Dimuth Karunaratne said he had fulfilled a childhood dream after the Sri Lanka opener announced that his 100th Test, against Australia starting Thursday, will be his last.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The 36-year-old former skipper was a rock at the top of the Sri Lankan order for more than a decade, but has gone 25 innings without a century.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The second Test against Australia in Galle will be his farewell to the five-day game.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"As a kid my only dream was to play just one Test match," Karunaratne, who has scored 7,172 runs in his 99 Tests, said on Wednesday.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"Reaching 100 Tests is something truly special. But as you may have heard, this will also be my last.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"You have to take stock of things and make a call at the right time. I'm at peace with my decision."<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Renowned for his cool head and affable nature, Karunaratne also proved a shrewd leader.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Taking over the captaincy at a turbulent time in 2019, he steadied the ship and led Sri Lanka to a historic series win in South Africa.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
To this day, Sri Lanka remain the only Asian team to conquer the Proteas in their own backyard.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"You always set goals in life and the beauty of the game is that you chase your dreams, though you may not achieve all of them," Karunaratne said.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Karunaratne relinquished the captaincy in 2023, saying it was time for younger cricketers to lead, and said Wednesday it was again time to "pass the baton to the next generation".<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"There are so many talented young players waiting in the wings," he added.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Karunaratne said he planned to travel to Australia after the series to study coaching.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"Then I want to come back and contribute to Sri Lankan cricket as a coach," he added.<\/p>\r\n\r\n