Former Sri Lankan ODI captain Chamara Kapugedera retires from all forms of cricket 

What's the story?

Sri Lankan batsman, Chamara Kapugedera, has called a day on his cricketing career. The 32-year-old’s last international appearance for Australia came in October 2017 during an ODI match versus Pakistan at Abu Dhabi.

The background

Kapugedera had made his debut for Sri Lanka in 2006. The right-handed batsman represented the Islanders in 8 Tests, 102 ODIs and 43 T20Is in his decade-long career. He could not score a century in international cricket but registered 13 fifties. His inconsistency never allowed him to cement his spot in the team.

The Kandy-born play had played for Sri Lanka in the final of 2011 World Cup. Coming out to bat at number 6, Kapugedera could only score 1 run off 6 balls before Zaheer Khan sent him back to the pavilion. Besides, he was also a part of the Chennai Super Kings squad once.

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The heart of the matter

Sri Lankan Cricketer Chamara Kapugedara (32) who played in 8 Tests, 102 ODIs & 43 T20Is has announced his retirement from all forms of Cricket. He is coaching Sarecense Sports Club this season. 🇱🇰🏏 pic.twitter.com/jqDYSLDIcz

— Azzam Ameen (@AzzamAmeen) December 24, 2019

Sri Lankan news reporter, Azzam Ameen confirmed the news of Chamara Kapugedera’s retirement with the above tweet. Since he did not get a chance to play for Sri Lanka in the last 2 years, he had diverted his focus to the coaching world. Currently, he is the coach of the Sarecense Sports Club of Sri Lanka.

Apart from batting in the middle order, Kapugedara could even bowl right-arm medium pace and keep wickets. Though he did not realize his full potential as an individual player, the officials backed him to do well. They had even handed him the reins of the team when regular ODI captain Upul Tharanga received a two-match suspension during the series against India in July 2017.

What’s next?

As Kapugedera possessed a lot of talent, he would like to train the up-and-coming Sri Lankan youngsters by serving as the coach of the nation’s cricket clubs and teams.

Kapugedera (right) will now begin his second innings as coach.