Bhanuka Rajapaksa retires from international cricket

Bhanuka Rajapaksa, a top-order batsman of Sri Lanka, announced his retirement from international cricket on Wednesday, just days before an ODI series against Zimbabwe at home.

Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) said in a statement that the 30-year-old left-hander quit owing to family duties.

“I have very carefully considered my position as a player, husband and am taking this decision looking forward to fatherhood and associated familial obligations,” SLC quoted him as saying.

Rajapaksa has 89 runs in five One-Day Internationals and 320 runs in 18 T20 international games.

Following his removal from a tour of England, he was fined $5,000 and given a suspended ban for giving interviews criticizing the national board.

The interview, according to SLC, violated the player’s contract.

The three-match ODI series between Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka begins on January 16 in Kandy, before of Sri Lanka’s T20 trip of Australia in February.