Sri Lankan all-rounder Wanindu Hasaranga announces retirement from Test Cricket
The leg spinner last played a test for Sri Lanka in April 2021 after making his debut against South Africa in December 2020
Sri Lanka’s star all-rounder Wanindu Hasaranga has announced his retirement from test cricket. The Sri Lankan cricket board conveyed the news on Tuesday. The official statement by the CEO of SLC read “We will accept his decision and are confident that Hasaranga will be a vital part of our white-ball program going forward.”
The all-rounder has played four test matches for Sri Lanka; however, the 26-year-old has represented the country in 48 one-day internationals and 58 T20I games. Hasaranga’s decision to retire from the longest format at such a young age comes in a bid to prolong his white-ball carrier.
He has been an integral part of Sri Lanka’s white ball setup and has played a crucial role in helping his team deliver impressive performances, especially in the shortest format of the game.
The Performance
Hasaranga’s test carrier never really took off since making his debut against South Africa in December 2020 in Centurion as he manage to pick up only 4 wickets in 7 innings with the ball while his batting numbers were slightly batter as he scored one fifty in 7 innings with the bat.
He was mainly in the team for his bowling and he didn’t have a great outing with the ball as a result he was dropped from the team after playing just four matches in the longest format.
Making a name for himself
Hasaranga’s best performance at the world stage came in the 2021 T20 World Cup where he picked up 16 wickets in 8 matches helping his team deliver a solid performance against the likes of South Africa and England.
Although Sri Lanka failed to qualify for the knockout stage Hasaranga impressed everyone which helped him earn an IPL contract as he was signed by RCB for IPL 2022 where he replaced Yuzvendra Chahal and became RCB’s lead spinner.
He continued his good form in 2022 as well and help Sri Lanka register a surprising series win against a full-strength Australian team which was followed by a title-winning performance for Sri Lanka in the Asia Cup where the Lankan Lions stunned everybody by beating India and Pakistan after losing badly to Afghanistan in their opening match.
