Sri Lanka’s star spin bowling allrounder Wanindu Hasaranga has retired from Test cricket to prolong his international playing career as a ‘limited-overs specialist’. The 26-year-old played four Test matches before calling time on his playing career in the longest format of the sport. He claimed a four-for in his red-ball career and scored 196 runs with the help of a half-century.
The leg break bowler made his Test debut for the Lankan Lions versus South Africa in Centurion in December 2020. His last game in whites for the island nation came at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Pallekele in April 2021. Having made a name for himself in white-ball cricket, especially in T20Is, Hasaranga has played a monumental role in Sri Lanka’s victories that have come in the shortest form of the game in recent times.
He was at the forefront of Sri Lanka’s spectacular triumph in the Asia Cup 2022 as he bagged nine scalps in six games and finished as the second-highest wicket-taker in the tournament behind India’s speedster Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who grabbed 11 wickets.
Hasaranga topped the bowling charts at the T20 World Cup 2021 as he picked up 16 wickets across eight games for Sri Lanka in the UAE. What stood out the most about his bowling during the tournament was the rate at which he got his wickets – 5.20. As the Dasun Shanaka-led side entered the T20 World Cup 2022, the ace leggie picked up from where he left in the UAE and snared 15 poles in eight games at an economy rate of 6.41 with best bowling figures of 3/8.
In the recently culminated ODI World Cup Qualifiers in Zimbabwe, where Sri Lanka emerged as champions after defeating the Netherlands in the summit clash, Hasaranga claimed 22 wickets in seven innings at an average of 12.90 and topped the charts yet again.
He is likely to play a major role for Sri Lanka as they prepare to defend their title in the upcoming edition of the Asia Cup starting August 30 and with the wickets in India known to be conducive for spin, he can be a major threat for opposition players during the 50-overs World Cup.
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