Dilruwan Perera announces retirement from international cricket

Sri Lanka off-spinner, Dilruwan Perera announced his retirement from international cricket with immediate effect on Wednesday, January 26. However, in his retirement letter to the Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), the 39-year-old stated that he will continue to play domestic cricket. Perera, who is an off-spin bowler, and a handy batsman has scalped 177 wickets and scored 1456 runs across formats in international cricket.

Perera has represented the country in 43 Tests, 13 ODIs and 3 T20I, and became the fastest Sri Lanka bowler to complete 50 and 100 Test wickets. The off-spinner is also the first Sri Lankan to scalp 10 wickets and score a half-century in the same Test. Perera has claimed eight five-wicket hauls, and clinched the 10-wicket haul twice during his career in the longest format of the game.

The off-spinner made his ODI debut in 2007 against England in Colombo, and earned his Test cap during the red-ball series against Pakistan in 2014. The 39-year-old scalped 161 wickets from 43 Tests at an average of 35.90. 

The Sri Lankan off-spinner was also a handy batsman, who notched up seven half-centuries in Test cricket, and his highest score of 95 came against Pakistan in 2014.