Ex-CSK star Thisara Perera frustrated at SL selection policy, quits international cricket

Sri Lanka's star all-rounder Thisara Perera has bid adieu to his international cricket career. The 32-year-old cricketer was best known for his exploits in white-ball cricket. He had established himself as a finisher in limited-overs cricket and his ability to score runs at a frantic pace made him a regular feature in the Sri Lankan line-up. The veteran has in the past played a number of match-winning knocks for his national side. Apart from his batting prowess, the cricketer had also chipped in with vital contributions with the ball.

Thisara Perera retirement announcement 

 

Sri Lanka Cricket wishes to announce the retirement of Thisara Perera from International Cricket with immediate effect.

READ: https://t.co/RhvX9MqbSQ⬇️

— Sri Lanka Cricket 🇱🇰 (@OfficialSLC)

Thisara Perera retirement: All-rounder calls its quits from international cricket

The champion cricketer had carved a niche for himself in white-ball cricket and was believed to be best suited to the format by many cricket pundits. Perera's decision came days after Sri Lanka's selection committee hinted about dropping senior players from the side for the team's upcoming ODI and T20I matches. As per a report from NewsWire, the selectors wanted the younger players to take the center stage and were not keen on considering the likes of Dimuth Karunaratne, Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal, Suranga Lakmal, and Thisara Perera in the shorter formats. 

Thisara Perera wrote a letter to Sri Lanka Cricket to inform them regarding his decision. The player in his letter had mentioned that he felt it was the right time for him to step aside and pave ways for younger players. The all-rounder with his impactful performances has led Sri Lanka to a number of victories in ODIs and T20Is. He was also a key member of the 2014 T20 World Cup-winning Sri Lankan squad. 

Thisara Perera career at a glance 

The talented cricketer made his debut against India on December 24, 2009. The swashbuckling batter has scored 2338 runs in 166 ODIs at a fantastic strike rate of 112.1. The southpaw also has a century and 10 fifties to his name in 50-overs cricket. The right-arm medium pacer has also picked up 175 wickets in the format. When it comes to the shortest format, Perera has amassed 1204 and has claimed 51 wickets in T20Is. The player could only feature in 6 Test matches and he has 203 runs and 11 wickets to his name in red-ball cricketer. Perera last played for Sri Lanka in March 2021 in an ODI encounter against West Indies. 

Thisara Perera IPL journey 

The dynamic all-rounder made his IPL debut with the Chennai Super Kings in 2010. The Thisara Perera CSK stint did not last long as he was released by the franchise after just a single season. The player also signed by the now-defunct Kochi Tuskers for the upcoming season. He went on to play for the likes of Mumbai Indians, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Kings XI Punjab and Rising Pune Super Giant. His last IPL appearance came in 2016 and he has been out of favour since then.

Thisara Perera IPL stats 

The Thisara Perera CSK campaign was a short-lived one as he could only play a single match for the MS Dhoni-led side. The Sri Lankan international has played 37 matches in the cash-rich league where he has scored 422 runs at an impressive strike rate of 137.45. He also has 31 claimed 31 wickets in the T20 tournament. The Thisara Perera career in the Indian Premier League did not live up to the hype. While he did show glimpses of brilliance in some matches, he struggled when it comes to consistency. 

Image source: ICC Twitter