Sri Lanka’s Thisara Perera to retire from Test cricket

Sri Lanka’s allrounder Thisara Perera will retire from Test cricket, but will continue playing One-day international and Twenty20 games, Sri Lanka Cricket officials said on Monday.

“The 26-year-old sent his retirement letter to Sri Lanka Cricket confirming the end of his Test career,” an official from the board said. Perera, who has played six Tests since his debut against England in 2011 at Cardiff, has scored 203 Test runs including one half-century and collected 11 wickets at an average of 59.36.

The left-handed hard hitter has featured regularly in the shorter formats for his country. He has played 110 ODI and taken 123 wickets at 31.31 and scored 1178 runs at 17.32 with a strike rate of 108.77. His 42 T20Is have produced 27 wickets and 503 with the bat.There was no immediate comment from Perera, whose decision comes ahead of Sri Lanka’s three-Test tour of England in May. Sri Lanka is also due to play five ODI games and one T20 during that tour. Perera is one of Sri Lanka’s key ‘impact’ players in the shorter formats, capable of clearing the ropes and breaking partnerships with his nippy seam bowling. He also plays in numerous T20 leagues around the world.

The island nation has been in the news for many wrong reasons recently. It has been rocked by match-fixing allegations and improper conduct by their national team’s players during their tour of New Zealand, wherein they were thrashed by the home side. Sri Lanka is currently investigating the match-fixing allegations, and they are set to sack the fast bowling coach associated with the national cricket academy for allegedly playing a role in possible approach by a bookie.