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Tillakaratne Dilshan to retire from international cricket

One of the only cricketers to have a stroke named after him, ‘Dilscoop’, Dilshan remained one of the most destructive opening batsmen in the last decade or so.

The Dilscoop... Tillakaratne Dilshan is among the very few cricketers to have a stroke named after him © Getty Images
The Dilscoop… Tillakaratne Dilshan is among the very few cricketers to have a stroke named after him © Getty Images

Tillakaratne Dilshan has announced that the limited-overs leg of Australia’s tour of Sri Lanka will be his last in international cricket. Australia and Sri Lanka are busy in a five-match One-Day International (ODI) series, following which they will play in a two-match T20I series. Dilshan’s final ODI will be on Sunday at Dambulla, whereas the second T20I will be his last in the shortest format of the game. The right-handed opening batsman for Sri Lanka is among the only 4 cricketers from the island nation to have scored more than 10,000 runs in ODI cricket. Dilshan at present has 10,248 runs in 329 ODIs for Sri Lanka, with 22 centuries and 47 half-centuries. One of the only cricketers to have a stroke named after him, ‘Dilscoop’, Dilshan remained one of the most destructive opening batsmen in the last decade or so. after making his international debut in 1999, Dilshan played 87 Tests and 78 T20Is for the island nation. ALSO READ: Tillakaratne Dilshan becomes oldest batsman to complete 10,000 ODI runs

Dilshan’s announcement of retirement from international cricket comes as a surprise, because the right-handed batsman had vowed to continue playing for Sri Lanka for another 2-3 years in  early 2015. ALSO READ – Tillakaratne Dilshan: The flamboyant multi-tasker

Talking about Dilshan’s career, he is the sixth highest run getter for Sri Lanka in their cricket history, garnering 5,492 runs at 40.98 with 16 centuries and 23 half-centuries. Dilshan retired from Test cricket in October 2013 at the age of 36, citing that he wanted a youngster to replace him in the side.

He was the first among the senior Sri Lankan players to quit from Test cricket, as Kumar Sangakkara retired only in the India series at home in July-August 2015 and Mahela Jayawardene had called in quits just a year ago, at the end of the home series against Pakistan.

However, the explosive opening batsman is one of the most successful batsman in T20 cricket. In 78 T20Is so far, he has scored 1,884 runs at 28.98, with 1 century and 13 half-centuries. With 1,884 runs he is at the second spot in the list of batsmen with most runs in T20Is. He still has 2 more T20Is left in his career and Dilshan will be motivated to become the only second batsman after Brendon McCullum to score 2,000 and more runs in the shortest format of the game.

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