Samaraweera calls it quits

Middle-order batsman Thilan Samaraweera on Wednesday said his omission from the Test squad for the series against Bangladesh forced him to retire from international cricket.

The 36-year-old, who played 81 Tests and 53 ODIs, announced his retirement following a meeting with the national selectors.

“I was shocked with my omission from the squad against Bangladesh,” he told reporters.

Samaraweera was excluded from the 16-man squad after being originally included in the 20-member probable.

“The selectors told me that their idea was to play only two senior players in the series against Bangladesh and the next series against Zimbabwe,” Samaraweera said.