cricket history. He has played in 8 Tests, 102 ODIs & 43 T20Is for his team. He is coaching Saracens Sports Club this season.

Kapugedera was a permanent member of the Sri Lanka cricket team from the debut match until the year 2010. His sub-standard performances dropped him from the squad until his comeback in 2015. He was last seen playing for his team against Pakistan in an ODI match in 2017. His last T20I appearance came against Bangladesh in 2017 and his last Test appearance came against New Zealand in 2009.

Chamara Kapugedera – A player of unfulfilled potential

Chamara Kapugedera could have easily become the next big thing in Sri Lankan cricket. Even many critics had argued that he is probably the best option for the place of legendary batsman Mahela Jayawardena in the ODI team. However, Kapugedera failed to channelize his aggression in the right way while there were many other talented prospects in the squad. This is the main reason why he was in and out of the national team set up.

Although Kapugedera unleashed his true potential in both one day and Test cricket, with some disciplinary knocks, his overall inconsistency put him on the back foot and hence he was dropped from both teams. Needless to say, in the 2007 Cricket World Cup campaign, he started to make his presence count for the position in the one day team. With candid performances in 2008, he was finally able to cement his position for the number 4 slot. This comes after the aggressive right-handed batsman scored a brilliant 95 against West Indies when Sri Lanka were in troubled waters.

Kapugedera made his international debut when he played ODI against Australia in Perth in 2006. He made his Test debut in the first Test against England at Lord’s Cricket Ground in London, in May 2006. It was an innings that never really got going for him as he got out for a first-ball duck in the first innings.

However, there are other important achievements he has accomplished in his career. He scored a sensational 38 off 21 balls which included 2 fours and 3 sixes in the first final of the VB Series held in Australia in 2006. Kapugedera’s knock ensured Australia lost their first home final in 9 years. He once again hit the peak performance in second ODI against Pakistan in 2009 when he scored unbeaten 69* to help Sri Lanka win the series by 2–0.