Karunaratne to continue as Test skipper through new WTC cycle
Dimuth Karunaratne will lead
Sri Lanka during the current World Test Championships 2023-25 cycle after he reversed his decision to step down from the captaincy following a request from cricket selectors.
After Sri Lanka were whitewashed in the recent two-match Test series in New Zealand, the southpaw announced his decision to step down at the conclusion of the two-match home series against Ireland in April. After four years in the job, and with a fresh World Test Championship (WTC) cycle looming, Karunaratne intended to hand over the position to a new captain for the next cycle.
“We have appointed him for the next WTC cycle. He has led the team from the front and it is best that he continues in the job during the current cycle as well,” said chief selector Pramodya Wickremasinghe.
His offer to resign was not accepted and the selectors asked Karunaratne to reconsider. Karunaratne was offered the job in 2019 when the national team was going through a turbulent period and he managed to bring in some stability.
On his very first tour, he managed to whitewash South Africa 2-0 in South Africa, becoming the first team from the sub-continent to achieve the feat. Since taking over as captain his batting has flourished in leaps and bounds. He has scored 2536 runs in 28 games at 51.75. Out of his 16 Test hundreds, eight were while leading the side. Karunaratne also had a positive impact on his teammates as he created an environment for the cricketers to play with freedom.