Sri Lankan all-rounder Thisara Perera on Monday announced his retirement from International cricket. One of Sri Lanka’s finest all-rounders in white-ball cricket, Perera announced his decision to the Sri Lankan selectors ahead of a meeting scheduled on Thursday. While Sri Lanka are all set to play ODI series against England and Bangladesh, Perera has decided to hang his boots.
“I take pride in the fact that I was able to represent Sri Lanka in seven cricket World Cups, and be a contributing member of the 2014 T20 World Cup win against India in Bangladesh,” Perera said in a statement. “Easily the highlight of my life.”
His retirement comes after he is understood to have been told by Sri Lanka’s team management that he, along with several other senior cricketers, will not be picked for the forthcoming ODI series against Bangladesh, with the team looking to blood new players. The Sri Lankan selectors were in the favour of giving chances to young Sri Lankan players for the upcoming series by leaving out some senior players, Perera being one of them. He was, however, still in the mix for T20 internationals, with a view to him potentially being part of the T20 World Cup side later this year.
A hard-hitting batsman who served as an extremely handy seam-bowling option, Perera made his international debut in 2009 and made instant waves with his unique skill-set. Perera’s uncanny knack to pick wickets and his ability to hit a long ball made him a valuable asset in the shortest format, and the all-rounder hence ended up representing multiple franchises in the IPL, including Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians. Perera was a part of the Sri Lankan squad that beat India to lift the World T20 title in 2014. He represented Sri Lanka in 166 ODIs, 84 T20Is and 6 Tests.
