Thisara Perera retires from international cricket

The allrounder, 32, is said to have informed selectors of his decision after it was claimed that several experienced players in the national ranks were set to be dropped from the one-day international setup

Thisara Perera has retired from international cricket.

The allrounder, 32, is said to have informed selectors of his decision after it was claimed that several experienced players in the national ranks were set to be dropped from the one-day international setup.

Perera, who made 256 appearances for his country across formats, with the majority in the 50-over game, was still under consideration for a place in Sri Lanka's T20 squad for the autumn World Cup.

The former national team captain will continue to play franchise cricket.

^{Thisara Perera has retired from international cricket}

"I take pride in the fact that I was able to represent Sri Lanka in seven Cricket World Cups and be a contributing member of the 2014 T20 World Cup win against India in Bangladesh. Easily the highlight of my life,’’ Perera mentioned in a letter to SLC, marking his retirement."

"Thisara was a brilliant all-rounder, who has contributed immensely as a player to Sri Lanka Cricket and played a part in some of the glorious cricketing moments of the country," said Ashley De Silva, the Sri Lanka Cricket chief executive.

Perera's ODI stats include 2,338 runs at just under 20 with the bat and 175 wickets at 32.79 with the ball. In 84 T20Is, he made 1,204 runs at a strike rate of 151.63 and contributed 51 wickets, with an economy rate a shade below 10 per over.

He officially retired from Test cricket at the age of 28, having made six appearances, but had not been in contention for a place in the red-ball squad for some time prior to the announcement.