Arjuna Ranatunga, a politician and former captain of Sri Lanka, praised Dimuth Karunaratne for resigning as Test captain. The captain of the team that won the Cricket World Cup in 1996 stated that the decision made by the opening batter was one that very few other captains had ever followed. Significantly, Karunaratne opted to resign as captain after losing to New Zealand in the first Test at Christchurch and being disqualified from the WTC championship race.
“I commend Dimuth for resigning. In order to prepare for the upcoming World Test Championship final, Sri Lanka will benefit from this choice, according to Ranatunga.
He continued, “I appreciate him for it since I haven’t seen any former cricket captains make a move like this in the past.
In addition, Dimuth Karunaratne declared on Monday that he is prepared to leave his position following the upcoming two-match Test series against Ireland. The 34-year-old made his decision after Sri Lanka lost their first Test against New Zealand in the two-match series, preventing them from qualifying for the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final. Incidentally, their defeat allowed Team India to advance to the WTC final for the second consecutive year.
Karunaratne said of his resignation, “I am still to hear from selectors what they think about my decision.”
The Kiwis also completely destroyed Karunaratne and company in the second Test. The Tim Southee-led team defeated Sri Lanka 2-0 to win the series with a margin of victory of an innings and 58 runs. The Sri Lankan Test captain accordingly carried out his choice and informed Sri Lanka Cricket of it.
“I am prepared to step down after the Ireland series because I have told the selectors that it’s a good idea to name a new captain for the upcoming test cycle. Newswire quoted Karunaratne as saying, “I feel I need to offer the new captain the opportunity to start from the beginning of the new test cycle, rather than my standing down from it in the midst. I am still to hear from selectors about what they think about my decision.
In the upcoming home series against the Irish, Karunaratne will serve as Sri Lanka’s captain for the final time. After the three-match T20I series against the BlackCaps in New Zealand, the two-match series will start. Two Test matches between Ireland and Sri Lanka will start on April 16 and last for two days.
