Reports | Thisara Perera announces retirement from international cricket

Veteran Sri Lankan all-rounder Thisara Perera will no longer represent the country as reports have emerged that the 32-year-old has announced his retirement from international cricket. Perera, who made his international debut back in 2009, featured for the country in the recently-concluded T20I series versus West Indies, but it is believed that the all-rounder chose to retire after being informed by the selectors that he was no longer in their plans.

Multiple news agencies in Sri Lanka have reported that the selectors made it clear to Perera that they were looking to give more opportunities to next-gen cricketers, as a result of which the 32-year-old is believed to have announced his retirement from international cricket.

“The All-rounder’s decision comes after it was recently reported that SLC selectors are considering dropping several senior cricketers, including Perera from the Sri Lanka ODI side,” newswire.lk reported. 

“A senior SLC official told NewsWire that selectors are unlikely to consider senior players Dimuth Karunaratne, Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal, Suranga Lakmal and Thisara Perera for the upcoming limited overs tours.”

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.