Malinga’s plea to cricket fans for Dimuth Karunaratne’s final Test

Sri Lankan cricketing legend Lasith Malinga has urged fans to rally behind former Test captain Dimuth Karunaratne as he prepares to play his final Test match tomorrow (06).

In a heartfelt video shared on his official Facebook page, Malinga called on cricket fans to fill the Galle International Cricket Stadium and give Karunaratne a fitting farewell during Sri Lanka’s second and final Test against Australia, which starts tomorrow (06).

“I request everyone who loves the game to go and watch the final Test match. Everyone should fill the stadium in Galle for Dimuth. I hope you all will come to the stadium for Dimuth. He will hit a century. When Dimuth scores 100, you should stand and clap. Dima, wishing you all the best, and I hope you’ll be able to say goodbye amid the applause of all the spectators,” Malinga said.

Karunaratne, 36, made his Test debut in 2012 at Galle, scoring a duck and an unbeaten 60 against New Zealand.

Since then, the left-arm opener has established himself as one of the pillars of Sri Lankan cricket, amassing 7,172 runs across 99 Test matches, including 16 centuries.

His highest Test score of 244 came against Bangladesh in 2021, and he holds the record for being among the batters who have recorded a duck and a hundred in the very same Test match.

Karunaratne led Sri Lanka in 30 tests from 2019 until 2024. He was nominated for the ICC Test Player of the Year Award in 2021, and was also included in the World Test XI by the ICC in 2021 for being the third-highest run-scorer in the format with 902 runs, including four blistering centuries at a mammoth average of 69.38.

In addition to his Test achievements, Karunaratne has featured in 50 ODIs for the island nation.

“Playing 100 Tests is a tough thing to accomplish, especially when you’re an opening batter and you’re doing the dirty work for the team,” Karunaratne told ESPNcricinfo.

The left-hand batter also opened up on one of his biggest regrets in his career - never appearing in a World Test Championship Final.

“I’d also have loved to make it to a World Test Championship final and experience that feeling of being in a final. We were close twice, but it never happened.”

As he prepares to step onto the field for his 100th and final Test, fans and cricketing greats alike are expected to celebrate his contributions to Sri Lanka’s cricketing history.

Widely regarded as Sri Lanka’s most accomplished Test opener, Karunaratne is expected to officially announce his retirement from both Test and international cricket during a press conference in Galle today. His final appearance in Sri Lankan whites is set to be an emotional moment for fans and teammates alike.