Udana joins the retired club
Fast-bowler Isuru Udana yesterday announced his retirement from international cricket marking a premature end to a cricketing career spanning nearly 12-and-a-half years. The 33-year-old bowling rounder, however will make himself available for domestic cricket and franchise cricket starting with the Caribbean Premier League later this month where he is part of the Trinbago Knight Riders team.
He was the only Sri Lankan to play in IPL in 2020 representing Royal Challengers Bangalore led by Virat Kohli. His decision comes as a surprise given that he has been a regular member of Sri Lanka’s white-ball teams since 2019, where he has played bulk of his matches.
Speaking to the Sunday Times yesterday, he revealed this decision had been in the making and took it considering the youth-centred policy, now being in force.
“I want to give the new-found-faces the space,” he said adding that, “there have been ups and downs in my performances. However, I feel I have delivered my best to the team,”
During his below average international career, he was a player in and out of the squad, never managing to earn a regular spot in white-ball cricket. His overall wickets and matches tally reads a poor picture of only a handful of victims of 45 from 56 appearances. Of the 45, it is in the shortest format, the former triple jumper has made the most with 27 of them.
The lanky left-armer made his debut in the 2009 World Cup T20 worked off in England, where his team met their first T20 World Cup waterloo, and second defeat at an ICC tournament. Udana has now joined the list of sudden retirees, along with his countryman, Thisara Perera. His last outing in national colours was at the team’s last assignment against India, only days ago (28).