Nuwan Kulasekara announces retirement from international cricket with immediate effect

Days after his former new-ball partner Lasith Malinga announced his retirement from ODIs, Kulasekara has retired from all forms of the international game, according to local media reports in Sri Lanka, reported IndiaToday.

Kulasekara made his ODI debut for Sri Lanka against England at home, aged 21. He then went on to play 184 matches in total, picking up 199 wickets at a highly impressive economy rate of 4.90. However, he did not find the same success in the longest format of the game. Kulasekara quit Test cricket in 2016, after only playing in 21 Test matches.

His ability to swing the ball both ways, and fire in accurate yorkers at the death, made him a prime weapon in the shorter versions of the game. The right-arm pacer played 58 T20Is and finished with 66 wickets, and won the T20 World Cup in 2014. 

In the final, he conceded 29 runs from his quota of four overs, picking up the wicket of Yuvraj Singh. Sri Lanka restricted India to just 130, and chased it down with 13 balls to spare. 

In the 50-over version, Kulasekara rose to the No.1 spot in 2008, and played two successive World Cup finals for Sri Lanka, finishing with runners-up medals on both occasions. Perhaps, the 2011 final will go down in his career as one of his worst performances. Kulasekara conceded 64 runs in just over eight overs. But, the moment cricket fans will truly remember is the six that the then Indian captain MS Dhoni hit off Kulasekara to seal the trophy for India.

However, with declining performances, the 37-year-old was eased out of the playing XI.  He last played for the senior national team in 2017, and was not part of Sri Lanka's 2019 World Cup squad.