As a result of being continuesly ignored by Asantha De Mel led selection committee and their predecessors, Sri Lanka seamer Nuwan Kulasekara on Wednesday announced his retirement from international cricket with immediate effect. One of the most successful fast bowler of Sri Lanka, Kulasekara retired as Sri Lanka’s third-highest ODI wicket-taker among seamers, behind Chaminda Vaas and Lasith Malinga, with 199 scalps in 184 matches.
Kulasekara had last represented Sri Lanka in an ODI against Zimbabwe in Hambantota in July 2017 and hasn’t played a competitive game since March 2018.
In addition to swinging and seaming the new ball, Kulasekara was adept at bowling reverse-swinging yorkers with the old ball. This skill came to the fore during Sri Lanka’s triumphant T20 World Cup campaign in 2014, when Kulasekara took eight wickets in six matches at an outstanding economy rate of 6.42. In the final against India, in Dhaka, Kulasekara bowled 10 dots and had returns of 1 for 29 in his four overs. This followed his performance against Netherlands in the group stages of the tournament, where he returned stellar figures of 2-2-0-1.
In ODIs, Kulasekara was ranked as the No.1 bowler in March 2009 and nearly four years later, he took career-best ODI figures of 5 for 22 against Australia in Brisbane.
Even though, Sri Lanka are still struggling to find a suitable replacement for Kulasekara in shorter formats, he had realized that his time has come! However, he was hoping for a farewell match on his home soil during the upcoming ODI series against Bangladesh.
However, Asantha De Mel led selection committee, which has continually been giving international gifts (matches) to ever failing players like Thisara Perera, Lahiru Thirimane, Kusal Mendis and also gifted world cup places even (as a special offer to politically influenced Milinda Siriwardena and Jeevan Mendis), denied kulasekara for a single farewell match!
As a result, a disappointed kulasekara decided to retire with immediate effect!
