Bhanuka Rajapaksa communicated his decision in a letter written to the Lanka cricket board.
In a shocking development, 30-year-old Sri Lanka batter Bhanuka Rajapaksa announced retirement from international cricket from immediate effect. As per reports, the cricketer took the decision to focus on family obligations, while few cited it could have been prompted by tougher fitness benchmarks laid by the Sri Lanka Cricket Board (SLC) for theplayers.
Amidst the speculations, Sri Lanka legend Lasith Malinga made a special request to Rajapaksa and urged him to reconsider his decision. The former cricketer in a tweet said he believes that the batter “has a lot more to give to Sri Lankan cricket and I request him to reconsider his decision to retire from International cricket.”
Rajapaksa communicated his decision in a letter written to the Lanka cricket board. As per a report by Associated Press, the batter in the letter stated: “looking forward to fatherhood and associated familial obligations.”
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Rajapaksa had been previously in conflict with the cricket board and head coach Micky Arthur about fitness demands. He was omitted from the national team because of his failure to meet fitness and fielding standards and was fined for a media interview criticizing his exclusion.
However, Rajapaksa subsequently worked on his fitness and earned selection to the national team.
Rajapaksa has featured in five ODIs and 18 T20Is for Sri Lanka.
with inputs from AP
