In what comes as a surprising development, Sri Lanka's ace spinner Wanindu Hasaranga has decided to walk away from red-ball cricket. Sri Lankan Cricket (SLC) on August 15 (Tuesday) confirmed that the veteran leg-spinner has informed the board about his desire to retire from Test cricket. The reason why Hasaranga wants to walk away from Tests is to focus on white-ball cricket. The 26-year-old has represented the Lankan Lions in just four Test matches in his career so far.
“We will accept his decision and are confident that Hasaranga will be a vital part of our white-ball program going forward,” Ashley De Silva, CEO of Sri Lanka Cricket, said in a release.
Hasaranga made his Test debut against South Africa in 2020 and last played a red-ball game in Pallekele against Bangladesh in 2021. The leg-spinner didn't make any serious impact in red-ball cricket but his prowess in white-ball cricket cannot be doubted even for a second.
Hasaranga has emerged as the Islanders' biggest match-winner in white-ball cricket. Be it T20Is or ODIs, the 26-year-old has scripted numerous wins for Sri Lanka.
The former No.1-ranked T20I bowler, who is currently ranked No.3, has bagged 91 wickets in 58 matches at a fantastic economy rate of 6.89. In 48 ODIs, Hasaranga has picked 67 wickets at an economy rate of 5.07. Apart from delivering with the bowl, Hasaranga is no mug with the bat and, time and again he has proven himself to be a more than handy batter in the lower order.
The right-handed aggressive batter has six half-centuries to his name in international cricket, including one each in Tests and T20Is and four fifties in ODIs.
Hasaranga might be just 26 years old but he boasts a wealth of experience. The leg-spinner has played franchise T20 cricket in competitions all around the world, including the Indian Premier League (IPL) in India. In T20 cricket, Hasaranga has bagged 208 wickets in 155 matches at an economy rate of 6.85. Hasaranga has played 26 matches in IPL, picking 35 wickets in the process at an economy rate of 8.13.
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