Nathan Lyon Shake Hands With Dimuth Karunaratne As He Walks Off For The Final Time In Tests During Sri Lanka vs Australia 2nd Test; Video

Sri Lankan opener Dimuth Karunaratne received a standing ovation from the Australian players and crowd as he left the field in his final Test match on Day 3 of the second Test. Playing his 100th Test, he scored 14 runs before edging a delivery to wicketkeeper Alex Carey off Matthew Kuhnemann.

Before walking off, he shook hands with Nathan Lyon and Steve Smith and shared an emotional hug with longtime teammate Dinesh Chandimal as the Aussie players paused their celebrations to applaud him.

Karunaratne finished his career with 7,222 runs in 100 Tests at an average of 39.25, with 16 centuries and a highest score of 244. He became the seventh Sri Lankan to play 100 Tests, joining legends like Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene, and Sanath Jayasuriya.

His 16 Test centuries are the joint-fourth highest for Sri Lanka, alongside Marvan Atapattu, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Dinesh Chandimal, and Angelo Mathews.

Australia dominated over Sri Lanka on day 3

Earlier in the day, Australia dominated as Alex Carey’s brilliant 156 helped them post 414, securing a 157-run first-innings lead. Carey, known for his sweep shots, played confidently against Sri Lanka’s spinners, setting a new record for the highest score by an Australian wicketkeeper in Asia, surpassing Adam Gilchrist’s 144.

Steve Smith also shone with a well-made 131, his second century of the series. He overcame early struggles to build a massive 259-run partnership with Carey for the fourth wicket—the highest stand by a visiting team in Sri Lanka at that position. Australia, having already won the first Test by an innings and 242 runs, looked set for a 2-0 series sweep.