Arjuna Ranatunga lauds Dimuth Karunaratne for stepping down from Sri Lanka’s Test captaincy

Former Sri Lanka skipper and politician Arjuna Ranatunga applauded Dimuth Karunaratne for stepping down from the role of Test captaincy. The 1996 Cricket World Cup winning captain said that the decision made by the opening batter was one that rarely any previous skipper has ever followed it. Notably, Karunaratne after getting knocked out of the WTC final race, decided to step down from captaincy after suffering the loss at the hands of New Zealand in the first Test at Christchurch.
 
“I applaud Dimuth for stepping aside. It is a good decision since it will help Sri Lanka groom another captain with the next World Test Championship final in mind,” Ranatunga said.

"I have not seen any former cricket captains make a decision like this in the past, and I admire him for that,” he added.

Moreover, Dimuth Karunaratne on Monday said that he is ready to step down from his role after the forthcoming two-match Test series against Ireland. The 34-year-old’s decision came after Sri Lanka failed to secure a place in the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final, after losing their first Test against New Zealand in the two-match series. Notably, their loss paved way for Team India to reach the WTC final for the second time in a row.

'I am yet to hear from selectors what they think about my decision' - Karunaratne on his decision to step down

Karunaratne and Co. were also thrashed by the Kiwis in the second Test. The Tim Southee-led registered their victory by an innings and 58 runs and thereby clinched the series by whitewashing Sri Lanka 2-0. Consequently, the Sri Lanka Test skipper went ahead with his decision and informed Sri Lanka Cricket regarding the same.

“I have informed the selectors that it’s good to appoint a new captain for the new test cycle, so I am ready to step down after the Ireland series. I am yet to hear from selectors what they think about my decision, but I feel I need to give the new captain to start from the beginning of the new test cycle, rather me stepping down from the middle of it,” Karunaratne was quoted as saying by Newswire.

Karunaratne will captain Sri Lanka for one last time in the forthcoming series against the Irish at home. The two-match series will begin after the three-match T20I series against the BlackCaps in New Zealand. Sri Lanka will host Ireland in two Test matches starting which will commence from April 16.

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