“Khawaja shown consistency both in the previous year and this one. I’m attempting to evaluate myself against him on an annual basis.”
It’s no secret that Dimuth Karunaratne loves statistics, especially when it comes to his career. But he now has some significant figures in his sights after 89 Tests and, much to his relief, the captaincy behind him. We’ll talk about those later, but for now, Usman Khawaja—another left-handed opener—is the person he is after.
Karunaratne had earlier said that Dean Elgar, who at the time had a higher average and run total than him, was the player whose record he wanted to improve. Karunaratne now aims to surpass Khawaja’s yearly run totals after surpassing Elgar on both those fronts.
Khawaja has amassed 2476 runs since the beginning of 2022, compared to Karunaratne’s 1254. In contrast to Karunaratne’s 26 Test innings, Khawaja has played 50. Over that time, Khawaja’s average is higher at 56.27, compared to 50.16 for Karunaratne.In terms of average, none of the other openers have been comparable. Even though Sri Lanka only participated in six Test matches in 2023, they were the openers selected for the ICC Test team of the year.
Upon reaching 77 against Afghanistan, Karunaratne remarked, “I think I’m in a pretty good place, compared to others internationally, among openers.” However, Usman Khawaja has been excellent lately. He was reliable both the previous year and the year before. My goal is to consistently place in the World XI and to evaluate myself against him on an annual basis. I watch the Ashes series and even the most recent West Indies series when Khawaja plays. I watch his actions and his bat technique.
“You require these objects to propel you ahead. Otherwise, you lack the motivation to grow better when you don’t have a target.”
“I watch the Ashes series and even the most recent West Indies series when Khawaja plays. I study his actions and how he bats.”
However, at the age of 35, Karunaratne is also reaching several significant milestones that are uncommon for openers outside of England and Australia, who often play the most Tests. numbers that are followed by zeros. The numbers that you most closely identify with.
“My primary objective is to reach 100 Tests,” stated Karunaratne. “For any Test cricketer, that is an incredible accomplishment. When I reach there, I want to check my distance from 10,000 runs and try to push for it. My fitness is good right now. With this structure, I hope to leave a positive legacy. I’m almost at 7000 runs, and I might be able to reach the 3000 mark in the next two or three years.Those are my two objectives, so I need to continue being consistent and fit.”
It’s slightly over 3000, as he still has 6708 lifetime runs, even after his 77 against Afghanistan. It sounds rather average until you realize that, after starting the innings with 6615, he is by far Sri Lanka’s top run scorer, with Sanath Jayasuriya in second position with 5932.
After Jayasuriya (who batted further down the order for a large amount of his career), Mahela Jayawardene, Kumar Sangakkara, and Angelo Mathews, he is Sri Lanka’s fifth-highest run scorer overall.
Yes, I do keep a close eye on my statistics and compare them to those of others. First there’s Sanath aiya, followed by Angelo. My goal is to reach my goals so that, when I retire, I can look back and be satisfied with that.
“Playing cricket and representing your country’s team is not enough. That’s the reason I adore this format—it makes me feel so good. One by one, I wish to attempt to pass each of these legends. To some extent, I’ve been able to accomplish that. My goal is to work harder.”
